Fraud factories, cyber criminals and corruption: The Economist's new podcast, "Scam Inc", uncovers a new, global, underground economy worth more than illicit drug trade

"Scam Inc" tells the story of a predatory, multi-billion dollar industry emerging from the shadows and why victims fall prey to it

LONDON, Feb. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today The Economist released "Scam Inc", a new, deeply-reported, eight-episode limited podcast series exploring the sophisticated, multi-billion dollar industry of online scams.

Scam Inc is hosted by Sue-Lin Wong, The Economist's South-East Asia correspondent and host of "The Prince", a multiple award-winning podcast series about China's leader Xi Jinping. For "Scam Inc", Wong follows the trail from the collapse of a bank in rural Kansas into the heart of a vast, global, underground economy of fraud, human trafficking, corruption and money laundering.

"The rise of the online scam industry is the most shocking story you've never heard of," said Wong. "It's taking over whole cities and countries as it spreads around the world. And scammers are now using not just crypto but also the most sophisticated AI, malware and psychological manipulation—and they're coming for all of us."

"Scam Inc" is the fourth limited series created for Economist Podcasts+, The Economist's podcast subscription. Subscribers to The Economist and Economist Podcasts+ will have exclusive access to the entire series. The first three episodes will be available to non-subscribers. The entire series can be found here.

"Scam Inc" is the latest podcast to join The Economist's stable of shows that showcase the breadth and originality of its journalism. Today the portfolio includes:

• The Intelligence, a daily podcast on global news
• The Weekend Intelligence, a weekly exploration of stories beyond the news
• Checks and Balance, a weekly podcast on American politics
• Money Talks, a weekly show on markets, the economy and business
• Babbage, a weekly podcast on science and technology
• Drum Tower, a weekly podcast on China
• The Prince, a limited series on the ambitions of China's leader, Xi Jinping
• Next Year in Moscow, a limited series on Russia's future
• The Modi Raj, a limited series on India's prime minister, Narendra Modi
• Boss Class, a limited series on leadership and management
• Boom!, a limited series on how a generation blew up American politics
• The World in Brief, a news briefing on the global agenda
• Editor's Picks, essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist

About The Economist 
With rigorous reporting, in-depth analysis and global perspective, The Economist explains today's most important events and seeks to discern the trends that will shape the future. In addition to the weekly print edition, The Economist publishes its journalism daily through its website, app, podcasts, newsletters, videos and Espresso, an app for concise global news. The Economist has 1.2m subscribers. More than 60m people follow The Economist across X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok and Threads.

SOURCE The Economist