Original subtitles

DIRECTOR: Let me know when you're ready,

and we'll bring Mariana.

(gunshots)

(siren)

MAN: To make money.

MAN: To make money, make money.

TWEETY: Fast money.

MARIANA VAN ZELLER: They're all Americans?

MARIANA: Lonely?

MARIANA: So you, don't you feel bad?

MARIANA: Jamaica, Israel,

two capitals of a multibillion‐dollar industry.

Meet the voice on the other end of that unrecognized number

that won't stop calling you.

MAN: Hello?

♪ ♪

MARK TITUS: Jamaicans, we are the best at all that we do.

MARIANA: This area is all the tourist area, right?

MARK: Yes.

Last year, we had over four million visitors to the island.

Montego Bay is the best tourist destination

you can find in the world.

MARIANA: Are you trying to sell me on tourism?

MARK: Oh, yes, you can come at any time.

MARIANA: Coming here as a tourist?

MARK: Oh, yes, come at any time.

MARIANA: Jamaica.

For most of the 1.5 million Americans who visit every year,

it mostly looks like this.

♪ ♪

Tourists like these stay at all‐inclusive resorts

like this one,

and do this,

which leads to this.

♪ ♪

Tourism is the backbone of Jamaica's legal economy,

and the resorts of Montego Bay are the crown jewel.

But step outside the walls of your hotel,

and it's a different story.

MARK: Montego Bay is built in a sort of strange way

where you have a mix of the very rich

bordering communities with extreme poverty.

MARIANA: Mark Titus is a journalist and former cop.

He knows the areas of Montego Bay

that don't make it into the tourist brochures.

MAN: Welcome to Jamaica.

(siren)

NEWSCASTER: Day three of the state of emergency

in St. James...

MARIANA: Two weeks before I arrived,

the governor here declared a state of emergency.

MARIANA: The area surrounding Montego Bay,

the tourist paradise,

now has one of the highest per capita

murder rates in the world.

NEWSCASTER: With an uptick in crime in St. James...

MARIANA: But what's causing much of this violence

isn't drugs or politics.

It's a new hustle.

What are the gangs fighting for?

(siren)

MARIANA: Lottery scams.

You're probably familiar with some version.

You get a call saying you won a lottery

that you don't even remember entering.

MAN: You have won yourself $7.5 million

and a 2019 Mercedes‐Benz S‐Class.

MAN: Uh, that's pretty exciting. (laughs)

MARIANA: All you need to do to collect

whatever they're promising‐‐

your millions, your new car, your new house‐‐

is to send a processing fee.

MARIANA: The prize is fake, of course,

but the fee you've been conned into paying

generates $300 million a year for Jamaican scammers.

MAN: We are scamming, scamming, scamming, scamming.

MARIANA: Scamming now rivals the drug trade

as a lucrative and violent source of revenue

for Jamaican gangs.

(sirens)

(man yelling)

I wanted to understand what's referred to here as "the game,"

meet the players, see how it's played.

MARK: Word of wisdom‐‐

enjoy Jamaica, the best of Jamaica,

but be careful.

MARK: That mean an informer giving information must die.

MARIANA: Mark warned me that it would be difficult

to get people to talk about the game,

but the rise of scamming can be measured

in another popular aspect of Jamaican culture.

♪ Big money poppin' huh! ♪

♪ Banga dem deh yah ♪

♪ Dog, quenga dem deh yah ♪

In a neighborhood called Steer Town, I met with this man,

local dancehall artist Xklusive.

♪ Back to the party, no stray me mind ♪

♪ Some boy weh a talk, real waste a time ♪

♪ Nah pree dem... ♪

So, what's happening here today? What are you doing?

MARIANA: He's the man behind "Big Money Poppin',"

the latest entry in a growing musical subgenre,

dancehall tracks that celebrate the danger, easy money,

and fast lifestyle associated with scamming culture.

What's the song about? What's the general theme of the song?

XKLUSIVE: It's about money.

Money and what's going on.

Scamming is going on. Prostitution is going on.

So, I sing about it because it's going on.

MARIANA: Can you sing it a little bit for me?

XKLUSIVE: Banga dem deh yah.

♪ Banga dem deh yah ♪

Scammer dem deh yah.

♪ Quenga dem deh yah ♪

MARIANA: And "scammers them there" meaning scammers are...

XKLUSIVE: Around, yeah, they're around.

MARIANA: Why did you decide to write a song about scamming?

MARIANA: I'd been warned that this line of questioning

might not go well.

But there's a lot of scamming in it.

I mean, the word scamming comes up a lot in the song...

XKLUSIVE: No. MARIANA: No?

XKLUSIVE: You know, it's a song that gets you hyped.

Big! Money! Poppin'! Huh!

♪ Big money poppin' anywhere me go ♪

MARIANA: I decide not to push it.

It's enough to know that the man whose breakout hit

became a scamming anthem doesn't want to talk about scamming.

♪ Cho man ♪

♪ Di whole place done know how di ting go man ♪

♪ Xklusive a talk, freezer to me heart ♪

But that same night,

I meet a man who says he knows someone who can help.

(horns honking)

Which is how I wind up in a car with a man I'll just call "V."

MARIANA: Okay.

V knows a lot about scamming, but he's skittish as hell.

MARIANA: Okay, make absolutely sure we don't film his face

or anything that identifies him.

MARIANA: No, no, no, no, no.

MARIANA: As it turns out, V wants to take me

for a little history lesson of scamming in Jamaica.

This complex all around us,

these are all call centers for American companies?

MARIANA: It all starts here, in call centers.

(phones ringing)

Call centers were set up on the island to take advantage

of the fact that Jamaicans speak English.

ANDREW: My name is Andrew,

and I'm calling you from the brand services.

MARIANA: And receive lower wages.

MAN: This is in regards to a few customers in Pasadena.

MARIANA: But a few local entrepreneurs

saw another opportunity.

The lists of names and phone numbers used for telemarketing,

political donations, market research,

and debt collection can also be used for scamming.

These "lead lists," as they're called,

are the backbone of the game.

They're valuable, and here in Jamaica,

they're bought and sold underground.

So, these are some of the places

where they're getting the contact lists and the names...

MARIANA: After earning V's trust,

he tells me he can introduce me to someone

who has even more knowledge about scamming.

He leads me to an abandoned house,

far from the beaches and tourists.

♪ ♪

(knocks)

This is how I meet Tweety.

Hi. Can I come in?

I'm Mariana.

MARIANA: Hi, Tweety. Nice to meet you.

TWEETY: Nice to meet you.

MARIANA: Juliana? Nice nails!

I'm greeted with weed and even stronger rum.

MARIANA: Tweety and her friend, Juliana, not their real names,

agree to talk to me about the game.

MARIANA: So what would happen if they found out who you were,

that you were doing this?

MARIANA: By day, Tweety works

at one of the many resorts on the island.

She wouldn't tell us which one,

but says she makes in a month

what tourists pay for a one‐night stay.

MARIANA: So what is it that you do on the side, then?

MARIANA: As it turns out, the hospitality industry

is great preparation for scamming.

All day long, Tweety is interacting

with mostly American clients.

MARIANA: Then, after hours, in her free time,

Tweety opens up her lead list.

Names, numbers, and addresses in the United States? America?

MARIANA: Big money popping?

MARIANA: No disrespect taken.

Tweety doesn't want to show me her lead lists.

They're closely guarded here in Jamaica.

But after a little more rum and smoke,

she and her friend Juliana loosen up and show me her rap.

MARIANA: You're really good with the accent.

(laughs)

You're probably thinking, how does anyone fall for this?

But there's a definite profile of a victim

that Tweety has identified.

MARIANA: Are they all older people?

MARIANA: To send you the money?

(chuckles)

MARIANA: Brash, unrepentant, cold‐‐

that's how Tweety sounds

when talking about stealing from lonely old people.

But her posture quickly changes

when she tells me how she first got into scamming.

MARIANA: With the state of emergency

driving most scammers further underground,

I was grateful for the chance to meet Tweety.

But the crazy thing about my job is that one minute,

you find yourself trying to understand a scammer,

and the next, you're with the people charged

with hunting them down.

CHIEF: Alright, everybody here?

CHIEF: We'll be searching and seizing

all electronic devices‐‐

laptops, cell phones, magicJacks, banking documents.

CHIEF: We should be on high alert

just in case the target chooses to shoot his way out.

(radio chatter)

(siren)

MARIANA: Lottery scams have led to violence in Jamaica

and caused untold damage abroad.

In almost every corner of America,

you can find news stories of those targeted.

NEWSCASTER: It's a crime that preys on the most vulnerable

and the victims often lose their entire life savings.

MARIANA: It's no secret that these scammers

go after older Americans.

MAN: It was the great American dream

to win some money where you could retire.

MARIANA: Their methods can be ruthless.

MARIANA: The results? Tragic.

NEWSCASTER: After being asked for yet another

1,500 more dollars to claim his prize,

Poland put a gun to his head and killed himself.

MARIANA: As a result of awful stories like these,

the US government has partnered with this task force.

So once you enter the community,

it's already sort of a risk, right?

CHIEF: Right.

CHIEF: So we have to get there as quickly as possible.

(horn beeps)

(radio chatter)

MARIANA: Okay, we're here, we're here.

Don't get out of the car.

Wow.

He's got his gun pointed right at the door.

(dog barking)

(howls)

(bark)

♪ ♪

(clicks tongue)

(dog howls)

(bark)

(clink)

(banging)

They just broke into the house

through the side door right here.

CHIEF: Come, come, come here.

(indistinct talking)

Hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello,

hello, hello, hello, hello.

Sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, relax.

Yeah, man, sit down, sit down, sit down.

CHIEF: We are searching for lottery scamming paraphernalia,

credit cards, credit card burners, those type of things.

(radio chatter)

MARIANA: You think this is real gold?

CHIEF: Yeah, man.

MARIANA: The Rolex.

This is also a Rolex. You see this a lot?

CHIEF: For larger scammers, yes, yes.

♪ ♪

That's a brand new car.

This is evidence that this young man tried to destroy it

when the police tried to enter.

MARIANA: Was it submerged underwater?

MARIANA: Wow. So it actually has somebody's name,

and you can see this whole conversation that they had,

and it says, "Welcome, Miss (bleep).

Your account balance is $17,500,000.

You are subjected to pay the authorization fee

totaling 120,000 as soon as possible."

And they're promising that they will receive over $17 million.

CHIEF: What we see here is a lot of cans

that they use to practice Obeah.

MARIANA: This one is actually called

the Million Dollar Spray.

CHIEF: Million Dollar Spray, right.

MARIANA: Means if you spray it,

you're gonna be blessed with a million dollars.

CHIEF: They believe, they believe so.

MARIANA: Wow. Some of these are incredible.

Look at this one. Famous Double Fast Luck Spray.

CHIEF: This one is called Bring Back Customers.

MARIANA: The state of emergency

led to an uptick of arrests like these.

Some of the bigger players have even been extradited

to face justice in the United States.

All in all, it's a tense time to be a scammer in Jamaica,

which isn't making it any easier for me to meet more of them.

(horn honking)

But then I was invited to meet a local boss,

a man who runs a crew of scammers.

We arrange to meet at a hillside hideout,

only a few miles from Jamaica's rum‐soaked resorts.

♪ ♪

Looks like a bunch of guys with masks waiting for us.

MAN: Okay.

MARIANA: I can't tell if they're armed or not,

but we should probably go.

(car beeping)

Hi.

Okay.

All good?

This is the microphone.

As we approach the meeting spot,

it's clear the boss isn't taking any chances.

So, we keep going this way?

♪ ♪

MARIANA: Hi.

I'm Mariana.

What would you like me to call you?

MARIANA: Viktor? Okay. Can I ask you what the G is for?

MARIANA: So you're proud of that?

MARIANA: Can I put a mic on you, Viktor?

MARIANA: You wouldn't like it if it was a man doing this?

MARIANA: Okay, thank you.

MARIANA: I'm ready, Viktor.

MARIANA: So these guys, we are surrounded by one, two, three,

at least three that I can see, three guys.

MARIANA: What guns are used to protect?

MARIANA: So what do you do, Viktor?

MARIANA: How long have you been in the money game for?

MARIANA: Do you remember the first time you did it?

MARIANA: Since those early days, Viktor has risen to become

what he describes as a midlevel boss.

How has the state of emergency affected you guys?

MARIANA: Really?

MARIANA: 200 people working for you?

No way.

MARIANA: Behind all the swagger is a young man

who says he grew up on the rough side of Montego Bay

with very few options.

MARIANA: In other words, reparations.

The idea that scamming white people is payback

for a brutal history of slavery and colonialism.

It's a justification that I heard from Tweety as well.

It's also the title of perhaps

the biggest scammer anthem of them all.

♪ Dem call it scam ♪

♪ Me call it a reparation ♪

MARIANA: Have you ever had to hurt anyone because of scamming?

MARIANA: Wait, you were thinking of taking our cameras

and robbing us?

♪ ♪

MARIANA: You were thinking of taking our cameras

and robbing us?

MARIANA: Okay.

MARIANA: I don't know how to feel about this.

MARIANA: Thank you, Viktor.

MARIANA: Do you think there's more money being made through,

by scamming than in the drug business here?

MARIANA: Over the next several days,

I meet with a handful of other scammers,

and they're all full of surprises.

So first question is, why these masks?

MARIANA: You're a fan of Donald Trump?

MARIANA: The Trump twins are actually

college‐educated brothers.

Another woman I meet had turned to scamming

when she couldn't make enough money as a hairstylist

to raise her four kids.

MARIANA: What fascinates me most

are the day‐to‐day details of their work.

Every day you call 284 people?

MARIANA: At its heart, scamming is a sales job.

Only a tiny percentage of calls are going to generate cash.

Of those people that you call, how many of them...

MARIANA: So volume is key.

Okay, so it's an Excel sheet,

and the Excel sheet is called "Client."

So there's a Nancy, Clarissa, Rhonda, Paula, Alice, Chad.

Just saying the first names, just first names.

MARIANA: (bleep). This is crazy.

So, wait, we're at 4,500 and I'm still scrolling.

Much like sales, it helps to know how to close the deal, too.

This man, who says he's made millions scamming,

has a special trick after telling his marks

that they've won a Mercedes.

MARIANA: You actually send a key to, like, a fake Mercedes?

MARIANA: The best scammers are relentless,

but they're also intuitive,

quickly assessing what the voice on the other line really wants.

MARIANA: With little more than a burner phone and some gumption,

scammers can reach across oceans

and wreak havoc on the lives of ordinary people.

Welcome to the dark side of globalization.

Half a world away, I was about to get a glimpse

of an even more lucrative type of scamming.

While scamming in Jamaica brings in

hundreds of millions of dollars a year,

scamming in Israel is reported to bring in billions.

I want to know how it works.

(clapping)

What's happening?

You can see him?

Okay. Everyone ready?

He's driving up, guys.

So, I arranged to meet with a man who was described to me

as a big player in the scamming industry.

I'm told he's made a fortune

running various investment companies,

all of which specialize in financial fraud.

I was also told to be very careful.

MARIANA: Hi. MOSHIKO: Hello.

MARIANA: Thank you so much for meeting us. I'm Mariana.

Moshiko.

I do.

Okay.

So you're gonna turn it off?

Okay.

I've interviewed hundreds of people through the years.

Moshiko is the first to ever take away my phone.

I ask him to give me the scammers tour of Tel Aviv.

MARIANA: In a lot of these buildings

that look completely legitimate, there's actually all this...

MARIANA: Is it an open secret? You seem to know.

Do people in Tel Aviv and Israel know?

MARIANA: How many of these companies,

fraudulent scamming companies do you think there are?

MARIANA: Yeah.

No way.

Holy (bleep).

(Moshiko chuckles)

While the lottery scam in Jamaica is the go‐to con,

in Israel, it's all about the investment scam.

The depth of this fraud was first uncovered

by Simona Weinglass, an investigative journalist

who was tipped off by a source

working at a scam investment company.

SIMONA WEINGLASS: He told me that there wasn't just

one company like this, but there were hundreds,

and they were stealing billions of dollars.

It sounded crazy, and it turned out to be true.

MARIANA: Just like in Jamaica, Simona says the investment scams

in Israel often start with call centers and lead lists.

Employees at these seemingly legitimate companies

cold call potential clients

and get them to invest in an exciting trading opportunity.

SIMONA: You start to trade,

you'll see your account going up and up,

the retention agent will keep talking to you

and getting you to put more and more money in,

and then eventually, when they sense

that you're not going to put any more money in,

they just disappear with the money.

MARIANA: Josh, you work for a company,

getting clients and lying to clients and scamming clients?

JOSH: Yes.

MARIANA: I found one of these agents who was willing

to talk to me if we agreed not to reveal his identity.

We'll call him Josh.

Where do you find the clients? How do you...

MARIANA: They catch them with ads and websites like this

that look like legitimate and professional trading platforms

and often promise easy trading and profits.

You convince these people to invest with you,

and then after they give you the money that you want,

you sort of disappear?

JOSH: We actually don't disappear.

We work with them for a while.

MARIANA: At any point, is that money actually invested

in anything or is that money...

JOSH: No.

MARIANA: So it's all a lie? JOSH: Yeah.

SIMONA: The money was never in your account to begin with,

there never was an account.

This company was probably not where they said it was.

MARIANA: Josh works in one popular version

of an investment scam, which is often sold as a binary option.

Not all binary options trading is fraudulent,

and the scam version itself runs the spectrum

from misleading investors

to the outright theft that Josh and Simona describe.

But binary options fraud became so pervasive,

that both the Security and Exchange Commission

and the FBI were forced to issue warnings to investors.

And over the past year alone,

the U. S. Justice Department has charged

at least 15 binary option agents.

Around the globe,

Israeli scammers have allegedly stolen billions.

Do you ever feel guilty about what you do?

JOSH: Yes.

I hardly sleep.

My soul is, like, telling me,

fighting against what I'm doing, on my actions.

MARIANA: On one occasion,

Josh claims he was so racked by guilt

at how much money he'd already stolen from a Canadian client

that he actually called the authorities

to prevent the client from transferring any more money.

And did anyone find out that you did that?

JOSH: No.

MARIANA: What would have happened to you if they did?

JOSH: I will have not been sitting here right now.

Either I will be killed or something like that.

MARIANA: You'd be killed? JOSH: Yes.

MARIANA: Is it that serious? JOSH: It is. Very dangerous.

MARIANA: He says his soul is crushed by guilt

and that he works under the threat of violence,

and yet he keeps scamming

because he makes keeps 10% to 15% of any money he brings in.

JOSH: It's a huge amount of money.

MARIANA: How many of these companies do you think exist

here in Israel?

SIMONA: Now the industry has gone underground,

they're not as open.

I hear from people

that these call centers are still everywhere.

MARIANA: "Jobs for multilinguals in Israel,"

let's see what shows up.

"Looking for hardworking, fluent English speakers,

enthusiastic and assertive,

who are looking to make a lot of money.

A young and dynamic atmosphere with snacks."

For the snacks alone, I'm gonna send an email to this one.

So apart from people like you, who's benefiting from this?

(phone ringing)

MAN: Hi. Yes?

MARIANA: Hi, this is Maria Flores.

Yes, Maria Flores, I emailed about a job position?

If I wanted to go to one of these companies

and film undercover inside and say that I'm applying for a job,

what should I say?

JOSH: Why, you're applying for something?

MARIANA: Maybe.

So I've got my little button camera right here.

I've got the mic pack.

DIRECTOR: Alright, let's roll on it.

♪ ♪

MARIANA: While applying for jobs at what I suspect might be

a scam investment company,

I've turned to Josh for advice

on how to get my foot in the door.

JOSH: You can say that I know how to do sales

and probably you can get in.

MARIANA: Not in the actual trading?

JOSH: No. There are agents who don't know anything,

a single word about trading, they just know how to sell.

MARIANA: I've worked in translations as an interpreter.

I've also worked at a carpet/rugs company

where I was dealing with very rich clients.

MARIANA: Okay. Yeah, a polygraph?

MARIANA: That's never happened to me, but okay.

MARIANA: Should I be concerned about my security

if they find out I'm filming undercover?

JOSH: Yes.

MARIANA: What do you think they could do?

JOSH: There are no limits.

What is the worst damage you think you can get of?

MARIANA: I mean, I could be hurt or killed, obviously.

JOSH: Exactly, so that's it.

That's the answer for your question. (chuckles)

MARIANA: Have we thought this through, guys?

This, for better or worse,

is where my curiosity gets the better of me.

What could these places possibly look like from the inside?

There's only one way to find out.

So, I'm Maria Flores. I was born in '87.

I'm moving to Tel Aviv with my boyfriend, which is Jacob.

PRODUCER: He's Israeli.

MARIANA: I'm applying for a sales job at this company.

You're my friend, and you're helping me with Hebrew.

PRODUCER: Yeah. MARIANA: Sounds good?

PRODUCER: Yeah.

MARIANA: My wing woman for this operation

is an amazing local producer

whose name and identity we've agreed not to disclose.

So, I've got my little button camera right here.

I've got the mic pack.

This gets really hot, so I don't want to turn it on early.

Yup. Definitely nervous.

Just can't wait for this to be over.

So you're constantly thinking that maybe

they're going to realize that you're filming,

even though they probably aren't.

DIRECTOR: Alright, let's roll on it.

MARIANA: You see it? DIRECTOR: Yeah.

MARIANA: Okay, so it's recording now.

Wish me luck, guys.

♪ ♪

Fifth floor.

Oh, my god.

Okay.

This is it.

Okay, so we're here.

It sounds like there's a party going on in there, right?

PRODUCER: Yeah, there's music in it.

(muffled music)

MAN: Hello. MARIANA: Hi, how are you?

I'm here to meet (bleep). I am. Oh, you were waiting for me!

MARIANA: Hi, how are you? MAN: Nice to meet you.

MARIANA: This is the man I had corresponded with over email.

This is a nice office.

MARIANA: Thank you.

Oh, okay.

Yeah.

We can't know for sure that this is a scam company,

but our sources told us to be on the lookout for certain clues,

like a blind emphasis on sales

and assurances that no knowledge of finance is required.

MARIANA: Mm‐hmm. Oh, definitely.

MARIANA: Yeah.

My only fear is that I don't know anything

about the Forex market.

MARIANA: Really? Okay. So it's not that hard?

So what are you looking for?

What kind of characteristics would you...

MARIANA: Great, so all I need is to want money.

MARIANA: Then the manager arrives.

Hi. Nice to meet you, too.

And gets straight to the point.

MARIANA: Wait, how much, how much money can I make here?

MARIANA: A month? MANAGER: A month. Okay?

MARIANA: Not bad for an entry level job.

Again, it's hard to say for certain

that this is a scam company, but for an investment firm,

they sure have a funny approach to customer service.

MARIANA: Salespeople at scam companies

are ordered to sell under fake names.

They're also told to lie about the company's location.

The scammers say they're in New York, London, Zurich,

but never, ever Israel.

If you don't know who you're dealing with,

or where they're located,

it's very hard to get your money back.

MARIANA: That is it.

♪ ♪

He kept looking at my boobs. Can you believe it?

I was thinking, are they looking at my boobs or the camera?

PRODUCER: Yeah.

MARIANA: Or my necklaces or what's happening?

Okay, guys. Okay, the good news is that I was hired.

(man laughs)

I can start as early as next week.

DIRECTOR: Nice. Congratulations.

MARIANA: I mean, super shady.

I'm so happy it's over.

As we drive through Tel Aviv, I realize the city skyline

provides the perfect white‐collar camouflage.

So much of the business world looks and sounds the same.

The offices, the branding, the button‐downs,

and yet some not‐small number of these normal‐looking people

are on their way to normal‐looking cubicles

where they'll spend their days stealing money

from innocent people around the world.

And for what? So they can buy a big‐ass yacht.

On my last day in Tel Aviv, I caught up with Moshiko

to try and understand how he justifies

the lifestyle he's chosen.

MOSHIKO: And in three months, I might send them back 30,000,

and they think they just had a bad experience

with the financial markets.

MARIANA: There is no part of you that feels bad about this?

That you're taking away the last 200,000 from Joe the mechanic

who's worked all of his life for this money?

MOSHIKO: If Joe the mechanic thinks it's responsible

to send $200,000 to a website that he hasn't checked out,

Joe the mechanic needs to be responsible for his decisions.

MARIANA: So, Moshiko, you seem like a very smart person

who obviously has no problem making money.

Why do, why do it this way?

MOSHIKO: Where else can you make

a million dollars in a week from home?

Come on.

You live one life.

Why should I spend my whole life working, making 50,000 a year,

when I can sit here and I can enjoy my life?

MARIANA: How much money do you think you've made from this?

MOSHIKO: The most I made in one day was $300,000.

Ten plus years, I have probably brought in $75 to $100 million.

MARIANA: Moshiko says that scamming is here to stay.

It's an inconvenient truth about the globalized world.

MOSHIKO: Just like PT Barnum said,

what's, there's a sucker born every minute.

MARIANA: You know who else said that to us?

The Jamaican scammer. The exact same line.

MOSHIKO: That is absolutely true.

♪ ♪

(phone ringing)

ADAM: Hello?

SCAMMER: Hey, Adam? ADAM: Uh‐huh.

SCAMMER: Brace yourself. Are you braced?

You've won 19.42 million US dollars.

How do you feel?

ADAM: Okay, how is that possible?

SCAMMER: Adam, do you eat out?

ADAM: Yes.

SCAMMER: Are you vegetarian?

ADAM: Uh‐huh.

SCAMMER: Oh, my god, Adam, you ran your credit card

at a Whole Foods store.

Have you had Whole Foods recently?

ADAM: Yeah, all the time.

SCAMMER: Adam, you've won. You've (bleep) won!

What are you gonna do with $19.42 million?

MARIANA: Hey, Adam, if you're watching,

I want you to know that this call is a scam.

MARIANA: Adam, you're not a sucker,

but the guys on the other line are hoping,

really hoping, that you are.

MARIANA: They make a living in a way that's obviously wrong.

But imagine waking up every morning

and seeing a bunch of tourists spending more money in a week

than you make in a year,

and then going home to a place outside resort walls

that were erected to keep you out.

MARIANA: Now imagine all this is wrapped in a history of slavery

and exploitation, a legacy that is very much alive and well.

MARIANA: Reverse imperialism?

MARIANA: "If you have a phone, you have a chance."

It's the most powerful rationalization I've heard.

Phone scamming as a last resort.

A literal lifeline.

Even so, most scammers I met

seem to struggle with what they do.

Real jungle out here.

TWEETY: Right, right, right.

MARIANA: I know Tweety does.

TWEETY: Almost there, Mariana, almost there.

MARIANA: Huge spiderweb!

(Tweety laughs)

MARIANA: Just down here? TWEETY: Yeah.

MARIANA: You good?

This is really cool.

TWEETY: Whoa.

MARIANA: Is it cold?

TWEETY: Yeah. (laughs)

MARIANA: So this is to ward off evil spirits?

TWEETY: Right.

MARIANA: Ghosts, yeah. And you mix that with water?

TWEETY: Water. MARIANA: Okay.

TWEETY: Whoa, it's getting wet.

MARIANA: Wow, it's raining, it's raining a lot.

MARIANA: Extra blessing?

I'm gonna join you since I'm totally wet already anyway.

There's no point in me pretending here.

MARIANA: One, two, three.

I've spent a lot of time with people like Tweety,

telling stories of those who make a living

on the wrong side of the law.

All too often, the people who inhabit these worlds

are painted as ruthless criminals,

immoral villains, bad people.

But in my experience,

they're a lot more like us than we want to admit.

TWEETY: Fresh start, new beginning, right?

MARIANA: Fresh start, new beginning.

♪ ♪

JOSH: Everything is a scam. Everybody takes their piece.

MOSHIKO: Who's making money off of these industries?

Everyone. It funds entire countries!

VIKTOR: If I'm a billionaire, I'll be done.

MOSHIKO: Will I ever stop scamming?

No, it's too much fun.

MARIANA: How do you think this is gonna end for you?

(gunshots)

(siren)

MAN: Know what I mean? You get it, right?

(siren)

Captioned by Side Door Media Services