Fraud Friday: The 90 Day Fake Fiancé w/ Clark Moore

Summary

Scam Goddess Podcast Episode Summary Episode: Fraud Friday: The 90 Day Fake Fiancé w/ Clark Moore
Release Date: May 9, 2025
Hosts: Laci Mosley (Scam Goddess) & Clark Moore

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Introduction

In this episode of Scam Goddess, host Laci Mosley, affectionately known as the Scam Goddess, is joined by special guest Clark Moore. Together, they delve into the intricacies of modern fraud schemes, sharing personal experiences and dissecting listener-submitted cases to shed light on the deceptive tactics employed by scammers today.

Personal Anecdotes and Insights

Laci and Clark kick off the discussion by sharing their own encounters with scams, emphasizing the importance of skepticism and vigilance. Laci humorously recounts her ordeal of being locked out of her new place, highlighting how even everyday frustrations can intersect with fraud risks.

Notable Quote:

• Laci Mosley at [02:30]: "Thanks for being here. You have such good energy."

Listener Case Study: The Fake Fiancé Scam

The core of this episode revolves around a detailed listener-submitted story involving a sophisticated fake fiancé scam orchestrated by individuals masquerading under multiple aliases.

The Scam Unveiled

A listener named Baxter reaches out to share his harrowing experience with a scammer posing as Johnny Strauss, also known as Ringwalk John and Jonathan Lear. This scam targeted Baxter’s former friend, James, who fell victim to a multi-layered deception spanning over five years.

Notable Quotes:

• Clark Moore at [03:24]: "I was just thinking about this the other day. I'm very gullible. I just sort of, like, believe anything you tell me."
• Laci Mosley at [10:49]: "Baxter says, 'I'm a new member of the congregation. Oh, welcome. Amen.'"

Steps of the Scam

1. Initial Contact and Trust Building: James, a charity worker from the UK, met Irina through a translator named Julia. They began dating despite a significant age gap, encouraged by Julia’s constant involvement.

2. Financial Manipulation: James transferred substantial funds ($200,000) for apartment purchases and wedding expenses, which were deceitfully inflated or misallocated. Laci humorously critiques the authenticity of the expensive apartment purchase.

   Notable Quote:

   • Laci Mosley at [47:14]: "Christina's hair is so damn big. Cuz it's full of secrets and lies."

3. Emotional Manipulation and Isolation: Irina and Christina, accomplices in the scam, manipulated James emotionally, leading him to believe in a genuine future together while funneling his money into fraudulent schemes.

   Notable Quote:

   • Laci Mosley at [57:04]: "James had been scammed for over $250,000. And it wasn't until one of his homeboys from the Ukraine was like, bro, they're running a scam."

4. Failed Recovery Attempts: James’s attempts to reclaim his money were thwarted by systemic corruption in Odessa police, leaving him with ownership of a devalued apartment and significant financial loss.

   Notable Quote:

   • Clark Moore at [56:19]: " If anyone tells you that they're going to give you money, but all you got to do is pay the taxes and fees, like, immediately. You should remember the Nigerian police."

Analysis and Lessons Learned

Laci and Clark dissect the scam, highlighting red flags such as inconsistent narratives, inflated expenses, and the use of multiple aliases. They emphasize the psychological tactics scammers use to exploit victims' emotions and desperation.

Notable Quotes:

• Clark Moore at [04:02]: "I was very easily scammable in a way."
• Laci Mosley at [15:10]: "You never say it's because my friend got in a car accident. You always have to come up with something that's benign."

Scammer of the Week: Mackenzie Scott Impersonation

Transitioning to their regular segment, Laci and Clark discuss a recent scam where fraudsters impersonated Mackenzie Scott, Jeff Bezos’s ex-wife. These scammers sent out fraudulent emails to charities, leveraging the real Mackenzie Scott's reputation to deceive vulnerable individuals into parting with their money.

Notable Quotes:

• Laci Mosley at [60:23]: "People are just believing them. Cause, like, why not?"
• Clark Moore at [61:07]: "Mackenzie Scott's team sent out hundreds of emails out of the blue to charities, notifying them of her large contribution."

Conclusion

Wrapping up the episode, Laci and Clark reiterate the importance of due diligence and skepticism in interactions that involve financial transactions or emotionally charged commitments. They encourage listeners to stay informed and cautious, emphasizing that awareness is the first step in preventing fraud.

Notable Quote:

• Laci Mosley at [70:24]: "Congregation, stay scamming. Scam Goddess."

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Key Takeaways

• Vigilance is Crucial: Always verify the authenticity of individuals and organizations before engaging in financial transactions.
• Recognize Red Flags: Inconsistent stories, inflated expenses, and pressure to act quickly are common signs of fraudulent schemes.
• Understand Psychological Tactics: Scammers often exploit emotions and desperation to manipulate victims into compliance.
• Seek Support: If you suspect a scam, reach out to trusted friends or professionals rather than handling it alone.

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Stay tuned for more insightful and humorous discussions on fraud and scams with the Scam Goddess. Remember, as Laci always says, "Stay schemin'!"

Transcript

[Lacey Mosley]

Inspired by Judy Blume's groundbreaking 1975 novel Forever, watch the reimagined coming of age series about young love by Mara Bracha Kiel, the iconic creator of Girlfriends. The epic love story follows two black teens, Keisha and Justin, as they explore.

[Clark Moore]

Romance and their identities through the awkward.

[Lacey Mosley]

Journey of being each other's firsts. Watch forever now playing only on Netflix. Y' all know how Amazon was just previously used to, you know, go on and get something very specific. Like you want some earrings that look like Michelle Obama or something like just very specific that you can't buy in a store. Well, now, Amazon is a great place to get all your essentials. You can get your toiletries. You can have them scheduled to deliver your toiletries, which I do because I be running out of toilet paper, and that's very embarrassing. Like, to be on the toilet and you don't have no paper. Like, that's. That's very sad and embarrassing. Can't believe I told y' all that. But next time you run out of coffee or realize you out of light bulbs, don't be in the dark. Amazon has you covered. Save every day with deals from Amazon. What's poppin, Congregation? It's your girl, Lacey Mosley, AKA Scam Goddess. Welcome to an episode of Fraud Fridays where we release older episodes from the Scam Goddess vault. That's right, Fraud Fridays is where we bring back your favorite episodes from behind the Paywall. Enjoy this EP episode from behind the Paywall. And as always, stay scheming, Fraud. What's poppin, Congregation? It's your girl, Lacey Mosley, AKA Sweet Goddess. How y' all doing, guys? I am so very. What? Yes. Yes, you're right. Excited, excited for today's guest. I really am. Guys, Clarke Moore. You've seen him in that Popping ass rom com movie for the LGBTQIA and the Pluses, Honey. Love, Simon. Which was an instant classic. Ew. He was on Crazy Ex Girlfriend. Recurring on Crazy Ex Girlfriend. And also now you can hear him. You can put him in your eardrums, honey. With his podcast Soulbomb by Clarke Moore, which is a PODC about healing and identity. Yes. Get into it, guys. We have Clarke Moore. Hi, Clark.

[Clark Moore]

Hi, Lacey. Thanks for having me.

[Lacey Mosley]

Thanks for being here. You have such good energy. We chatted, like, a little bit. I told Clark about how I had got locked out of my new place, and I was very angry about it. Cause I was like, I paid too much money to be locked out of this hole. Like, sitting outside.

[Clark Moore]

It's literally my nightmare, especially being Black. Cause you know the moment that you try to get back in the house is the moment the whoop, whoops and you're like, wait, no, I live here. I swear.

[Lacey Mosley]

One leg in the window.

[Clark Moore]

Yes.

[Lacey Mosley]

Yo, if you out here, if you do rivalry, maybe try that one time. Like, you know, you see the whoop whoop, don't act guilty. Just be like, oh, I live here. I got my.

[Clark Moore]

That's the thing. It doesn't work either way.

[Lacey Mosley]

Henry, pull your ski mask up and be like, no, I live here. My face is just cold.

[Clark Moore]

If only. If only.

[Lacey Mosley]

Well, Clark, do you have any relationship with scams? Have you ever been scammed? Do you like scams? It could be anything.

[Clark Moore]

I was just thinking about this the other day. I'm very gullible. I just sort of, like, believe anything you tell me.

[Lacey Mosley]

Oh, don't advertise that here, because the girls will.

[Clark Moore]

People will come for me.

[Lacey Mosley]

They will be in your DMs.

[Clark Moore]

Like, Clark, I've had to develop a skepticism, but, like, years ago, people. You know, I'm like the snake oil salesman. This will change your life. I'm like, sure, here's all my money. Take it. I also, like, at a market. I don't. I'm not able to, like, haggle, you know, if someone's like, this peach is $50, I'm like, okay, do I have $50? Like, you know.

[Lacey Mosley]

Oh, so you're like, so this is. This is James and the giant peach. This is the one from the book.

[Clark Moore]

Like, I just.

[Lacey Mosley]

You're not even gonna ask why it's $50?

[Clark Moore]

No. Oh, that's just what it is. Okay, do I have $50? If I do, Here you go. If I don't, I guess I'm not having a peach today, you know, so. I'm very easily scammable in a way.

[Lacey Mosley]

Low key, though. I kind of like that because haggling is kind of disrespectful. I wish that people would just put the price on it. That's what the price is. Instead, it's such an American capitalistic thing to be like, I'm gonna put a price way higher and hope these suckers won't notice. Just charge what you're supposed to be charging. Well, I gotta come in here and fight you. I've never understood that about car dealerships. Like, I gotta come in here and fight you. Why can't you just put the price of the car out on the sticker? Stop with the games.

[Clark Moore]

It's funny you would say that, Lacey, about car dealerships. Because I'm starting to realize that perhaps some of my easily, my easy scam ability is because of my mother, who is the opposite. Like, literally, she specifically, in car dealerships, she's so intense that I've seen people scurry when she walks into the car dealership. One time we walked in and she said, hello. And the. The woman picked up the phone and was like, Dr. Moore is here. And people started running around in the back. It was like the Devil Wears Prada.

[Lacey Mosley]

I have several questions. One, why your mom at the car dealership so much? Like, Right, right.

[Clark Moore]

That's my question, too. Because somehow every time I need money, she doesn't have any. And yet she always has enough to buy a new car whenever she wants one. So I'm thinking there's some, you know, something's going on here.

[Lacey Mosley]

Your mama sounds like daddy government. The American government ain't never got no coins. When the girls want health or an end to, you know, people being unhoused.

[Clark Moore]

Yes. She's like, I have money. You don't.

[Lacey Mosley]

My mom used to always say that about my dad. She was like, lacey, when you're dating, look, his money is our money. My money is my money.

[Clark Moore]

Right?

[Lacey Mosley]

I still live by that principle. I'm like, yes, come on, take us out. Yes, please, if it's me, please.

[Clark Moore]

That's why I've wanted a boyfriend this long, for that joint bank account.

[Lacey Mosley]

Listen, Clark, I'm on the same wave. I haven't dated for eight years. I've just had some little. Boo. Thanks. You know, here and there, you know, some girls and some guys. But I'm ready now to just settle down. And unfortunately, I don't have the personality that's very like, oh, I'll be patient and take my time. I was out this weekend, and I saw this really fine man, and I was like, hey, what's your Instagram follow me. And I made him follow me, and then I followed him later, and I DMed him and I said, hey, send me your number. And he was like, yes, ma' am.

[Clark Moore]

We love that this is part of your glow up. Cause I was just about to say, Lacey, you don't have time to date. You are on iCarly. Honey. She has jobs. She is working. Who has time for a boo at this point, right?

[Lacey Mosley]

She's tired, but she wants to. I want time for a little thing. You know, I need to go take a trip or, like, you know, touch sand. I've been touching grass too much. I want to touch some sand. Okay, but. Yeah, okay, so Your mom kind of made you more anti conflict. Therefore, you're probably not as, like, incredulous or skeptical when it comes to seeing things that seem a little off. Cause you just don't want to be fighting with people.

[Clark Moore]

That's exactly right. I'm a people pleaser. This is my trauma.

[Lacey Mosley]

I get that. And honestly, I am, too. It's weird. I'm a scammer and a mark. Like, I'm not. I understand why your mom is coming into the dealership, you know, putting her dick on the table, simply because as a woman especially, we get run. They could. You go in the dealership, and all of a sudden it's fucking 1950, and you're in goddamn Mad Men. They're like, hey, toots, looking for a set of wheels. Where's your husband? And I'm like, nigga, it's 2021 if you don't just show me these damn Jeeps and shut the fuck up. Like, they're like, oh, yeah. A little lady like, you never had to buy a set of wheels before, huh? What happened to your husband? Did he die?

[Clark Moore]

I know they mark it up. They just take it up. They're like, the man, he would be able to bring it down, but we're gonna pull one over on her.

[Lacey Mosley]

Listen, I used to have a Ford Focus, and I don't give a fuck. Ford Focus. I'm coming after y' all now. If y' all sponsor the podcast, I'm gonna be like, built for te. Ford Focus, played your girl. I had a car. It was a Focus, and it was a lemon. And I started to realize that it was a lemon. It was my first car. Well, no, my second car. I did get in a little accident. I'm not a good driver.

[Clark Moore]

Clark noted. We will meet in separate cars when we. No, come on, Clark.

[Lacey Mosley]

Now, everybody who get in my car be living, though, okay? Nobody died, okay?

[Clark Moore]

There's a first for everything.

[Lacey Mosley]

Clark said, I'm not trying to be the first.

[Clark Moore]

I'm not. That's a barrier I'm not trying to break.

[Lacey Mosley]

I'm not trying to break new ground. No vehicular dance. Okay, fair. Fair enough. But I went like. So as soon as I got the car, I started to notice things were a little wonky with it. I started getting things in the mail. This is the car that I got when I first moved to la. And I would get shit in the mail, like, hey, sis, recall? So some doors have been flying off or whatever on the Fords. Yes.

[Clark Moore]

That's like one of the basic functions Is that the door has to stay closed and on the vehicle and on and on it.

[Lacey Mosley]

Wow. You know, you bring up a good point. I think Ford was really trying to rebrand it and be like, look, y' all seen them UPS trucks? They ain't got no doors. Y' all good. Just have your seatbelt on like you Kelly Jeep Life.

[Clark Moore]

Top off, doors off, doors off.

[Lacey Mosley]

Y' all heard of the top? Y' all heard of, like, a rooftop? Right now you got a side roof.

[Clark Moore]

You got a easy access in and out.

[Lacey Mosley]

You gotta. You got a sliding balcony on your driver's side door. So I slowly started to realize it was a lemon. Then when I went into the dealership, after my transmission just said goodbye, I was like, what? I haven't had this car that long. I went to the dealership, and they're like, oh, yeah, your car is a lemon. And I was like, how you gonna just tell me that? This is the fucking.

[Clark Moore]

They told you they're not supposed to tell you that.

[Lacey Mosley]

I don't think so, but. So I understand your mom. I get it. Truly.

[Clark Moore]

Yes.

[Lacey Mosley]

Well, let's get into our first segment here. What's hot and fraud. Clark. This is where we warn our listeners about fraud that's popping in the streets. Or more often than not, we get a listener letter from someone and they just snitch on their friends, their family, maybe themselves. We just say, make sure your scam is retired so we don't. What. Yes. Fuck up your bag. All right? That scamgottus pot at gmail dot com snitch on your friends and family. And, Clark, I need a fake name for this person. Gender doesn't matter.

[Clark Moore]

Baxter.

[Lacey Mosley]

Baxter. Okay, so Baxter says, I'm a new member of the congregation. Oh, welcome. Amen. We put on your podcast for the first time last week on a road trip, and my wife and I immediately became hooked. And instantly, I knew I had to put you onto Johnny Strauss, scammer supreme and former best friend of mine now, Johnny Strauss. Clark, are you gonna be friends with somebody named Johnny Strauss? Cause that sounds like a criminal name to me.

[Clark Moore]

Yeah, I'm nervous already. Johnny Strauss feels. Yeah, he feels like someone who came to LA in, like, the mid-90s and was like, I need to come up with some kind of cool hip stitch name. And he. And he sort of, like, landed there and maybe didn't workshop it quite enough.

[Lacey Mosley]

Yeah, he should have. Cause it's giving, like, Goodfellas. Like, I feel like they be like. And our boy Johnny Strauss, like, what is happening?

[Clark Moore]

Yeah. But like the Goodfellas made for tv Rip off. Not the. Not the actual film.

[Lacey Mosley]

Okay, we have a photo of Johnny Strauss. Okay.

[Clark Moore]

Okay. I take back everything I just said.

[Lacey Mosley]

Cause I might want to slurp on old Johnny. Oh, wait. Oh, no. Oh, no.

[Clark Moore]

I mean, you can scam. I don't care what your name is. If you look like this, you can scam me all day long.

[Lacey Mosley]

Okay. Bone structure. Okay. He got little muscles going on in the face.

[Clark Moore]

The fade. I'm here for it. That's shadow Beard, Right?

[Lacey Mosley]

Where he get this fade from? The west side.

[Clark Moore]

He went somewhere.

[Lacey Mosley]

Okay. Johnny Strauss. Johnny Strauss look like he do, mma?

[Clark Moore]

Yes. Oh, yeah. He looks like the kind of guy who would sort of give you a 30 minute diatribe about why ice cold baths are good for your immune system.

[Lacey Mosley]

Yes. Johnny does cryo. Johnny Strauss is doing the cryo for sure. Oh, wow. Okay, I'll take it all back. I would let that man rob me. I see. I see where. I see how it happened.

[Clark Moore]

Happily.

[Lacey Mosley]

So this is his former best friend, Baxter, right? And they went to middle school and high school together. And Baxter says this shit is wild. Well, judging on his appearance anyways. So Johnny Straw's real name now, Baxter. We don't dox people's real names on this show.

[Clark Moore]

Come on, give me the social media.

[Lacey Mosley]

Right? I'll tell you. I'll tell you after his real name. Maybe there's something we can look up. But I'm not gonna say his real name. Baxter, don't be snitching. Oh, he got more nicknames. AKA Ringwalk John. First rose to fate. Ringwalk John. How many damn names does he have? Okay, so Johnny Strauss, or as the girls know him on the streets, ring Walk John.

[Clark Moore]

Okay, okay.

[Lacey Mosley]

So he first rose to fame in 2015 as an Instagram bodybuilder, fitness guru. Makes sense. See that, Saw that, all that. Over the span of a few years, he amassed a huge following. See that? I would want to hit follow as well. I. You know, if I saw him on the street, I might just follow a few blocks, you know, not even realizing I was doing it. Like, I'm not going this way. So this didn't surprise me that he amassed this huge fan base because dude is charming, charisma, and charismatic as fuck. All right. Yeah. And his face is also giving. What faces should give. So what did shock me, Baxter says, was when he began to fake fucking cancer in all caps and started asking his followers for donations for treatments. Wow, Johnny.

[Clark Moore]

Wow. That's wild.

[Lacey Mosley]

You had me in the first half, but you taking the big C, I feel like that's bad karma.

[Clark Moore]

I was just gonna say that it's coming for us all anyway. Why would you tempt fate, right?

[Lacey Mosley]

They say if you live long enough, you will get it.

[Clark Moore]

Yeah.

[Lacey Mosley]

So maybe don't risk, you know, but.

[Clark Moore]

Also, like, all of a sudden, this becomes a medical podcast. I'm like, yes, I have heard that. And the mutation of the cells happens at this point in your lifespan.

[Lacey Mosley]

Lord Jesus. And also, like, obviously, like, cancer isn't something that is karmic retribution for anybody who gets it. I've had so many family members who've had it been in remission, you know, survive, baby died.

[Clark Moore]

Serious.

[Lacey Mosley]

Yeah. But so I'm not in no way saying that. That, oh, if it happens to you, you did something wrong. I'm just saying don't put it out there.

[Clark Moore]

No, it's the same thing of, like, when you come up with an excuse of why you can't do something, you never say it's because my mom died. You never say it's because my friend got in a car accident. You know, you always have to come up with something that's benign or you.

[Lacey Mosley]

Kill a relative who's already dead. That's what I do. How many times I done killed off my Aunt Charlene, you know, and then I just. You just have to zhuzh up that obituary program a little bit. Change that date, that sunset date. You know, Keep that sunrise. Change that sunset.

[Clark Moore]

The one thing about Aunt Shirley, she keeps bouncing back. You can't keep her down.

[Lacey Mosley]

She bounced back all through my college years. You know, just. We, like, we thought she was dead, but she wasn't until my next final. So now, as someone. This is Baxter talking now, as someone who knows this person very well, I could immediately tell he was making it up and faking the whole shit. He has a long history of manipulation. In every friend group we were a part of, I had to wait four to five years for the whole scam to implode on him, and luckily, it did. Four to five years.

[Clark Moore]

I mean, you saw his face.

[Lacey Mosley]

Yeah.

[Clark Moore]

That would buy you quite a bit of time.

[Lacey Mosley]

Yeah, it would. But also, like, you could have been the whistleblower. You already done gave me this man's full government, Baxter. So it's given a little bit of a. What's your job? You got a hater job. Just give it a little bit. Like, he was hating, but at the same time, like, maybe you weren't hating because you didn't let the man cook until you know the pot ran it out. You did let him cook. So four or five years and then it happens, right? So eventually his fans figured out the whole thing was a scam. When he won, didn't die. Okay, now wait a minute, right? A lot of people. There are a lot of treatable forms of cancer these days. I have friends and family members who have lived very, very long lives. Is not the end of the world in every case. So I don't know. The fans are a little aggressive there for me if they, like. So you can bounce back. If anybody out there is struggling, lots of people bounce back.

[Clark Moore]

So I'll say that's a red flag for me. But that's not an immediate, like, four to five, you know what I mean? Like, I could. I would still. Having said that, I did just say that I'm easily scammable. So I'm like, five years. I wouldn't even have asked the question. The fact that they saw that as a. As a warning sign, I'm like, yeah, wow, he's really resilient. Yeah.

[Lacey Mosley]

Maybe he was just talking about it too much. Like, every day. He was like, ow, my cancer is really hurting today. If y' all could just put something on the GoFundMe. If y' all could just venmo me.

[Clark Moore]

We reached our goal. We're gonna to multiply it. We want more for this GoFundMe.

[Lacey Mosley]

I got a popsicle budget that I need for, you know, all my friends in chemo. I'm trying to spread the wealth. So if y' all could get. Get in, you know, get on Amazon wish list, and, like, you know, maybe he was just really, like, juicing it, but. So, number two, he says red flag was he just vanished into thin air and stopped posting about his progress. He recently popped back up online as Ring Walk John. So that's his second alias. A boxing podcaster. Wow. He created the alias Jonathan Lear. He is definitely a scammer. He didn't have about six names the whole time we've been talking, but they're all John.

[Clark Moore]

So.

[Lacey Mosley]

And that's a good scammer. You don't want to switch up too much, and then you're not gonna remember it. If somebody calls you Jonathan Lear, you're gonna be like, oh, my first name is John. Maybe you'll look back, but if people start calling you, like, Craig Smart or something, you might forget that that's your name because you switched it up too much. So he kept the first name the same, and then he switched up everything else. And I appreciate that.

[Clark Moore]

Mm, Consistency.

[Lacey Mosley]

So he created this alias, and his, like, he quickly amassed another fan base because John is fine. And so, you know, the girls came to the new fan base, which was boxing, which is still pretty much done shirtless. So, you know, people wanna. People wanna see. And his new fans were completely unaware of his past. His past was recently exposed by a blogger, and homeboy went back into hiding, where he remains today.

[Clark Moore]

Wow. That's some investigative journalism right there.

[Lacey Mosley]

Also, this just tells me that Baxter is a petty icon because four to five years means that he was following Johnny Strauss, Jonathan Lear, and Ringwalk John and just keeping tabs. Like, what's he up to today?

[Clark Moore]

He's gonna receive.

[Lacey Mosley]

Oh, now he done shaved his head ball. He's really committing.

[Clark Moore]

Like, did Baxter mention the slight? Was there besides the fact that Johnny Strauss is a scammer, Was there, like, a particular moment where Johnny Strauss was, like, I don't know, an hour late to brunch and just really pissed Baxter off? Like, what set Baxter on this petty path?

[Lacey Mosley]

Right. I don't even know when they fell out, but he said former best friend from middle school and high school. So what I'm guessing is they were cool and then college separated them. Or, you know, Johnny Strauss moved and became an influencer and didn't have time for the regular girls on the gram anymore. You know, probably one of those grow apart situations. Cause it doesn't seem like he had malice towards Johnny. Cause he didn't out him.

[Clark Moore]

Right, Right. But what I do appreciate here, and what I admire is that Baxter can hold a grudge from adolescence into adulthood. Because that. My motto in life, and this would be my Real Housewives tagline is I never. I always. Wait, let me. What is my tagline? I forgot it.

[Lacey Mosley]

We're gonna do a review. Da da da ding.

[Clark Moore]

My tagline is, I always forgive, but I never forget.

[Lacey Mosley]

Oh, yes. Yes.

[Clark Moore]

So I'm right there with you, Baxter. I can hold a grudge.

[Lacey Mosley]

Can I? I can't. I'm really bad at it. After a while, I'm just like, ugh, I don't care anymore. I think there's, like, one person that if I see them, you know, they're never gonna get any kindness from me. Or even. It's like a person that I see them and I just like, actually, there's three people like that. So what am I saying? Maybe I can't hold a grudge.

[Clark Moore]

All of a sudden, the list is multiplying.

[Lacey Mosley]

There are people out there that if I see them, I just pretend that they are Literally thin air. Like, I'm not gonna give you an angry face. I'm not gonna give you a smile. I'm gonna literally act like Ray Charles to the boss.

[Clark Moore]

I love that. Just deadpan. Can't see you.

[Lacey Mosley]

Didn't see you. Literally didn't see you hang my coat up on your shoulder like you're a coat rack.

[Clark Moore]

Just like Baxter, I want you to name names. I want you to dox these people. Drag them.

[Lacey Mosley]

Oh, no. Some of them are in entertainment. So, Baxter, I'm gonna say I don't know if I approve of Johnny Straw's scam just because I feel like he might have been taken away from other people who obviously could have used those funds. Obviously, the American healthcare system is ass, so getting sick is very expensive. However, it's like, if those people were fans of Johnny's, then maybe they were gonna run him coins. Either way, he could have, like, did herbalife or something, or, you know, that's so true.

[Clark Moore]

And that's what came to my mind, is that there's so many ways that this hot white man could have made money. Only fans. Why choose? I was literally thinking onlyfans. Why choose the one that is, like, the most morally corrupt you could possibly do? Why not almost literally anything else?

[Lacey Mosley]

Yeah. Yeah, I think you're right.

[Clark Moore]

Having said that, definitely send me his Instagram handle so I can slide into.

[Lacey Mosley]

The well, he's back in hiding.

[Clark Moore]

There's plenty of money to waste.

[Lacey Mosley]

Clark, he's back in hiding. So we don't know where he is. He's not on interwebs anymore. But I expect a new variation of Johnny something coming along very soon. It probably will be only fans.

[Clark Moore]

I'll be ready and waiting. My thirst knows no bounds.

[Lacey Mosley]

Exactly. I can't wait for Johnny Cakes on Oni fans scout. Inspired by Judy Blume's groundbreaking 1975 novel Forever Watch the reimagined coming of age series about young love by Mara Bracha Kiel, the iconic creator of Girlfriends. The epic love story follows two black teens, Keisha and Justin, as they explore.

[Clark Moore]

Romance and their identities through the awkward.

[Lacey Mosley]

Journey of being each other's firsts. Watch forever now playing only on Netflix. Mmm. The temperatures are climbing, y' all. And when the temperatures climb, it's easy to fall into the same old routine. Familiar tanks worn in shorts. Y' all know quints are my girlies. I literally wear them all the time and get so many, many compliments. And I know y' all girlies love to go to the discount, discount, discount, discount places to get your Replicas. But don't you want something that's gonna survive a wash? Don't you want something that is going to be quality? That's why I love quince. Everything with quince is priced 50 to 80% less than what you would find at similar brands. By working directly with top artisans and cutting out the middleman, we know the middleman is a scam. Quince gives you luxury without the markup. I've recently been wearing my, like, long linen quince dresses. I have one in olive green that I always get compliments about. Treat your closet to a little summer glow up with quince. Go to quince.com Goddess for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's Q-U-I-N C E.com Goddess to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quints.com Goddess and we are back, and it's time for my favorite segment of the show, Historic Hoodwinks. This is where I will regale CL Famous con caper, group of criminals. We don't know yet. Let's see. We'll get his opinions all throughout. He'll interrupt. Maybe we'll go on tangents. You know how it goes. Guys, just hold on. We don't. We don't know what's going to happen, but today we're going to keep in the. The family of people who are lying to people who've learned to trust them. And we're going to talk about Ukraine's marriage industry. And y' all know I love a Ukrainian scam.

[Clark Moore]

Ooh.

[Lacey Mosley]

You know, I love a scam with, like, a little accent. A little. A little accent that I'm terrible at doing, but I love to do anyway.

[Clark Moore]

This is so great, Lacy, because I love the Eastern bloc. I am a Slavophile. I speak Russian.

[Lacey Mosley]

I live Russian. Okay. Kamal Strasvutsi.

[Clark Moore]

Da ya. Gavriel Paruski. I lived in Russia briefly in college, and let me tell you, they know a scam. They know their way around a scam.

[Lacey Mosley]

Yeah, they're very straightforward people. No bullshit people. I feel like they may be doing the scams, but they're rarely getting scammed.

[Clark Moore]

Oh, yeah, they can see right through it.

[Lacey Mosley]

Other than by their government, because during the pandemic, it was too many doctors falling out of Russian windows.

[Clark Moore]

I know. Well, they would think that we're being scammed by our government because they're like, you believe them. You trust them. They're like, we know. Government equals corrupt. Like what? Why are you surprised that the people you quote, elected didn't do what they said they were gonna do. Like, that's just how it goes.

[Lacey Mosley]

They're like, we know Vladimir Putin. He rides horse shirtless, he definite doctor. Like, we know this is what happened every week. You want vodka, right?

[Clark Moore]

That's pretty good.

[Lacey Mosley]

Oh, wow, you are such a flatterer. Because I know if you lived over there, you. But I appreciate it. So Ukraine. We're in the Ukraine and we're talking about Ukraine's marriage industry. It's one of the biggest draws for Western men visiting the country. Wow. However, it doesn't always end in a happily ever after. One UK man's experience with a Ukrainian woman ended up with him being drugged and left in an apartment in a country he didn't speak the language of. And out of almost his. His whole life savings. Wow.

[Clark Moore]

Wow.

[Lacey Mosley]

Now, I will say I don't approve of men, women, non binary, anybody being drugged and robbed. You know, rob people while they're awake. It's just common decency, you know, like, obviously in robbery there's no consent, but I feel like there's way more consent if I'm alive, like, just take it and don't kill me, you know, than there is if I just wake up and all my things are gone. However, I also have to say that whoever this man is, you a nasty man who goes to a country to try to marry somebody. Like, what does that say about you? That's not like you were talking to somebody on some 90 day fiance shit. That's like you went to the country where you thought there would be vulnerable people for you to marry and kidnap back to your developed nation. Like, yeah, we're already talking about a.

[Clark Moore]

Person who doesn't have a particularly discerning eye for. Yeah. Scams. I mean, like, they're not asking critical questions. They're not thinking beyond, like, the very transactional moment of.

[Lacey Mosley]

Well, also, they're a scammer. I'm sorry, but last time I checked, marriage was supposed to be between two consenting adults who were not under duress. Now, we know that's not how most marriages work, but at the same time, it's like if you planned on like, oh, I'm gonna go over here and get me one of these. You're not looking for a person, you're looking for almost property or somebod. Yeah. So y' all are both in the wrong here, in my opinion. So Ukraine is one of Europe's poorest countries, and that's what I'm talking about. You're Trying to take advantage of people who have fewer resources. And then you're gonna have them cooking and cleaning and living with you and just being so grateful to, I guess, have a passport to your country. Like you a scammer too. The average wage is about 350amonth in the Ukraine. So in the week, and look, we can talk about poorest countries and be like, oh, the poor Ukraine. But like, let's not act like America's disparity between the top 1% and the bottom, what, like 99, like people, we got food deserts. We got kids starving here. We got adults starving. We have unhoused people. Like, we are a developing nation in a Gucci belt, and we know that. So I am in no way looking down on the Ukraine. So in the wake of an increasing, like, increasing poverty and conflict with Russia, Ukraine's marriage industry, a confusing mix of scams and actual matchmaking is an attractive option for many women looking to leave the country. Every year, hundreds of men from the US and England travel to the Ukraine in search of a wife, drawn by the promise that dating a Ukrainian woman will be like dating a model with the values of your grandmother.

[Clark Moore]

Oh, God.

[Lacey Mosley]

So you know what that sentence said to me?

[Clark Moore]

I'm nervous.

[Lacey Mosley]

Basic ass American and men from the uk if you want a woman who's fine and don't know she fine, come on down to the Ukraine.

[Clark Moore]

That's why so many of these models get plucked out of these developing eastern countries.

[Lacey Mosley]

And I don't even think that that's the truth. I think that that's something that maybe some of the Ukrainian scammers are like, that's how we get them over here. We tell them. We tell them we models and all we love is cook, clean, suck dick, and read the Bible, right? And that's how we get them, right?

[Clark Moore]

And they get here and they're like, lol, thanks for the passport. You are a terrible human. I'm gonna go live my life now.

[Lacey Mosley]

Right?

[Clark Moore]

I love this empowering narrative.

[Lacey Mosley]

So most of these matches are made by large companies that attempt to vet and quality control their matches with James. This wasn't the case. So James is our man from the uk. It is a fake name. We not gonna out you James. And he didn't give his own name because of his shame, which James, you should have. You should have some shame, I think.

[Clark Moore]

So it was clear that he had shame to begin with. Cause he went over with no backup plan, no money, other than what he had on him.

[Lacey Mosley]

Like, what did you go some. Who goes? Some Places with their life savings. I ain't never, I ain't never went nowhere and was like, let me get my suitcase out and put my life savings in it.

[Clark Moore]

Like, hold on, let me, let me take these $300 out of my bank. Let me make this withdrawal.

[Lacey Mosley]

Have you ever had a teller walk past the teller glass, come out and throw your money at you? Like, get the fuck outta here. So James is 52 years old. He's a charity worker from the UK who first traveled to Ukraine in 2015 and set up a project for children fleeing the Ukraine's conflict zone. Okay, James, you got some redeemable qualities. You was trying to help a little bit. Now, during his time traveling back and forth to Odessa, he worked with a translator, Julia. Julia suggested James go on a date with one of her friends. Okay, so James, it seems like you went over there for less skeevy reasons.

[Clark Moore]

So maybe it started good as all scams do, right?

[Lacey Mosley]

And it turned so Julia was like, James, you are such a nice humanitarian. You helping with the cheering. We love it. I got a homegirl who I think you would really married, I mean, like to go on a date with. You would like to go out with her to the altar. So this friend was Irina. Oh, I know some irenas, honey. I know some irenas from the Ukraine. So she's a 30 year old woman from Dantes, a town that had become occupied by Russian backed fighters. So this is Irina and James on a date. So here's my first thoughts. And you know we'll always publish the images so y' all can see them. Irina's a bad bitch.

[Clark Moore]

Irina, Irina, Irina.

[Lacey Mosley]

Irina's a bad bitch. She knows how to do her makeup. She's given me a very natural, I'm a natural beauty face. She looks tall. She's got like a kind of long neck. They're sitting down, but she's giving us.

[Clark Moore]

Her bangs are working.

[Lacey Mosley]

I think she's giving us a bang. She's got really thick hair. It's blonde. I don't know if she's a natural blonde, but you know. Right, exactly. The next thing that I'm seeing here is that this must have been a introduction date or something because there's three glasses of wine in the photo. But one is like, you know on Instagram how people like put their hand out and hold somebody else's hand and take a picture of their hand or whatever. So it's like one person just has their hand in the photo and then it's the man. And I didn't know so the friend must have. Julia must have come on the first introduction date.

[Clark Moore]

Wow.

[Lacey Mosley]

Kind of grease the wheels.

[Clark Moore]

Sure. Yeah. Make it feel. Make her feel safe, you know, have an out.

[Lacey Mosley]

Mm. And he already sitting on the booth next to her. He cuddled up. They're in very close proximity. So clearly this was going well. So James and Arena began dating. And despite the 20 year age gap. Wait, now, Wait now, now.

[Clark Moore]

Okay, but we love a daddy, do we not?

[Lacey Mosley]

Here's the thing.

[Clark Moore]

Is that just my trauma peeking out here?

[Lacey Mosley]

We need a daddy. I mean, we love a daddy. I miss my zaddy. I mean, I need a zaddy. Here's the thing. Have I gone on a date with a man who was criminally older than me? Absolutely. I used to go out dates in New York City with this man named. I'm just gonna say. And you know, he would take me to the theater and he would take me to really fancy restaurants. And, you know, I think I was like 22. And I remember looking around one time at a restaurant. Cause I was a bonafide hoochie. And I still am hoochie till I die. Gang, gang, you know, And I ain't never been able to bend over in a dress. Just straight outright, like, you know, I've always had to bend the knees and drop down and get my eagle on. Otherwise my little cootie kitty was gonna be out, you know. Cause the dresses are short, you know, the skirts are short and they're tight. So I remember going to a restaurant once, and this is when I stopped dating or going out with. I didn't date that man. We. We didn't do no sexuals. I couldn't do none of that. But. And I think that's also why, because I was like, okay, it's the third day. He's starting to really talk about sex casually. And I was like, I can't do that. So. But I went to a restaurant once with him, and I saw people looking around at me and they thought I was a sex worker. I realized during it, I was like. And then I asked him, I was like, how old are child. What was Stuart? 60? I thought maybe he was like early 50s. When he said 60, I literally, like, was like. And he knew how old I was.

[Clark Moore]

I mean, it's like, if other people think you are a sex worker and you aren't getting paid to be there. Talk about scam.

[Lacey Mosley]

Yeah, exactly.

[Clark Moore]

Because if people think you're a sex worker, that means you could be getting paid for what you're doing for free.

[Lacey Mosley]

And that's the only embarrassing part of it, because sex work is work. So I'm not saying I was embarrassed that people thought I was a sex worker. I am exactly what you said. I'm mad that I could have been getting more out of this than dinner. Literally.

[Clark Moore]

She's like, wait a minute, I haven't been charging. And everyone assumes I am right.

[Lacey Mosley]

I should at least we get some hundos out of this. A little stack of racks, you know?

[Clark Moore]

Right.

[Lacey Mosley]

So I had to let that go. But I just think 20 years, if you're talking about marriage, that's too much. If you're talking about maybe you want to go on some dates and relive your youth. You know, the Demi Moore's of the world, the, you know, the Leonardo DiCaprios maybe. But honestly, 20 years is just deeply inappropriate to try to have a relationship with somebody, it's predatory. You've been on this earth two motherfucking decades longer than this girl. Like, you know, more. When I was in my, oh my God, my early 20s, I was so dumb. I believed anything people said to me. I was like, uh huh, okay. Like I was dating a guy in college. He was definitely cheating on me. One day he told me, oh, my friend is coming to visit. So I need you to like get your toothbrush and like your little outfits and stuff that you leave over here and like take them with you. Cause they're gonna use the drawer. And nothing in my brain clicked to be like, he could have just put that somewhere and the friend could have just like, it wasn't like I had that much stuff there.

[Clark Moore]

Right, right.

[Lacey Mosley]

And the friend was a girlfriend and I was literally like so such a space cadet. I was like, la, okay. Like I didn't care.

[Clark Moore]

Youth, youth. Well, let me tell you, I. When I was 24 or 23 or 24, I, by the way, if my mother is already hasn't already turned off the podcast, this is a great time to stop listening to the podcast. I met this man and I mean, I'm going to give a G rated version of the story anyway, but. But still, mother doesn't need to even hear the G rated version. Met this man and he works in the industry and he's older and he had this beautiful apartment that was like in my mind, I was like, this is gorgeous. And he was like, oh, I'm just staying here while I renovate my house in Beverly Hills. And he has since gone on, since that encounter to win an Oscar. He everyone that I met with at that time when I first Moved out to la. They were like, you are young, you are hot. Get a daddy, because this is the time to do it. This woman who went to Dartmouth as alum was like, I wish when I was 22 that I had been dating an older man who would pay for my things. She was like, that is my advice to you. And so I took her advice and I reached out after our encounter and I was like, I would love to see you again. And he was a little bit, like, cold. Like, not as into it. Some time went by, another movie that he made came out. I texted him and I was like, I think we could really like.

[Lacey Mosley]

Hey, so random. Just saw a poster for your new movie. And it just really made me miss us, you know?

[Clark Moore]

And basically the long story short is I basically asked this man to be my zaddy. And he said, no, thank you. He was like, pass. So I tried, Lacey. I tried.

[Lacey Mosley]

Now, Clark, you were too straightforward. You were too straightforward. The whole thing about a zaddy is like, look, the zaddy knows deep down that he is the zaddy and that he's paying. But you gotta make him feel like he not. You gotta be like, I'm so tired of men my own age wanting to have sex more than once a week. And, you know, they're so immature. I like you. Cause you are, you know, you are seasoned and flavorful. You gotta make a. You gotta make a. You can't come out right and be like, look, you're old, I'm hot. Pay for my things, and I will be with you. Like, that's. That's very honest. And I appreciate that honesty, Clark. I feel like that's why I don't have a zaddy either. Cause I'm not good at lining people to their faces, like, all the time. That's a lot for me.

[Clark Moore]

See, this is why I'm not. I can't be a scammer. I'm too honest.

[Lacey Mosley]

It also just gets exhausting having to be around people you don't actually really want to be around because you want something from them. Like, I just was like, I'll buy my own things. It was too hard for me as well. So. I understand. But I appreciate the effort. I appreciate that you tried that. You gave it the good old. The good old try.

[Clark Moore]

The old college try. Yeah.

[Lacey Mosley]

Yes. So from the woman from Dartmouth. So they go on these dates. There's a 20 year age gap. All the dates were chaperoned by Julia, which makes sense because we saw Julia's hand in that photo. Right, the translator. So that's why she's there. She gotta translate what's going on? I bet you half the time that Irina was there, like, okay, how much more time I gotta spend with this geezer? Is he gonna give me some money today? When are we getting married? And then Julie would be like, she says she loves your eyes.

[Clark Moore]

She's never seen anyone as beautiful as you.

[Lacey Mosley]

The different the uk the men from the uk, Just so much more manly. That's what she said. And really, she was like, tell this man, get his hand off my thigh. His palms are sweaty. So they're doing this, right? Julia was paid $150 a day to attend the date. Oh, yes. And Julia and Irina even went to the opera with James. And we'll see an image of that. So I see this hustle because Julia's like, I'm a translator. So if I can get you with somebody who. Irina probably speaks perfect English, but he was like, if I can get you with somebody who you don't know, speaks English or, you know, then I. Then you gotta pay me to come on the dates.

[Clark Moore]

Right? Wow. And the opera looks great. Looks gorgeous.

[Lacey Mosley]

Yes, they look cute. And look at them taking this picture. You know that James took this picture, and they both look like they're giving me that Anthony Mackie face. Like, we know something about you that I know something about you that nobody else knows. The smirk is like, we robbing you.

[Clark Moore]

I would love to see this movie.

[Lacey Mosley]

So despite the language difficulty, James was convinced that they were a perfect couple. They continued to chat via an app called Viber, which had a translation function and allowed them to communicate more freely. In one message, Irena said. She said, you gave me the real fairy tale, and thanks so much for that. I believe in just. You can give me this happiness. I love you. Wow. That's what you should have said to old boy Clark.

[Clark Moore]

I know.

[Lacey Mosley]

I believe in you.

[Clark Moore]

I heard your movie did well, right?

[Lacey Mosley]

It's like, you could have been like, I always knew you was gonna get an Oscar, boo. I believe in you. And I also believe that you are the only one who can make me happy.

[Clark Moore]

Maybe I'll circle back. I think I've aged out, though, unfortunately.

[Lacey Mosley]

Oh, no. You look at it. You know, the Browns, we don't. We don't go down easily.

[Clark Moore]

Robbery.

[Lacey Mosley]

Okay, let's talk about hair. Y' all know when your hair kind of gets, like, greasy and. And you need to wash it, but you don't have time to wash it, especially if you have a lot of hair. Y' all know that's a whole day. Enter Batiste Light. It's Batiste Lightest driest shampoo. Batiste Light blends in seamlessly with your hair, leaving none of that white residue. And your hair looks clean and it feels clean. Okay? Plus, Batiste Light effectively absorbs oil and grease without weighing it down. It's a total game changer for amazing second or third day hair. Okay? And if you're black, you know, it might be a little longer because, hello, I like Batiste Light because whenever my hair is feeling, like, greasy or oily, you know, when I've wrapped it too many times or whatever, I can put that in my hair and it kind of wakes it back up, you know what I mean? Without it looking white or powdery or, you know, like, I just put a bunch of baby powder in my hair or something, you know what I mean? Buy Petite's Light dry shampoo online or in store at your nearest retailer. Do you feel that tingle on your skin? Girl? It's the sun. The sun is back. It's summertime, and the folks at Mint Mobile have a hot take. Getting summer bod is out. Getting your savings bod is in. Honey, we all need a savings bod. In this economy this spring and summer, everyone wants skimpy wireless bills and fat wallets. And with premium wireless plans for just 15 bucks a month, you can have both without breaking a sweat or the bank. I already told y' all, a lot of my people that I work with at a scam Goddess have met Mobile, and unfortunately, they can contact me all times of day and night all over the universe, because that 5G network be 5G this year. Skip breaking a sweat and breaking the bank. Get your summer savings and shop premium Wireless [e-mail] Goddess that's mintmobile.com Goddess Upfront payment of $45 for 3 month 5GB plan required, equivalent to $15 per month. New customer offer for the first 3 months only. Then full price plans, options available, taxes and fees extra. See Mint Mobile for details and fraud. All right, guys. And we're back. So when. Whenever James returned to the Ukraine, he and Irina would go on expensive dates to the opera or Jessa's nightlife. Even though he continued to drop considerable money on Irina, these dates were strictly platonic. The couple was always accompanied by Julia. And Julia told James that Irina didn't believe in sex before marriage. Okay with you? Because Irena, Irena's like, okay, she not you. She don't believe in sex before marriage with you. So from engagement to a sham wedding 11 months after their first date, James proposed to Irina after significant insistence from Julia and Arena. So they're like, come on now, like, let's get a move on it, right? She felt so trapped in her country. She was obviously intelligent and wanted to create another future outside of the Ukraine. The connection was sort of shared interests. That's what James said. Bureaucratic obstacles created difficulty with, like, Irina trying to move to the uk. So James instead sold his house, quit his job, and began looking for a place to live with his soon to be wife.

[Clark Moore]

Oh, my God. Does no one watch the Sex and the City movie? Never give up your apartment. You always keep your place.

[Lacey Mosley]

Exactly. This meant that James had to move large amounts of money from the UK to the Ukraine to start his new life, which came with its own set of difficulties. Along with being one of the Europe's poorest countries, the Ukraine is also one of its most corrupt. So moving large amounts of money in and out attracts attention and invites limits on the amount that can be transferred. Irina came up with a solution for James. Instead of transferring the money directly into her account, she suggested it be transferred instead into the business account of her friend and wedding planner, Christina.

[Clark Moore]

Oh, no. Oh no. This is some next level.

[Lacey Mosley]

This is Christina. Oh, wow. Christina's a criminal.

[Clark Moore]

Oh, Christina. Oh, wow.

[Lacey Mosley]

Christina's hair is so damn big. Cuz it's full of secrets and lies.

[Clark Moore]

It's full of wire transfers.

[Lacey Mosley]

Right. She got everybody's routing number in her scalp and in her follicles. She is a criminal.

[Clark Moore]

Wow.

[Lacey Mosley]

James trusted Irina, so he did what he was told. However, when the money arrived in the Ukraine, he was informed that the bank would only release the money if he were legally married to Christina in a quickie marriage. This all occurred days before what was supposed to be James and Irina's wedding. James was stuck with no home and an angry fiance that threatened to call off the wedding unless he married Christina, which would release the money. So you. You gonna call off our wedding unless I marry somebody else. The math. The math ain't math and it's not working.

[Clark Moore]

Wow.

[Lacey Mosley]

The math ain't quite mathing. I'm confusion. I am confusion. So on July 10, 2017, James married the wedding planner Christina. He was told it'd be easy to undo the marriage at a later date. The same day, Christina and Irina told James that all $200,000 he had transferred had been spent on an apartment. And this is the apartment that was purchased. We'll show you that, Clark. And we'll put this, this in our Instagram notes. Guys. Oh, this cost $200,000. Did they buy the whole complex?

[Clark Moore]

Okay, even then, admittedly I am not up to date on the Odessa real estate market, but I just don't believe that this is $200,000.

[Lacey Mosley]

No, it's giving one exposed asbestos. You know, some people have exposed brick, they have exposed asbestos. Part of it's wood, part of it looks like it's concrete. Another part looks unfinished. It's not giving 200,000.

[Clark Moore]

No.

[Lacey Mosley]

So the following day, James was ready to go forward with the wedding reception for his marriage to Irina. So he's still. Alright, the plan was to have the reception and then soon after figure out the divorce. So, to Christina and legal marriage to Aina. James paid for everything, including the $20,000 wedding bill. Christina sent him for the reception with 60 guests, a photographer, limo, musicians, and a full restaurant rental. The reception was when it's planned until the evening when James fell violently ill and had to be taken to the hospital. Wow. I've never seen a wedding reception planned out on Facebook. Christina sent him a breakdown of the cost for the wedding reception on Facebook.

[Clark Moore]

Wow. I will say these. These numbers aren't crazy.

[Lacey Mosley]

No, it's very affordable. $20,000 for a reception. Feels like it was probably pretty baller.

[Clark Moore]

Yeah. Leading to the what? What Leading to the wedding registration equals $800.

[Lacey Mosley]

What?

[Clark Moore]

Leaving wedding photos. Projector cracker for the newlyweds first dance.

[Lacey Mosley]

Okay, twelve hundred dollars. Photographer, fifteen hundred. That's pretty normal. Video a thousand or eighteen hundred. Okay, what's the difference between a thousand and eighteen hundred? And why? Why?

[Clark Moore]

Yeah, what Are the packages there?

[Lacey Mosley]

Yeah, we're not getting any details, but I'm also confused as to the leading to the wedding res. What does that mean?

[Clark Moore]

I'm not sure I understand that.

[Lacey Mosley]

Does that mean that in order to click the link to the registry for like the wedding, it cost $800? Cuz I ain't never seen no links that cost 800 for you to go buy something.

[Clark Moore]

Or maybe she meant reception. Like the. The. The like decorating the pathway to the reception. It says registration, but maybe she meant reception.

[Lacey Mosley]

Yeah, because there is a bit of a language barrier. So maybe because I'm like, I don' that means then. So when he woke up the next morning after falling violently ill, Irina wouldn't see him, claiming he had gotten so drunk he had humiliated her in front of her family.

[Clark Moore]

Oh my gosh.

[Lacey Mosley]

For the next few weeks, she then claimed she had a medical problem. And as he wasn't legally her husband, he couldn't visit her in the hospital.

[Clark Moore]

Oh, wow.

[Lacey Mosley]

I don't know if that's how hospitals work. Like, I'm pretty sure they have friends can visit at a certain point, right?

[Clark Moore]

Unless you're, like, actively in surgery, right?

[Lacey Mosley]

Marina was like, I'm mad at you cause you embarrassed me getting drunk in front of my family. Then he was like, okay, well, can we talk about this? No. I'm getting surgery right now. You, not my husband. You don't hear him in the back. Clear. Clear. I'm in icu. Stop texting me like, what?

[Clark Moore]

Ma' am, you can't use your phone here.

[Lacey Mosley]

Oh, no. So the next few weeks, you know, she said she was in the hospital still. James sent over $12,000 for medical costs. Now, here's the thing, James. I think if you're gonna send over the 12k, which is stupid in the first place, the least you should get out of it is, like, if you want this money, Irina, then I better come see your sick ass on some IV2. You better figure out how I could come into the hospital and see you to hand you the cash in your hand. I'm not about to wire this money to you.

[Clark Moore]

See, this is. This is my question for you as the scam goddess, because I don't want to sound like I'm victim blaming, but in your experience, is there a theme where people who get scammed, there has to be part of them that wants to be scammed, right? Like, I'm not giving any. I don't have $200,000 to give anyone. But I'm also not, probably because I don't have it. But even if I did, I'm not giving someone $200,000, you know, like, in any context. And then I'm not giving them a further 12,000 because they're in the hospital.

[Lacey Mosley]

So here's the thing. He's an older guy. Obviously, he's kind of a rube. This is a beautiful woman. He's been tricked by lots of beautiful women. He's been in it for 11 months and not getting no cootie cat, not getting to even see nothing. So he's all fantasy right now. He thinks he's in love. He thinks he's finally made it to the point where he's gonna be with his wife. So his desperation is high. And unfortunately, people don't remember economics. Basic economics is sunk cost, right? You don't put more money into something because you've already invested so much money in it. You cut your losses, because otherwise you're just gonna lose more money. There's no such thing as a sunk cost. Like, once the sunk cost happens, it's gone. You're not gonn money back that you spent by putting in more money. So that desperation is now fueling him to try to chase a sunk cost. Like, I already spent this much money. What's another 12,000? Right? That's why they came in lower than the 200k and the 20k, because they're like, well, you see how the number's getting lower. It was 200k wired. Then it was 20k for the reception. Now it's 12,000 for the hospital that he can't go visit her in. So how this scam works is most Ukrainian romance scams make their money from stringing men along, which is what happened for months while they pay per minute to chat with women who mysteriously disappear when they come to collect their wives. Irina and Julia and Katerina play the long con and only first started making serious money when they took the $200,000 for the apartment that actually cost $63,000. And I still don't believe it cost $63,000 because it was a dump. Wow. Unbeknownst to James, they also put it in both Christina and James names. So now his name is on the building. So if they start defaulting on payments, it's on him, Right? So unbeknownst to James, they had put his name on this. The itemized wedding bill Christina sent James was extremely inflated. They had a reception at a restaurant. He was like, Damn, it cost $20,000 to throw a party at Chili's. And Ukrainian Chili's, they're like, chili, baby back here. Barbaco sauce.

[Clark Moore]

It's that all you can eat? It's where. That's where they get you, right?

[Lacey Mosley]

So they obviously have been running up the tab on this poor man. Most, if not all, of the 60 guests that attended the wedding were paid to be there. They weren't her family. The women that James thought were Irina's mom was actually Julia, the translator's mother, who was probably the same woman who drugged him and Char and caused him to fall ill. So mom is also in on the conversation. Irina already had a husband, a man named Andre Skivell, whom she married three months before she met James. So she already got a man. And remember, Julia was the one who was like, you should meet my homegirl. And Julia's got the mama who's pretending to be the homegirl's mom and druggin James. So Julia's probably the orchestrator of this scam, probably making the most Money off of it.

[Clark Moore]

Wow. This is elaborate, right?

[Lacey Mosley]

It's wild. Christina had a husband as well, a man named Denise that she divorced three before marrying James, whom she remarried afterwards. So she was like, hey, bae, I gotta divorce you real quick so we can get to the bag. And then we gonna run the marriage bag as we get to the money, and we're gonna have a new apartment.

[Clark Moore]

These hijinks.

[Lacey Mosley]

So, all in all, James had been scammed for over $250,000. And it wasn't until one of his homeboys from the Ukraine was like, bro, they running a scam. They're running a scam on you. And this is after he spent two thirds of his life saving savings.

[Clark Moore]

Oh, my gosh.

[Lacey Mosley]

James went to Odessa police four times with evidence of the scam and was mostly met with laughter. Damn. It's not good. It's not good. When the police are laughing. They not finna help you.

[Clark Moore]

That's the thing that. That is, like, the most Eastern European thing, though. Like, the police are the ultimate scammers, right? And, like, that was one of the things. That was one of the first things we learned when we did our orientation. They were like, the police will not help you. And if you go to them, they will. They will scam you. They will charge you money. Like, you run up to a police officer, and you're like, I'm lost. And they're like, give me $200, and I'll tell you how to get where. You're like, I'm not even kidding.

[Lacey Mosley]

They're like, perfect. You're lost. Love to hear that. So how desperate are you to get to where you're.

[Clark Moore]

And also you. You look American. Are your parents rich, right?

[Lacey Mosley]

Rich enough. Okay. How much do they love you?

[Clark Moore]

Yes.

[Lacey Mosley]

A thousand? 10,000? How much do they love you?

[Clark Moore]

Let's find out.

[Lacey Mosley]

So Irene and Christina were taken in for questioning, but have not been charged with anything. They probably wasn't even taken in for questioning. They're constantly just like, James is getting on nerves. He keep coming over here. So we know y' all made the. The bag, so y' all gonna have to rent us a cut. Otherwise, we gonna have to throw y' all in jail. That's probably what happened.

[Clark Moore]

The cops were, like, in on it.

[Lacey Mosley]

Let's bring them in and get our cut, because at this point, we know they stole a lot of money. They got coin. Let's bring them in and get our cut. So they probably were brought in for taxes, not questioning. So the most progress James has made has been obtaining the Sole ownership of the $63,000 apartment. Okay. @ least he got that. James has since employed a private investigator. Not shy of using intimidation to attempt to. To recover his lost savings. Not shy of James. Okay, I fuck with you a little bit for this because he said, okay, we all doing crime. Great, let me go find me some criminals and get them on my side as well.

[Clark Moore]

Literally. Who is that guy Harvey Weinstein was using? Who was that guy who intimidated Ronan Farrow? That's the one I want, right?

[Lacey Mosley]

I want somebody who's like, got lots of free nights and weekends to just sit in front of your house, you know, eat snacks and wait for you to be intimidated. I love that for you. Irina still maintains a dating profile online, listing herself as a divorced babysitter and promising, My heart will belong to one man and only one at a time. I feel like that one man is Jesus. And she's just like, I'll marry you.

[Clark Moore]

But you know, that One man is J.P. morgan. She is just trying to get as much money as she can. And honestly, I'm not mad at it. It's.

[Lacey Mosley]

Who is it? Whatever dead monarch is on the dollar bills. That's who our heart belongs to. Oh, damn, James, you hate to see it. It's time for Scammer of the week. This is where we highlight one honorary charlatan or maybe a group of criminals. Maybe we like them, maybe we don't. Let's see. Not sure yet. So scammer of the week. Scammer rings are taking advantage of Mackenzie Scott's benevolence. So Mackenzie Scott is obviously the divorced, former Mrs. Q Ball, which is what I call Jeff Bezos with his smooth head that looks like the ball that you break in pool.

[Clark Moore]

Currently en route to the outer atmosphere.

[Lacey Mosley]

And that's. Oh, my God, America, you make so much money and then we're like, you can just go to space. What?

[Clark Moore]

Fine. Fine.

[Lacey Mosley]

What a waste. There's so much we need to do on Earth. And billionaires are like, no, we've ravaged this place. We're done. Now we're going to the moon, girl, so we can colonize that. Okay, so last year, Mackenzie Scott was best known as the ex wife of Just Bezos. She said she would be giving away half of her fortune. Following her divorce, Ms. Scott's team sent out hundreds of emails out of the blue to charities, notifying them of her large contribution. Now I will say, Ms. Scott, you could have did better with this money, because she's spreading out the coins little.

[Clark Moore]

By little, but she's redistributing Yeah.

[Lacey Mosley]

I mean, but when you do it to like, like I want her to be out here giving money to people like Drake. Like hand it to n on the street in cash. Like all this charity giving, like you.

[Clark Moore]

Know what Drake did. I thought you wanted her to give money to Drake. I thought that's what she meant.

[Lacey Mosley]

That wouldn't be bad either. I feel like Drake would redistribute the wealth.

[Clark Moore]

You know, she can give some to me.

[Lacey Mosley]

Go door to door and start giving niggas bands. Is this donating to charity? It's cute on paper, but I know how charities work. They have boards, they have people who get paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to run the charity. It's a lot of places that that money goes to before it gets to the people who actually need it. T shirts, blankets, you know, we need water for the 5K and ribbons. Like, you know, we all know, we know it ain't all going straight to the children. Okay, cut the middleman out, Mackenzie. Get out here on these streets and start throwing bags at people, people. So Ms. Scott was sending out all these emails like, hey girls, we got the coins. We, you know, skirt, skirt. We ran off with the bag from Mr. Amazon. And it was exactly this method, in a combination with the fact that Ms. Scott has no online presence or established foundation that created a ripe for the picking ground for scammers to prey on vulnerable people in need.

[Clark Moore]

Wow.

[Lacey Mosley]

So because she doesn't have social media and because she's also really sending out emails herself to charities like, like, come get the bag. Come get The Bezo Bag. Mackenzie1gmail.com Ms. Bezowifey227@hotmail.

[Clark Moore]

Oh my gosh. You can't do anything good. No good deed, I swear.

[Lacey Mosley]

The most prime Amazon, the most on Instagram.com like what? Wow. So. Wow. So one of these scammers was Danielle Churchill, an Australian mother of five trying to raise funds to cover therapy fees for her 10 year old son. So this is someone who got caught up. She was a victim of this scam. Ms. Churchill received an email saying that she qualified for a grant from Ms. Scott. She was then directed to set up an account with a bank that no longer exists. Wow. I know. Banks just be disappearing like that. Wow.

[Clark Moore]

Remember 2008?

[Lacey Mosley]

Oh yeah, yeah. But we bought most of them bitches out. They should have been gone. The bank should have been closing like Wendy's, like, you know, sorry, I want an out of service sign on the door. Shut it down. So she was directed then to set up an account with this bank that no longer exists and pay a series of fees via a fake Facebook profile, WhatsApp messages, and Bitcoin in order to access the funds she was told were hers. Here's the thing about money. When people give it to you, they don't charge you for it. The only people who get away with that are the government, because they reach into the check before you get it. And they don't even do that all.

[Clark Moore]

The time, these people. I just feel so bad for them.

[Lacey Mosley]

If anybody tells you that they're going to give you money, but all you got to do is pay the taxes and fees, like, immediately. You should remember the Nigerian police. That is the whole crux of that scam. I hate to see it. So even though Ms. Churchill did her research, the search results that popped up led back to accounts of people that believe the actual Ms. Scott's emails were a scam and turned out to be real. So there were a lot of people who were like, okay, yeah, we got this weird email, and it was like.

[Clark Moore]

Ms. Scott was actually her.

[Lacey Mosley]

Yeah, Ms. Scott was like, look, I'm trying to help y' all broke bitches out, okay? Respond to this email if you want some coin from Mrs. Former Bezos. And it was real. So apparently, you know, she did her research and she thought, well, all these people thought it was a scam, and it was real. Let me go ahead and dip my toe, right? You know, she's trying to take care of her son. It's completely understandable. So it's also easy to assume that, of course, a billionaire giving away billions would at least have a foundation, right? Which. But she didn't.

[Clark Moore]

Whoa.

[Lacey Mosley]

At the time, she was just giving out the coin. So people were making their own mackenzie Scott foundations, and people were just believing them. Cause, like, why not?

[Clark Moore]

Oh, no.

[Lacey Mosley]

And I hate this scam. I don't like these scammers. Because if people are in need, right, they are the last people you should be robbing.

[Clark Moore]

Never punch down.

[Lacey Mosley]

Yeah, always punch up Rob Jeff Bezos. We should all just like, what if I made a Facebook invite for us to all get together and, you know, much like protests and marches and stuff, except for we go to Basil's house, right? And strength in numbers. We just get in there, and we take whatever we can get.

[Clark Moore]

I know. I think about what's gonna happen to all that money if he blows up on reentry. Because. Because. Because I would really love to get into that. You know, he blows up a reentry.

[Lacey Mosley]

I believe Clerk Oh, God. I think he's not gonna send himself. I think he's definitely, like, they're already putting out feelers.

[Clark Moore]

Like, who wants to go in his stead.

[Lacey Mosley]

Yes. Who wanna go to spaceshine on me. On me. Mild risks. Mild risks.

[Clark Moore]

Mild. Oh, my God, can you imagine, like, we see those SpaceX rockets blowing up. Why do these people wanna go to outer space?

[Lacey Mosley]

Look, this is gonna be the craziest thing. It's the craziest thing that I believe, but I don't think we've ever been to space.

[Clark Moore]

No, you are not a truther.

[Lacey Mosley]

You can't tell me in the 60s they had that good high def cameras on the moon.

[Clark Moore]

Oh, my God, Lacey.

[Lacey Mosley]

You can't get no signal. Somehow Verizon made it to the moon. But when, but when I go. When I go out to Malibu. She can't hear me now, but in the 60s, she made it to the moon in 69.

[Clark Moore]

Wow. Wow, look.

[Lacey Mosley]

I think the Earth is round. I'm not a flat Earther. I'm not. But, But I don't believe that that white man went to the moon. I think Neil Armstrong's whole life and career is built on a lie that he knows he had to keep up so that he could keep getting them speaking engagements.

[Clark Moore]

Well, this is what I was going to ask. Do you think he thinks he went to the moon? Like, do you think they played a trick on them as well? Like, you know, like, you go to those Universal Studios and they put you in that thing, like, and it shapes, and then like, they open the door and they have them in like, an anti gravity chamber, or like they're on wires but they don't realize it. Like, do you think they played them too? Because at this point, don't you think one of them on their deathbed or, like, in their will would be like, I have to come clean before God?

[Lacey Mosley]

Oh, no. That's some, like, B6, 13 level shit. If you start start thinking about snitching on the American government, never actually going to the moon, they will kill you. That's some blood oath shit. That's some, like, you never. You don't tell nobody. You don't even tell your girlfriend, your wife. Nobody knows but Neil and whoever was in that tin can. I think he went into the tin can in Houston. They rolled that bitch around a little bit, shook it up like stir fry, flipped it, flipped it a few times. And I think maybe, yeah, they let him come out in a really cold, dark space with like a black and white kind of camera. And, you know, they made a cute moon situation, and they were like, actually, Neil, you're running out of oxygen, so we just need you to say the line. Stick the flag.

[Clark Moore]

Can we. Can we run that back? Actually, sorry. For sound, we have a plane.

[Lacey Mosley]

A plane. You know, it's. We got a space. It was a space crater. Did we say plane? We meant asteroid. It was an asteroid. So if you could just give us one more time. One small for man. Yeah, yeah. And then run back mankind. Yeah, yeah. And this time, don't ad lib at the end. Like, we really just want to keep it short.

[Clark Moore]

We said just say the line. Just say the line.

[Lacey Mosley]

Well, guys, that brings us to the end of a fantastic episode. Clark, it was so amazing meeting you.

[Clark Moore]

It's such a blast. Thank you for having me. Lacey, I'm loving all the work that you're doing. You are completely unhinged in everything you do, and it's such a pleasure. Pleasure to watch.

[Lacey Mosley]

Thank you. Thank you for being here. Thank you for donating your talent and making me cackle. I needed that today. We always ask on this podcast, where do you want people to find you?

[Clark Moore]

I'm rclarkmore on all platforms, and my podcast is Soulbomb by Clark Moore. You can find it wherever you get podcasts. And we're on hiatus right now, but we have a backlog of tons of really great interviews with people, and we'll have to have you on one day soon. Once we're back. Once we're back from our little summer break.

[Lacey Mosley]

Oh, I love that. Take a summer break. I should take a break. I might.

[Clark Moore]

You know, you're working so hard. You should go on the European vacation model of I'll see you in September.

[Lacey Mosley]

Oh, that sounds lovely.

[Clark Moore]

Right?

[Lacey Mosley]

I might have to start getting a little European, a little Ukrainian. Okay, go on me a little vacation. But, guys, congregation, as always, if you want to snitch on your friends and family, just make sure your bag is retired. It's gamgottispodmail.com lackladaysp show streaming now on HBO Max, all episodes iCarly's releasing every single Thursday on Paramount. Get into it. Yeah. If you want to find me D I V A L A C I divalacy on all platforms. All right, congregation, stay scamming. Scam Goddess. This has been an earwolf production in association with Team Coco. Scam Goddess stars and is hosted by me, Lacey Mosley, AKA Scam Goddess. It's produced by Judith Kargbo, engineered by Marina Paiz, and and researched by Kalen Brandt Stay scheming. Come in to your neighborhood Starbucks to enjoy free refills of hot or iced brewed coffee or tea. So stop in and stay a while. Your free refill is ready at Starbucks. Visit starbucks.comrefills for details. This is Comedy Bang Bang the Podcast the promo, and in 30 seconds I'm gonna tell you why. You should check out the show.

[Clark Moore]

I, the host Scott Auko, have a lighthearted conversation with famous celebrities like Jon.

[Lacey Mosley]

Hamm, Alison Williams, Phoebe Bridgers, Jason Alexander, Natasha Lyonne, Bob Odenkirk, just to name a few things. Go a little off the rails when different eccentric characters and oddballs drop by to be interviewed as well. Each week is a blend of conversations and character work from your favorite comedians, as well as some new hilarious voices. Comedy Bang Bang the Podcast Listen every.

[Clark Moore]

Monday wherever you get your podcasts.