Inside the Scam
Follow scams as they unfold — and examine tactics used to manipulate victims
Editor’s Note
Some of the stories in this interactive experience include discussions of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org.
Janet Gray thought the handsome doctor she’d met online was the love of her life. After nearly two years, she realized it was a scam, which she says left her heartbroken and with hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses.
Late one night, 17-year-old Gavin Guffey received an Instagram message from Bellajannet28, who invited him to play a flirtatious game of truth or dare. A few hours later, his father found him lying on the floor with a gunshot wound.
Lissa Bailey thought she was on the phone with a sheriff's deputy. He convinced her she was wanted for a crime.
After withdrawing all her money at her bank, she walked up to a bitcoin machine with her newborn baby, ready to pay her bond.
Chris Colocousis grew skeptical of the woman he'd met online who had convinced him to use his retirement savings for cryptocurrency trading.
When his trading account was locked, he went to his bank, hoping a withdrawal was the final step to recover his money.
In this interactive experience, you'll learn how different types of scams unfold, methods scammers use, and red flags to watch for.
Scams are a problem worldwide — with millions of victims and billions in money reported lost each year. Interpol ranks financial fraud as “one of the world’s most severe and rapidly evolving transnational crimes.”
Americans reported around $15.9 billion in losses to fraud in 2025, according to the Federal Trade Commission, with the biggest losses coming from investment and romance scams.
The Associated Press and FRONTLINE spoke to four people who experienced different types of scams. Reporters were able to verify many, but not all, of the details recounted through extensive interviews and hundreds of pages of chat transcripts and documents. They also spoke to experts who identified specific language and techniques scammers use to manipulate their victims.
Explore the cases.