Investigating the Online Scam Epidemic | Scammed (Full Documentary) | Frontline + Associated Press

Millions of Americans have fallen victim to a growing epidemic of online scams — from sextortion schemes aimed at teens, to crypto investment scams targeting seniors. What’s behind the rise?

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FRONTLINE and The Associated Press have spent more than a year investigating the shadowy world of online scams, and how this global criminal industry is stealing billions of dollars each year. The 90-minute documentary “Scammed” goes inside the explosive growth of an industry powered in many cases by organized crime, trafficked labor, American technology, and, increasingly, AI — and how governments and law enforcement have tried to keep pace.

Drawing on interviews with perpetrators, victims and officials, as well as thousands of never-before-seen documents, “Scammed” pieces together a look inside the global scam industry — from sextortion scams run from Nigeria, to massive scam compounds in Southeast Asia that rely on human trafficking for labor — and the underlying technologies and platforms being used to scam victims in the U.S. and worldwide. The documentary also examines why so few people ever get their money back.

“Scammed” is a FRONTLINE Production with Peter Klein Productions in association with The Associated Press. The writer, producer and director is Peter Klein. The co-producers are Megan Robinson and Boris Ivanov. The reporters are Erika Kinetz, Juliet Linderman and Martha Mendoza. The senior producers are Frank Koughan and Eamonn Matthews. The managing editor of FRONTLINE is Andrew Metz. The editor-in-chief and executive producer of FRONTLINE is Raney Aronson-Rath.

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CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Prologue
03:23 - The Rise of Sextortion Scams
19:27 - Anyone Can Become a Scam Victim
28:02 - Scam Compounds Behind Global Scams
41:40 - How Scammers Run Crypto Investment Scams
59:14 - The Role of U.S. Tech Companies in Scams
1:15:18 - How AI Has Supercharged Scams
1:24:20 - Credits

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