American Grift Podcast
1) Episode 1: ANNA DELVEY
A girl with a European accent and tousled hair and big sunglasses walks into a fancy hotel in New York and stays there without a credit card on file. She throws cash around like candy. She's Anna Delv...Show More
2) Episode 12: The Wedding Grift
We are BACK, baby! After a two-year hiatus (sorry about that), Oriana and her rotating cast of cohosts have returned with a new, personal tale to jumpstart the revived American Grift. This installmen...Show More
3) Episode 11: Aunt Becky's College Admissions Scam
We're back, baby, with an hour on the college admissions scam dubbed "Operation Varsity Blues" by the FBI. Comedian Gabe Gonzalez and freelance writer Aly Semigran join Oriana to talk about how weird ...Show More
4) Episode 10: Instagram Influencers
We're back from hiatus with a crazy one about how rotten the dark heart of Instagram Influencing is, told through the lens of one particular "Influencer": Caroline Calloway. Pajiba pop culture writer ...Show More
5) Episode 9: Jho Low, the Billion Dollar Whale
Jho Low and his fellow schemers made off with $2.7 billion in one of the most extensive grifts of all time. Did you like the movie The Wolf of Wall Street? Well, it was financed with money from this s...Show More
6) Episode 8: Can You Ever Forgive Us, Lee Israel?
Lee Israel serves as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come for Oriana. Kristy Puchko of Pajiba and Aly Semigran join her to discuss the literary forger, author of the beautifully sharp memoir "Can You Ev...Show More
7) Episode 7: The Wine Crimes of Rudy Kurniawan
Who's Rudy Kurniawan, and what was his wine crime—pairing a malbec with tuna? No, Rudy sold fake fine wine. Lots of it. You can learn more by watching the documentary "Sour Grapes" on Netflix. Our...Show More
8) Episode 6: DashCon/TanaCon
Oriana, Fast Company News Editor Christopher Zara, and Internet Culture Expert Sarah Hayden discuss the twin shitshows of Dashcon and Tanacon along with parasocial relationships and fandom! Two Gen Y-...Show More
9) Bonus Episode: Andrew Therrien the Scam Slayer
The Scam Slayer himself got in touch with the pod! So we recorded a special bonus episode where Andrew Therrien and Oriana talk about the darkness of man's hearts, payday lending, and what we can do t...Show More
10) Episode 5: The Scam Slayer Who Uncovered a Fake Debt Collection Scheme
Fast Company News Editor Christopher Zara and freelance journalist Ismat Mangla join host Oriana Schwindt to discuss a rare hero in the world of grift: Andrew Therrien, who uncovered a massive fake de...Show More