Fraud Friday: The 90’s Bank Bamboozlers w/ Jojo T. Gibbs

Summary

SCAM GODDESS Fraud Friday: The 90’s Bank Bamboozlers w/ Jojo T. Gibbs
Episode Date: November 14, 2025
Host: Laci Mosley | Guest: Jojo T. Gibbs

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EPISODE OVERVIEW

This special 100th episode of Scam Goddess, hosted by Laci Mosley and joined by comedian/actor Jojo T. Gibbs, dives into one of the wildest and most lucrative frauds of the 1990s: the John Ruffo and Edward Reiner bank scam. With Scam Goddess’ trademark wit, the episode explores how these two pulled off a $350 million con against the banks—without computers—before turning to a more recent celebrity impersonation scam in Scammers of the Week. The conversation is driven by Mosley's irreverent, energetic approach and Gibbs' hilarious, observant banter.

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KEY SEGMENTS & DISCUSSION POINTS

1. Welcome & Banter (01:17)

• Laci celebrates Scam Goddess' 100th episode:
  "I hope y’all are wearing all white, because...this is a special anniversary. This is 100 episodes of Scam Goddess." (01:17)
• Introduces Jojo Gibbs ("the homie") and their rapport—expect laughter, shade, and lively discussion.

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2. What's Hot in Fraud: Listener Letter—The Sephora Scam (04:17)

• Listener (“Willa Jean”) shares a scam she and her sister worked during high school.
• Sister worked at Sephora and used her 10% employee discount on returned (opened) products she herself (or her sibling) had just bought and returned.
• Discussion on company discounts—Laci and Jojo riff on how low the discount is for returned products and what Sephora should actually be offering (minimum 25-50% off).
• Jojo takes on a boss persona, debating the need for preventing “scam” behavior at work.
• Laci on the scam’s low-stakes nature:
  "This is a pretty harmless scam in my opinion." (07:45)

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3. HISTORIC HOODWINKS: The 90's Bank Bamboozlers – John Ruffo & Edward Reiner (12:10)

The Setup (12:10–15:49)

• 1993: John Ruffo, IBM computer supplier, pairs up with Edward Reiner, former Philip Morris executive.
• "23 years ago, two men pulled off one of the biggest bank fraud schemes in history. All without a computer." (12:10)
• Ruffo described by wife Linda as generous to a fault—perhaps naïve.
• Reiner: flashy, drove a red Jaguar, the “face” while Ruffo stayed understated.

The Scam Mechanics (19:19–25:02)

• False Pretense: Claimed to be leading an international tobacco research project for Philip Morris, needing millions in loans for computers, staff, and offshore “locations.”
• Exploited the slower, less networked information flow of the 90s—paper docs, no instant digital verification.
• Convinced banks with official-looking forgeries:
  • Needed a signature from a Philip Morris executive.
  • Created a ruse: Cold-called an assistant (Diana McAdams), posed as radio hosts, got her signature “to claim a dinner prize.” (25:02)

Notable Quote:

• Jojo: "You know what kind of confidence you gotta pull up on them with to tell them...? Right?" (21:51)

The Banks’ Blissful Ignorance (29:19–32:40)

• Banks, eager for loan fees/interest, failed to properly verify claims.
• "Signet received the certificate, 25 million was wired to Ruffo’s bank account, all without ... verifying their story. This is likely due to the sheer amount of money these loans made the bank." (30:24)
• The duo managed to repeat this scam at seven more banks, eventually netting over $350 million.
• Standout Quote:
  • Jojo: "I had a harder time getting a home mortgage than I had getting these loans." (Reiner, quoted at 32:12)

Schemer Lifestyles and Downfall (32:16–36:23)

• Reiner lives large, Ruffo lives modestly, stashing money offshore.
• Japanese banker grows suspicious—an audit triggers the unraveling.
• McAdams is contacted; she confirms the signature is fake and the men are not authorized.
• Attempted coverup: They send an unwitting employee (single mother Jodi Bachman) to pose as McAdams during the sting. Both she and Reiner are arrested, Ruffo remains at large. (34:53)

Notable Exchange:

• Laci: "So what they are saying ultimately was, is that she (Bachman) could claim lack of culpability because she actually had no knowledge of wrongdoing." (41:17)
• Jojo: "People act like it ain’t nothing when they inconvenience you. It's like, you inconvenience in my time, bro." (41:59)

The Aftermath (43:03–52:04)

• Reiner sentenced to nearly 17 years, Bachman’s charges dropped.
• Ruffo finally indicted, released on bail; family/friends put up houses as collateral—many lose them when he flees at the last minute.
• Ruffo claims suicide (“sincerely, definitely me, I’m definitely dead, but don’t look for me...").
• Jojo: "A woman scorned—shoulda gave her that gift card!" (34:03)
• Laci: "At his sentencing, Rufo was given 17 and a half years...But it don't start for five weeks. So I'm gonna go home. But don't worry, I'll be back." (45:39)
• Ruffo vanishes, believed to be living overseas on millions in offshore accounts. He remains on the U.S. Marshals Top 15 Most Wanted list.

Reflections on Bias & Privilege (36:23–37:58)

• Laci:
  "That’s why banks wouldn’t be doing loans off the street...White man come in and it’s just like a handshake at a cigar bar." (38:32)
• Jojo:
  "This is why we need a rainbow of representation in all levels of management and ownership." (38:42)

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4. SCAMMERS OF THE WEEK: Fake Colin Firth Romance Scam (52:04)

• New scam: Man impersonates actor Colin Firth, contacts Italian sisters online, romances all three (they don’t know he’s talking to all of them).
• Scammer used video calls with filters/bad lighting to look like Firth, spoke with a posh accent.
• Convinced them to send almost £3,000 for “website fees,” then pushed for $25,000 for “customs fees” on cars allegedly gifted to them.
• Bank flags the activity, catches on. Scammer remains at large.
• Jojo: "Why would Colin Firth need you to send him money for a website? Think about it. Just think, girl." (54:31)
• Laci scolds “victim-blaming”—"we can all get scammed.” (57:29)

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5. Notable Quotes & Highlights

• Laci on scam culture:
  "It’s always the people to me who are, like, the least interesting who are worried about putting, like, foil on their heads and shit. I’m like, what does the government need from you, Tanya?" (30:15)

• Jojo on living low key:
  "He probably somewhere with a one bedroom house. Like, all I need is a roof over my head and I don't want to be locked in a cage." (51:47)

• Laci, reflecting on scam consequences:
  "He really got six people to, like, hold him down, and then he left them all homeless." (49:12)

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MEMORABLE MOMENTS & TIMESTAMPS

• The wild “Jamaican air horn” bit and playful shade about discounts (02:41–04:36)
• The sisters uniting to exploit Sephora returns (04:52–08:11)
• Laci and Jojo’s riff about getting blown up for buying luxury post-heist ("I'm buying shit that ain't even my size...") (16:31–17:07)
• Roleplay of bank phone call confronting scammer—Chip & Scott energy vs. relationship drama (36:23–37:58)
• Laci: "When you point out you got, what, four, three fingers pointed back at you? That what they say?" (50:49)
• Jojo nails why this scam wouldn’t work post-90s: “With the progression in technology, I doubt anybody could pull this type of thing off again.” (23:35)

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CONCLUSION

Laci and Jojo deliver a hilarious, insightful look at the “simple genius” of analog-era scams, privilege in banking, the enduring allure of fraud, and the sad/funny vulnerabilities that allow scammers to thrive even today. With a signature blend of pop culture savvy, sharp perspective, and laugh-out-loud improvisation, this 100th episode is a fitting celebration of the absurd, cautionary—and ever-entertaining—nature of True Con.

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Where to Find the Hosts:

• Jojo Gibbs: Instagram [@jojotgibbs] (58:13), upcoming movie “Fresh,” "Twenties" S2 coming soon
• Laci Mosley: DIVA LACI on socials, "iCarly" on Paramount+

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Transcript

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[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

I tell you if it gets a.

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Little oily and I put in some Batiste, my hair looks full and fluffy again, and I can scam my way into not having to do my hair that day. With Batiste, you can instantly refresh your hair, and it absorbs all that oil and that grease. Okay. So your hair feels more clean and it has added volume and texture. It's great on your hair and easy on your wallet. Buy Batiste Dry Shampoo online or in store at your nearest retailer. What's Poppin, Congregation? It's your girl, Lacey Mosley, AKA Scam Goddess. Welcome to. 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 episode from behind the Paywall. And as always, stay scheming scams.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Cause robbery and fraud. Scam car robber and frost Gay of Goddess. What's Poppin, Congregation? I hope y' all are wearing all white, because, you know, today is a church holiday. It's a high holiday, if you will. You know, we have passers anniversary that comes around once a year, but this is a special anniversary. This is 100 episodes of Scam Goddess. That's right, 100 episodes of scams, Cons, Robberies, and Fraud. I know this sounds like it's not an ad. This is actually the introduction to the podcast. Guys, it's me, Lacey Mosley, AKA Scam Goddess. And yes, I'm still raspy as hell. So I guess enjoy that if that's what you're into. Please stop tweeting it at me, though. Guys, I'm always. What? I'm always very, yes, very excited. But today, I'm very particularly excited because this is a very good friend of mine. This is the homie. She's got a second season of her hilarious, amazing show coming out on BET20s. Guys, give it up for Jojo Gibbs. Give it up in. Give it up for the hundredth episode. Yes. Ooh.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Go, Lacey. Ghost cam. Got it.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

I can't even do a Jamaican ear.

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[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

I lost my voice. It's coming back, though. Jojo, how are you?

[Jojo Gibbs]

I'm amazing. How are you?

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

I'm good. I'm good. Wait, so you've been on this podcast before?

[Jojo Gibbs]

I have.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

I'm sorry.

[Jojo Gibbs]

I was distracted. I had to hide that countdown because it was giving me anxiety. I was like, oh, my God. The numbers are just.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Oh, okay. So we record on Zoom guys, and I keep track of the time, and sometimes I let it go and, you know, mess up all the segments, you guys know. But for the most part, I do try to keep it organized for you guys. But, yeah, I guess if you had to look at that.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Well, it was the big screen in my zoom view, so it was just like you and me were small and big numbers.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Okay. One day we gonna talk about minimizing. We're gonna go through a whole thing.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Yes. Yes. I did it. I did it. I figured.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Oh, my God. So, wait, how has your relationship been since you first came on the podcast with scams? Like, how you.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Ooh, scams, Man, I feel every day. Every day, my life, I feel like it's a scam. I'm just like, this is it, man. I love it. Like, God is good.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

You feel like you're running the scam, so you're like, oh, this is this. Okay.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Right, Right. I was just like, this is what fraud is about. They didn't say. They said work was gonna be rough, and, you know, at times, it is, but I really love what I do, and I think that's the biggest blessing, you know, I earned this scam. This ain't. This wasn't an easy scam.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Right. Let's get into it with Jojo, what's hot and fraud. This is where we warn our listeners about scams that are popping in the Zeitgeist. And more often than not, we'll get a letter from one of you guys. So, as always, snitch on your friends and [e-mail]. just make sure that your scam is retired so we don't. What? Yeah. Fuck up your bag.

[Jojo Gibbs]

All right.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Yes, Jojo, I need a fake name for this person today.

[Jojo Gibbs]

This person's name is Willa Jean.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Willa Jean.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Wow.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Willa Jean.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Yes.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Willa Jean says Lacey, longtime listener, first time mailing, but I've had a really shit day. And I'm listening to your podcast to cheer me up. And it's working. So I'm gonna tell you a story about a single my sister and I ran in high school. So my sister worked at Sephora cause she had a cosmetology license and it paid better than most places, but not really enough. Hence the scam. She got some sort of discount, I think 10% something, but not a lot. Oh, okay. So basically, if you don't put some stuff out of order. Willie Jean like to read that now. Willie Jean. So basically what she's saying, Willie Jean is saying is that her sister gets 10% off of products that have been opened and returned by customers.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Okay, that ain't enough, right?

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

I'm like, it should just be free.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Like, I mean, no, because then you people be open to stuff all the time.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Wow. You came. Wow. Okay, Scrooge. You wasn't gonna let em. You wasn't.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Hey, listen, I'm a CEO, okay? I don't trust nobody.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Said, nah, nah, nah, nah. Cause then they all gonna start opening up themselves. I feel like they should get better than 10. I feel like at least feel 50. At least.

[Jojo Gibbs]

50? Yeah, 50. At least.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Cuz I am taking a significant risk. Like you come back in with some eyeliner. You know, I got to put that on my eye. What's your.

[Jojo Gibbs]

I don't know what you be doing with your. It's a personal choice that you making for yourself.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Y' all don't want to work for.

[Jojo Gibbs]

JoJo in case she's the strictest boss.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Like, Jojo, we need a lunch break. She's like, what are you talking about? You ate yesterday.

[Jojo Gibbs]

No, I definitely think everybody should get an hour because you need to decompress, right?

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Oh my gosh. So they would get to see the products that had been bought, been opened, maybe tried in return so the store couldn't sell them again. Duh. So this is how they minimize the loss. Still not a great discount though. But for products that we really needed, I would go and buy the product when my sister wasn't working. Then I would open the product and return it when my sister was working so that she could then buy it with her discount. Fuck Sephora and their jacked up prices. Also, my sister was able to give away unlimited trial products. So ask for those every time you go in and say you aren't sure how it'll react to your skin. And then get a bit of the product for free.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Okay, girl, we all know about getting samples, honey.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

We do. But hey, listen, you know Sometimes people don't know behind the counter. Like, if you're just like, what samples do y' all have? They'll have extra samples. So not even the ones that you can buy with your points. Can you tell? I go to Sephora way too much. I think I just made that very clear.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Yes, yes. Sephora is a. You know, my partner, she goes there quite a lot too. She got a lot of points as well. So.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Yes, we love a point. Also, when you get points in Sephora, I'm pretty sure it's for, like, spending $1 a point. So then when you start to rake the points up and then you see the points, you be like, wait a minute, is that thousands of points or thousands of dollars? I thought I put y' all do no bonus points or can't get double coupons. Okay, No, I mean, this is a pretty harmless scam in my opinion.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Listen, first of all, she just proved my point, okay? She said they will intentionally buy items, open them, and then take them back, and then tell her sister to get it.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Okay, but you. Okay, but you have to account for a certain amount of loss in large businesses anyway. So they was buying them or they were like, buying them, opening them, and then returning them. Like, that's a whole. Like, you could do that even if you didn't work there.

[Jojo Gibbs]

But you ain't gonna get the 10% off. They just gonna have a lot. You don't wanna encourage that type of behavior.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Okay, Dr. Evil, I love this for them. Sephora don't pay that well.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Yeah, I love it for them. Yeah. No, 10% ain't even a lot. Like, that's the. That's the least they could do, you know? Like, really, it should be like 25 at minimum. You know, I feel like they should. Sephora should at least give their employees. First of all, what is their discount? Do they not get a discount off rip?

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

So the employees do get a discount. So I think this is an extra 10% maybe off the discount. So maybe that's making it a little more cute.

[Jojo Gibbs]

See, see, now you looking at things different, ain't you, man?

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

JoJo, when did you become a bootlicker? Cause I don't know when you became now you full CEO. Mm.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Yes, I am.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Next you gonna tell me you fiscally conservative. Wow.

[Jojo Gibbs]

I am. I am.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

What a transformation scams.

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[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Drawer or gifted to a host of.

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[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

So don't get them socks. Okay?

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[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

And we're back with my favorite segment of this show, Historic Hoodwinks. This is where I will regale Jojo with a famous crime caper Maybe group of criminals, we don't know yet. Maybe we like them, maybe we don't. We'll see. So 23 years ago, two men pulled off one of the biggest bank fraud schemes in history. All without a computer. Through know how and little to no oversight from accountants or executives, John Ruffo and Edward Reiner were able to scam 350 million doll in loans from banks. Today, one of those men still holds a place on the top 15 most wanted list. We love to hear that. So in 1993, John Ruffo was running a small company in midtown Manhattan that sold and serviced IBM computers. Wait, is this what this guy looks like?

[Jojo Gibbs]

Oh, let me see.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

He's got. It's given 70s, it's given cocaine, but it's 1993.

[Jojo Gibbs]

He looks like this actor I've seen before. He almost looks like he could be an actor, right? I don't know. I don't know.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

But which I think with scammers like that works out pretty well if you look like. But also like, I don't know. He has a very specific face.

[Jojo Gibbs]

It's the tinted glasses for me. That's what I love.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

His wife is a baddie, though. So he must have been making coin because his wife is way out of his league.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Way out of his. Oh, he was definitely making coins.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Yeah. That's the kind of wife you get when you got health insurance. So this is in 1993. Even though it looks like it's like in the 70s, Linda Ruffo's wife described him as the kind of person who would give a job opportunity to the most undesirable person because they really needed a job. He would really give money out of his pocket to someone on the street who needed it. So, I mean, that's very kind. Linda, are you trying to also tell us he's a sucker? Because I don't know. It didn't sound like, you know, when people are like, this person's very benevolent and generous, like they'll say, like they'll help anybody. The way she describes, he would give any vagabond. He'd give any, like, despicable person a chance. Like the way she described it doesn't make it sound like he's like a bleeding heart. It makes him sound like, I don't know.

[Jojo Gibbs]

I don't know. He just wants to say he's doing something. I don't know.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Well, she said the most undesirable person. So in my eyes, that doesn't necessarily mean like the worst job candidate. Like, it kind of feels like she's saying like shady person.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Yeah, that's what I got from it. So maybe was he one of those people that's like, I'm gonna choose people like me, right?

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Like maybe she knew he was involved in crime. She was like, everyone he always hired was sweaty as fuck. They were all constantly looking from side to side as if somebody was like, she's saying it like he is hanging out with some shady people. At least that's how it sounds to me. So all the time. Edward Reiner was recently laid off as an executive from Philip Morris Tobacco and Cigarette Manufact. Company that sells products such as Marlboro. Rainer and Ruffo had previously worked together on jobs obtaining computers for the tobacco giants. So they would get IBM computers for the cigarette man. And that's how they became friends, these two dudes. Where Ruffo was subtle and relatively modest in demeanor, Rainey was flashy and bolsterous and known for his red Jaguar. He'd drive around town, okay, so couldn't help himself. That's like if you go rob a bank and then immediately you go right to the Lamborghini. It's darn.

[Jojo Gibbs]

It's dumb. That's where what they said and set it off right? Like hey, low. You know, that's where you go wrong every time.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

But if you got. Okay, I don't know if you gonna get the money. You can't floss a little bit? I gotta wear new balances and dad jeans for the rest of my life and just know that I'm rich inside.

[Jojo Gibbs]

See, Lacey, that's why I could never ever do a crime with you. Because you would be the weakest link.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

You would be the weakest link. That's not true.

[Jojo Gibbs]

And then they would send us to separate prisons and I would sit there and mull over for 20 years. How I wish I could whoop your ass for going to the Louis Vuitton store and buying up the motherfucking store with cash. This dumb bitch.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

I'm buying shit that ain't even my size. Give me the men's too.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Listen, just buying shit. Just ballin out. I can see you now.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Load it up. I have 12. My box waiting out like a Sex.

[Jojo Gibbs]

And the City police across the street taking pictures. Like, damn, she. I mean she is popping. She got a show. She got. But she just dropping dollars.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Yeah, this feels like a little too much. I don't think they giving her that much over there on that Carly in the crime though. I feel like I would lay low though. Like I Would lay low and then maybe I'd go ball out in another country, you know what I mean? Like, where they would have to really guess, like, well, that's when they really.

[Jojo Gibbs]

That's when red flags, I think, really go off. I think what you gotta do is have somebody else go by it.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Hmm.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Different people. I don't know. Then people be running their mouths. I don't know. It's just.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

No, I love how you just called me the weakest link. But then you said, let's go get people involved who are not involved in the crime and rope them in and then we can explain to them. Next thing I know, we gotta do a murder. I ain't never signed up to do a murder. I just wanted to scam.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Listen, you gonna be the brains, I'm gonna be the bronze. But then you like the flex. You do, you like the floss. And I think that you.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Okay, you act like you don't like to floss as well, just because yours is abs and mine is shoes. Like, I ain't gonna lie.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Since I was a kid, I be that motherfucker that had the money piled up in my room. I just wanna look at the money.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

You just holding it up to your ear, making money. Phone calls.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Hello, I got a picture like that. I'm gonna send you one.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Oh, my God, please.

[Jojo Gibbs]

But I. It was just for me. It was just for me. I was like, matter of fact, no, I can't send it to you. I can't.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

This was your self care.

[Jojo Gibbs]

I sent it to you on my phone. I'm gonna just have to show it to you on my phone because I can't never let nothing like that get out into the atmosphere.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

And I immediately was thinking about posting it. I know.

[Jojo Gibbs]

See, that's why you can't trust.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Okay, well, you didn't say you at that point, didn't say it couldn't be for consumption. So, you know, y' all are just gonna have to imagine Jojo with holding the money up to it.

[Jojo Gibbs]

You're like, hello, you got picture me rolling. That's all you gotta do.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

So the initial scheme together, Rufo and Rainers had wild investing plans to play the stock market and play, like, piles of cash. They thought they were gonna make piles of cash on the stock market. Unfortunately, they didn't have a pile of cash to invest with. Yeah, that's a snafu. When you like, oh, we about to go to Wall Street. Okay, so did you bring the money, right? Oh, nah, I thought you brought the money. Oh, okay. Wow.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Wow, that's crazy.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

That's like when somebody says that's crazy, I pack up my shit and leave because I already know they have nothing else to. That's crazy. All right, then I'll get. Where are the coats? That's crazy.

[Jojo Gibbs]

That's wild.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Also, we did need some money to get investments going. Okay, cool.

[Jojo Gibbs]

So to get their.

[Batiste and Adore Me Advertiser]

So what did they do?

[Jojo Gibbs]

Okay, here.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

So to get their money to find the investments, the men decided to target banks and convince them to give them large loans. Their solution was this. They would tell all the banks that they were leading an international research program on tobacco alternatives for Philip Morris. The project would require the purchase of hundreds of computers, the hiring of staff, five offshore locations, blah, blah, blah. It was just enough a bend of the truth and lies, combining both their backgrounds and resources that at face value, no one would question it as long as the banks did not contact Philip Morris directly. So this is the 90s, right? So this is like when the computers were still like ghosts, right? Like, it was like it was green in there.

[Jojo Gibbs]

They were slow. They were moving slow.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

It was like 11 0. 11 0. But you could see it on the screen.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Yes, yes, I know.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

So at this time, like, information moves so much slower. You know, like communication is. And that was like advantageous to this scam because they're talking about like, oh, we work for Philip Morris. And like, oh, you know, we gotta. We do the hiring and the firing and the computer suppliering. So we gonna need this loan. And don't ask no questions. And like by the time you ask questions, they could have already walked out of the bank with the cash.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Right? They go. But. But the thing is, it's just.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

I don't.

[Jojo Gibbs]

I guess it is the 90s, but I consider like you going through so many like paper trails. You know what I'm saying? Like.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Right. But at the same time, paper trails were literally paper.

[Jojo Gibbs]

True, true. Cause the computer. So by the time they catch up.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Cause the cloud is forever. Like, you gotta go and look through the file cabinet and you know, go to slot M and then open it up and then look through everybody else before you get to like before you.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Figure before you put it all together. Dang. They were smart. They were smart. But the problem was they should have just took the money and ran rather than.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Well, we'll see. We don't know anything. Okay.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Yeah, my bad. It's more to the story.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

I can't. Okay. So their men's first target was Signet Bank. During their pitch, Rayner required the bank to sign a confidentiality agreement that barred them from discussing the project with anyone else, including people at Philip Morris. So they were like, okay, before we tell y' all that we work at Philip Morris, y' all have to sign this confidentiality agreement. Cause the business that we starting up is super confidential.

[Etsy Advertiser]

Wow.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

So confidential that you can't ask no questions to the business that's associated with it.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Wow. You know what kind of confidence you gotta pull up on them with to tell them? Right?

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Also, like, none of this is ever ironclad. Like, I talked to my lawyer once about confidentiality agreements and NDAs, and she was like, the best way to keep a secret is to not tell anyone.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Truly. Because people don't read that stuff.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Also, like, people don't abide by it. It's not, like, ironclad. Like, everybody thinks, like, once you sign that, that, like, now it's against the law for you to talk about things, but it's not. Yeah, it's more of, like. I mean, y' all didn't hear this from me, but apparently there's ways around it.

[Jojo Gibbs]

It's just like a scare tactic, basically. Yeah, more or less. So.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Hey, hey. So they did all this. They. They told y'.

[Jojo Gibbs]

All.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Y' all can't tell nobody. Nobody. We all hear the pitch. Okay, cool, cool, cool. So Signet New Rayners, from his previous work with them, and they had no idea that he no longer worked with the company, which helped minimize suspicion. So this guy used to come in all the time. They don't know he got fired on his day off. So they're like, oh, Rainer. Like, yes. Oh, more coins. Sure. Yeah, we know you, Mr. White Man. This is some only white man material. Like, if this was a black person in the 90s, they would be checking your ID every day. Even if you came in every day, they'd be like, all right, Pamela, let's see some identification.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Truly. Truly. Like, the outlandishness of this story, like, this is only. This is beyond my realm.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

JoJo said, I am out of my depth, and this is what I am, too.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Maybe one day. I don't know. But with the.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

The way you said that, why you have to look up, like, Orphan Annie? Maybe one day.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Maybe one day I could. Nah. But nah. With the progression in technology, I doubt anybody could pull this type of thing off again. But, yes, this is definitely in the 90s. This is a very Caucasian man.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

So Signet New Reiners. Right. From the previous situation. So this is where we are still. There was one last pitch. Like, there was One last thing that they had to do to get this bank to give them this money. So Signet required a certificate authorizing Rainers to conduct business on the company's behalf. They required the document to have a company seal, an executive signature, the works. But, like, okay, it's the 90s. You just asked me for a piece of paper, right? Like, I can go get a piece of paper for you, like.

[Jojo Gibbs]

But it was the 90s. It might have been more difficult to find somebody to print that stuff. You know what I'm saying?

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

My mama had a rubber stamp with her signature, and I would wipe the corners off and stamp, stamp all my detentions with it.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Oh, my gosh. Hilarious. You've been scared me since elementary.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Listen, okay? I was constantly tardy, as we discussed earlier, so I would get detentions for being late. They were like, lacey, how are you late to all your classes? You're inside the same building. I was like, you know, I'll be making my rounds, taking your time.

[Jojo Gibbs]

It's okay, though. It's okay.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Truly. So now they gotta figure out how they gonna get this stamp and this piece of paper, Right? Cool.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Yeah.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

So they were able to find a place where they could forge the seal with little question, but ran into difficulty obtaining the sign off from a Philip Morris executive. They found their solution when during a cab ride uptown, they were listening to the radio station and they announced a prize for like a certain number caller. Having found the means, they picked their target. An assassin. I'm sorry, an assistant.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Oh, it was taped to the turn real quick. I was like, assassin?

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

I can't read. So having found the means, they picked their target, an assistant corporate secretary named Diana McAdams, who was a little known enough not to like, set off too many alarms. So they found somebody working at somebody's desk getting coffee and stuff, and they said her. The men posed as employees of the radio station offering the prize dinner at an expensive Manhattan restaurant called McAdams under the premise that she won. In order to claim the prize, she needed to sign the release and send it back to them. Wow. So basically they were like, hey, sis, it's us from the radio. What station you ask? W S C A M. Yeah. So you won a prize. All you need to do is send us your signature and then we gonna send you the prize. And so this is how they obtain a signature. Wow.

[Jojo Gibbs]

They was like, who is not the brightest?

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

It's like, why do you need to sign something? They can't just mail you the gift car. Why you gotta sign something, girl?

[Jojo Gibbs]

Well, hey, it worked. Hey, sometimes that's why.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

It's just.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Like. Sometimes you just need to throw spaghetti up there and see what stick, you know?

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

See?

[Jojo Gibbs]

Cause she did it. She was like, I want that prize.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

I mean, she did. She sold out her company for the prize with haste. She was like, oh, yeah, absolutely. But the thing that's funny to me is that, like, this worked. Like, it's kind of like that Trojan horse thing of, like, they probably did. I wonder if they mailed her an actual gift card, or did they just take her signature and leave her high and dry?

[Jojo Gibbs]

I doubt they went the extra step to mail the gift card. Cause then that's just. Nah, we good now. We can keep it pushing.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

I feel like I would have mailed the gift card. Cause you never know. People be petty. You don't mail the gift card, maybe she gonna start looking into y'.

[Jojo Gibbs]

All. I don't know. Oh, true, true, true.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

People be real petty. So McAdams bought it, and with that, Ruffer and Rainer. I'm sorry. Ruff O and Rainers had everything they needed to force the. Like, the certificate for the bank and signet assumed that the signature was an executive signature, which is crazy to me, because then it's like, why don't y' all just sign it yourself as somebody else? Like, I guess so. I guess that's risky, too, though, because, like, if you don't sign it correctly, then it's all over real quick. And if they work with those people a lot, then they.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Man, they got a lot of money.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

And back in the 90s, I feel like everybody thought that they were, like, a. A calligrapher and a handwriting analyst. Like, that was. Everybody could do it because signatures were really. We didn't have, like, thumbprints. You couldn't, like, pull down your pants and show, you know, Facebook your booty hole and then get access to your contacts.

[Jojo Gibbs]

That's true. That's true.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

This is all relatively new. So I guess back then, everybody was like, this doesn't curve like it did.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Damn. Damn, Lacey, you won't even realize. You just exposed the conspiracy that I've been considering for a while, and that's that the world is trying to transition us into, like, being able to keep track of our fingerprints. And, like, because think about it. How they don't even teach kids cursive no more. And a lot of times, we don't even sign stuff. And then we do a lot of E signing stuff. Like, they'll suggest your signature to you. Like, if you sign a Contract. Now they be like, do you like this one?

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Is this one cute? How about these initials, right?

[Jojo Gibbs]

How about this one?

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Yeah, we had it saved. Oh, yeah. Docusign had all my signatures. Now they're like. And which ones would you like this evening, Lacey?

[Jojo Gibbs]

Nah, nah, fuck Docusign. I'm sorry. Let me tell you how I want my signature to look. You ain't finna volunteer my signature to.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Me, but now you can't switch it up. I went to Makeup America, and I guess I had put a little flare on my signature in years past, and they were like, who is this? They were like. They made me keep writing my signature over and over again, and then eventually I had to just reinstate a new signature.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Oh, wow. You couldn't copy. What's going on with you?

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

You. That was. Look, I am not an artist, okay? There's certain things about it that are the same, but they were getting nipped.

[Jojo Gibbs]

You didn't remember that time in your life? Oh, okay.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

So it was like, something. They'd be like, oh, the why is too wide?

[Jojo Gibbs]

Like, oh, no, they were doing too much.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Yeah. I think they were trying to play with me. Now that I think about it, maybe that was a scam. Cause I was like, why am I in here signing? Like, I feel like I'm, like, in elementary school, sitting here on the bubbles, trying to make the bubbles. But no, Jojo, you're right. We are, as a society, moving towards more stealth. Like, well, I guess more secure technology, but also technology that requires us to give up more of our information. However, like, when people are like. It's always the people to me who are, like, the least interesting who are worried about putting, like, foil on their heads and shit. I'm like, what does the government need from you, Tanya?

[Jojo Gibbs]

That's my mama name.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

There's my mama name I wasn't thinking of.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Pick another name.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

I really cannot. I can't. I can't. Okay, okay. Another hypothetical name for a tangent. Fine. Jojo. Jojo's, like, killing me today. So. All right. As soon as Signet received the certificate, 25 million was wired to Ruffo's bank account, all without the bank contacting anyone to verify their story. This is likely due to the sheer amount of money these loans made the bank. The bankers looked at 2% fee from the loan in addition to interest payments that Ruffo and Brainerd always made sure to pay. So basically, the bank was like, oh, we got the bag. And then, you know, instead of calling just to make sure that everybody at Philip Morris was like a part of this. They were like, oh, no, no, just run it up.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Wow.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

We want our interest, we want our 2% commission. We want to go to steak dinner tonight.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Wow. But they had to really the mission to get to sign over that type of money. They was like, man, these men must have been selling a real good, good little PowerPoint presentation, right?

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

The power was pointing. Okay, the power, listen.

[Jojo Gibbs]

They sold it, right?

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

They must have had a hand clicker. It was probably before their time.

[Jojo Gibbs]

They were like, it had to be. Cause how do you convince somebody to sign you back in the 90s, $32 million without.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Well, this is 25 million, and it's gonna get worse. So over the next. Over the next three years, Rufo and Reiners continued to convince seven more foreign and domestic banks to loan them over $350 million. Raynor said in the NBC News interview in 1999, I had a harder time getting a home mortgage than I had getting these loans. Rainer threw his money, as planned, into stocks, as well as a Trump Tower penthouse apartment.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Ooh.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

How's that working out for you?

[Jojo Gibbs]

Yeah, right.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

No, that investment ain't paying off.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Not at all.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Rufo, on the other hand, stayed in the same two story attached house in Queens he moved into with his wife Linda over a decade before. So he kept it low key. So we say, you said that I would be the flash when you would stay in the queen's house.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Yeah.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

So, unbeknownst to even his wife, Ruffo had stashed his millions in offshore accounts. This was likely a wise decision, as in March 1996, the scheme began to fall apart. So he put his money, you know, in the Caymans. He put it, you know, in the Swedish bank accounts. He was smart. So a Japanese banking executive at a Long Term Credit bank of Japan decided the documents, like, related to one of the loan accounts were a little suspicious and worth another look. So now people are like, huh? Somebody comes in, does a little audit. They were like, hey, guys, the math ain't mathing. Literally, literally on this one, right? So the executive faxed a copy of the forged incumbency certificate to Ms. McAdams for verification. So remember, Ms. McAdams was the girl who won the Manhattan dinner from the radio station in exchange for her signature, remember?

[Jojo Gibbs]

Yes, yes.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Okay, so I'm still curious as to if they mailed her the certificate ever, right?

[Jojo Gibbs]

Don't sound like it. Cause what's she about to do?

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Let's see, let's see. She replied the same day. And Confirmed that the document was fake, that Rainers no longer worked for Philip and Morris, and that she was only a secretary and never would have had the authority to sign such paperwork in the first place.

[Jojo Gibbs]

A woman scorned should have gave her that gift card. Should have gave him that gift card.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

See, that's why you can't leave ends loose like that, okay? Cause people are petty. People are petty.

[Jojo Gibbs]

And you know, you know where I thought this story was gonna go in the beginning? I thought they was gonna get her in on it. You gotta put somebody in on it. You gotta. You know, y' all being selfish. Y' all could have gave her a meal and she would have been good. She would have been at work chilling every day.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Right. You know, and then she got that confirmation like Yerp, but at the same time, like, you know, let's see. So they had one of Rifo's employees, a single mother from New Jersey named Jodi bachman, pose as Mrs. McAdams, though they pitched it to her as another secret project for Philip Morri. So they done trick this woman into playing a secretary to trick these men, which is a lot.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Oh, wow.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

So this ultimately meant that she could claim lack of culpability as she had no actual knowledge of the wrongdoing. The meeting was a sting. And when Rainer and Ms. Bachman showed up at the Philip Morris office, Ruffo had the good sense not to go. FBI swooped in and arrested both of them. Okay, so now I'm getting what happened happen. So what happened was, is Philip Morris reached out to Ms. McAdams, the secretary, and they said, hey, sis, is this you? This you? This is your signature. Did you want 25 million? And she said, oh, no, that's not me. Don't know the girl. And then furthermore, we remember that McAdams was the one. Right. Who didn't get the gift card. I'm pretty sure she didn't get the gift card, so she not gonna be helping.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Yeah, she didn't.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

So the FBI were immediately called in and the bank contacted Rayner for answers. So now the bank is. This is very white. Because if $25 million has been removed in a shady manner, I feel like you don't call the people first. Like, hey, Rainer. Yeah, yeah, like, ah, this is gonna be crazy. I know it's gonna be crazy. I know. I hate to bother you during dinner. Right? Yeah. So, yeah, we just got off the phone with the F, the B and the I. Yeah, they're just saying, you know, Eric, I know you. I know you're a good guy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They're just saying the signature that we have, it's from someone who's, like, not authorized. So you're not. Thought that was crazy because I know, like, you're always good for it, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, you're going out of the country tomorrow. Oh, well, have a good time. Call me when you get back. What are y' all doing? What? Why y' all don't just show up to his house?

[Jojo Gibbs]

Listen. And scene. That was amazing. First of all, I pictured that whole scene happening, and that's exactly how it went down. Because guess what? He was given the benefit of the damn doubt, which is crazy. This, man.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

I just feel like that's too much benefit. That's way too much benefit.

[Jojo Gibbs]

25 million mean they just got too much money, right?

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

But also, I bet you because they have a vested interest, too. When you're talking about the 2% interest, and you're also talking about the interest fees, you know, accruing. So, like, they have. Or commission, rather, 2% commission. And the interest they have accruing. They have a dog in the fight, too. So maybe they don't want it to be fake. Maybe they want him, you know, to be able to pay.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Damn. Especially if. Girl, imagine the day you think you had if you go home thinking you secured a $25 million investment loan on a great project that was with Philip and Morris. You know what I'm saying? You probably gonna go have some drinks. You gonna celebrate. So, yeah, you called him back. You be like, come on, man. Please, please don't tell me. I know they tripping. Cause I know we talked about it, and you said what you said, and I had said what I said, and we both agreed that this was a good idea.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

I love that. Mine was very, like, Chip and Scott, and yours was very, like, in a relationship. Like, you were like, please don't tell me this is true, because we talked about this. Please.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Come on, man. I know it's them and not you because I know you. They like, no, no, no, no. It's him.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

I feel like they're both two sides of the same coin, though. Like, ah, buddy, I know you'd never do this to me, but this was his inner voice.

[Jojo Gibbs]

The voice you used was the voice that's. That's.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

This is being recorded, but inside, he's, like, really getting emotional.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Come on, come on, come on, now.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Damn.

[Jojo Gibbs]

I need this off the strip. That you was telling the truth. God damn.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

I got a. I got a family. I got a family.

[Jojo Gibbs]

I Got kids, bro. Please don't tell me they bro.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

That's why banks wouldn't be doing loans off the street, okay? It's like we gotta do the most to get a damn loan. White man come in and it's just like a handshake at a cigar bar.

[Jojo Gibbs]

This is why we need a rainbow of representation in all levels of management and ownership.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Exactly. Exactly. Robbery.

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[Jojo Gibbs]

Hi, I'm Jenny Slate, and believe it or not, someone is allowing us to have a podcast. I'm Gabe Liedman.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

I'm Max Silvestri, and we've been friends.

[Jojo Gibbs]

For 20 years and we like to.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Reach out to kind of get advice.

[Jojo Gibbs]

On how to live our lives.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

It's called I need you guys.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Should I give my baby fresh vegetables? Can I drink the water at the hospital?

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

My land landlord plays the trombone and.

[McDonald's Advertiser]

I can't ask him to stop.

[Jojo Gibbs]

You should make sure that you subscribe so that you never miss an episode. I need you guys. And Fraud.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

So they are backed into a corner. But Rufo's not stupid. He has a feeling that something is up. So what they do is they. They tell one of their employees, a single mother, which, like, first of all, how y' all gonna get a single mother who works two jobs and loves her kids and never stops? With a gentle hand and the heart of a fighter. A survivor. How y' all gonna rope her in to y' all scheme? Ruthless. Ruthless. She gotta take care of them kids if she get locked up. What's going on? So she's from New Jersey and her name is Jodi Bachman. So they had her pose as Ms. McAdams. Remember the scoring secretary who never got her gift card?

[Jojo Gibbs]

Uh huh.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Um, though they pitch to her as another secret project for Philip Morris. So basically they pitched her like, hey, you're doing a secret job for us for Philip and Morris. But really they were sending her as a decoy to walk into a FBI sting and she's a single mom who works too hard and loves her kids and never stops. Damn, they ain't right.

[Jojo Gibbs]

I mean, you know, it sucks for anybody that ain't, but that's messed up where the kids gonna go?

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

So what they are saying ultimately was, is that she could claim lack of culpability because she actually had no knowledge of wrongdoing. So they were like, yeah, we sending you into an FBI sting, but you actually don't know what's going on. So it's cool. Like, you gonna be good. They gonna arrest you a little bit. They are gonna put your head on the pavement. But.

[Jojo Gibbs]

It'S like, yeah, but first I gotta prove I don't know anything. How do you prove that? Ain't nothing in my mind.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Well, you gonna spend a few hours down at the station. They got coffee, they got good cop, they got bad cop.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Oh, man. Man, I'm mad. Like, first of all, people, people act like it ain't nothing when they inconvenience you. It's like, you inconvenience in my time, bro. I gotta deal with the government or like you get hit or something like that. And they like, I got insurance, but yes, you got insurance, but now I gotta deal with your insurance. That's the time. That's an investment of my energy.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

I love how being arrested for basically being entrapped is a mild inconvenience for you.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Yeah.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

You know, you're like, you wasted my time. Now I gotta go down to the jailhouse, take photos.

[Jojo Gibbs]

I feel like with my wit and charm, I'd be out in 24.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

My wit and charm. Oh, Lord. So the meeting was a sting, obviously. And when Rainer and Ms. Bachman showed up, showed up at the Philip Morris office, Rufo had the good sense not to come. The FBI swooped in and arrested both of them. So Rainer, kind of low key, sold out Rufo because he didn't tell Rufo that he thought it was a sting.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Wow.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Wow. So Raiders was charged with a number of crimes, including bank fraud and money laundering, and was ultimately sentenced to 16 years and 10 months in prison.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Wow.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Murderers get less time.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Sixteen months and how much?

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Sixteen years and 10 months in prison.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Oh, wow.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Wow. When you fuck with white people, people's money, then they're like, throw the book at em.

[Jojo Gibbs]

You can't mess with the bank. They like, oh, no.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

But God forbid, you're just like a police officer who kills someone. You'll get way less time. Like 16 years.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Is it stuff like that based off of how much you took too?

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Like if they had taken less money, it's like counts. And like, so it's like. Yeah, so it's not even just how much he's taken. It's also like how many counts of. Of like different crimes did he do, you know what I mean? So there's a lot of crimes. Yeah, you had to do a lot of crimes to get over $350 million. So charges against Ms. Bachman were dropped eventually. So they did get our girl, our single mom, back to her kids. Okay. Now they were probably at home crying out alone on the bedroom floor. Cause they was hungry. But she got back to them. So it took a year to arrest John Ruffo. And when they finally did, March 1997, he was indicted on 160 counts of bank fraud and money laund. His bond was set at 10 million. Somehow he was able to convince six sets of family members to offer their homes as collateral. Wow.

[Jojo Gibbs]

6. Man, I need to read this dude book. He got a book or something? He is just right.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

You better convince six separate people's families.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Not only that, but to get to where you are right now. He's had to convince somebody to give him the money. Somebody. He had to convince homie to do it with him. Like, it's just, it's so many people. He had the gift of gab. I. I wanna, I'm gonna have to.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Look, this dude, he offshored his money too, remember, like, he's smart. Yeah. Like, Reiner was putting his money back in the stock market, which is essentially gambling. And Rufo put his in offshore accounts and like, where it was inaccessible to the U.S. so like. And remember, he didn't move out of his house in Queens and he stayed with his original wife. You know, we love to see it.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Yeah, we love to see. I like Rufo.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

So at his sentencing, Rufo was given 17 and a half years in prison. As he was put in handcuffs and being let out of the courtroom, Rufo's lawyer announced the prosecutor agreed to a deal that would allow Rufo to self surrender when his sentence started five weeks later. So talk about privilege. He walked out. They said 17 years and they said okay, but it don't start for Rufferill for five weeks. In five weeks. So I'm gonna go home. But don't worry, I'll be back.

[Jojo Gibbs]

I'll be back.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Don't worry about it.

[Jojo Gibbs]

What day? What's the day? Oh my gosh, that's crazy.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

That was the day. Okay, put it in my calend and I'm gonna put in my Calendar, I'm gonna be back. I'm back to do the jail, to do the bed.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Yeah, I got millions offshore, but don't worry about that.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Don't worry about that. Don't worry about none of that. I got six people willing to put their house on the line if I have a flight risk, but don't worry about that.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Don't worry about it.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

So the judge was incredulous, but upon confirmation with the prosecutor, agreed, and Rufo was allowed to be a free man till November 9, 1998. On one morning, November 9, Rufo dropped his wife off at the train station, headed into the city. He then stopped at an ATM in Queens and he bought a ticket in at JFK International Airport and vanished. He's not been seen since. Damn. That's kind of romantic because he could have vanished, like, right away. He waited until the last day, dropped his wife off, gave her a strong Christian hug, maybe a kiss with some tongue.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Where his wife, though, she went to.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Meet him and then disappeared.

[Jojo Gibbs]

They just couldn't go. She had to go meet him.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

She. She. There's no way they would allow her to, like, because if she disappeared, then I think she would also be, like, culpable. Right? It's like she gotta stay. So before even returning home that evening, Linda received a call from the FB in the I. And they were screaming at me. She said, where is John Ruffo? She said, the blood rushed down my body and my face turned to ice. So she didn't even know when he dropped her off at the train that he was about to be gone.

[Jojo Gibbs]

But hold up. She didn't know what day he was supposed to go to jail.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

She did. Maybe she thought, here's my thing. Was he just gonna drive to jail on his own? Yeah, that's what I'm just like, who.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Taking the car home after, like, what kind of questions? It's hoes in this story. Rufo. Rufo is. He is about himself, though. I wonder what his sign is. Probably cancer.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

We should figure it out at home. She found a suicide note that ne neither she nor the FBI believed.

[Batiste and Adore Me Advertiser]

Damn.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

They didn't believe your suicide note?

[Jojo Gibbs]

Dang, bro. They said, we need teeth. We need a body.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Right? Rufo was like, I cannot take it no more. I love you all. Goodbye. It was like, this is just a Marilyn Monroe quote from one of those meme pages. This is not a note.

[Jojo Gibbs]

This is the real.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

This is a note. That's what he said. He said sincerely, definitely, for me, I'm definitely dead, but don't look for me. Cause I'm dead. Somewhere you'll never find.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Oh, wow. So he was a Sagittarius.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Was he really? Okay, that mean he loves to travel, so this is great for him.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Oh, my goodness.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Running from the law is actually what I said Sagittarius should be doing, so.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Oh, wow. See, he's living his dream.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Yes. So, okay, so nobody believed that he actually died. After Ruffo vanished, the government went after his family and friends for any information on his whereabouts. The family put up their houses for bond. Most of whom were in their 70s and 80s, were forced out of their homes.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Oh, man.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Rufo's own mother died shortly after, alone in a nursing home.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Aw, man.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Okay, do we think that Rufo broke these people off with some coin in exchange for their houses as collateral?

[Jojo Gibbs]

It don't sound like it.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Damn, that's messed up. If he just. He really got six people to, like, hold him down, and then he left them all homeless. That's. I see. I don't ever think about the other side of Bond. Like, if they don't. If they do decide to run off on you, and then you just lose all your money because you were their friend.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Oh, not only do you lose your money, you are now, like, you. You're saying, I'm accountable for this person? Like, I don't know.

[Batiste and Adore Me Advertiser]

I don't.

[Jojo Gibbs]

I don't think you gotta go do daytime or nothing like that. I just think. I don't. I don't really know what happens, but I know you probably got get in trouble because it's kind of like you're saying, I'm their guardian. You know what I'm saying? Like, I don't know what happens to.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Them because I know that they take your collateral. But I don't know if there's anything like penalizing beyond that. But I am like, damn, that's so fucked up. But I guess that also gives the government that, like, there's another incentive for somebody else to be looking for this motherfucker other than us.

[Etsy Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Yeah. Oh, absolutely.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

If you want your house back, you better find your friend.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Absolutely. I can't believe he did that. Rufo is definitely the type of person that acts and thinks only in the moment and for himself and for himself.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

So, I mean, they're both a little shady. Helen Fahey, the former US Attorney General, we're getting to the end of this for the Eastern District of Virginia, which was prosecuting the case, said he did this huge, huge fraud with this wild, wild scheme. Why all kinds of people didn't pick up on it. You gotta be kidding me. Where are the accountants? Where was literally anyone with a brain. Where were you? U.S. attorney.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Yeah, right. All you got is criticize, criticize, criticize, Right?

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

When you point out you got, what, four, three fingers pointed back at you? That what they say? So basically, regarding his bail, obviously in retrospect, the government should have screamed bloody murder and it should have been revoked. Rufo is still at large with a $25,000 reward for any information related to his captive or his capture. So that's Marshall's like, top 15 most wanted list since 2000. We'll put that in the Bible.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Where he at? Which one is he?

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

If you want to find him and maybe try to get the bag. Oh, you know what? Rufo, now that he's in his older age, literally looks like any old man who works at a bodega. He's probably in a bodega near you, like any man.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Anybody. Ain't no telling, right?

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Or he's in Italy. I wonder. He got a whole new family, though. He's definitely got a whole new life.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Oh, he definitely got a whole new life. Because wherever he is, he got got.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Money he's believed to have stashed away $8 million, likely living overseas.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Oh, wow. See, I believe it. And the thing is, he's already cool with living low key, so it ain't like he gonna ever blow that. He probably somewhere with a one bedroom house. Like, all I need is a roof over my head and I don't want to be locked in a cage.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Come on, Rufo.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Come on.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Yeah. You know what? The simple things in life. And it's time for Scammers of the Week. This is where we highlight an honorary charlatan criminal group. Criminals. And, you know, maybe they are honorary, maybe we hate them. We'll see. But today we're talking about a con artist posing as Colin Firth, who scammed three Italian women out of thousands of pounds. Okay, can I get a picture of Colin Firth up? Because I feel like Colin Firth is one of those white men that you definitely could pretend. There's like six white men in Hollywood right now who have the exact same.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Mm. He looks familiar, but he don't look.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

That familiar to me.

[Jojo Gibbs]

He looks like a director. He doesn't really look like a director.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Yeah, that's not Colin Firth. I thought Colin Firth was the one who used to wear the beanies in the hot LA weather. Is that Colin?

[Jojo Gibbs]

The King's speech. What did he play? He's.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Oh, the King's Speech was good. Oh, oh, okay.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Okay. He look familiar now without the glasses and you know.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Yeah, okay. That's what I remember him from. Cause I did watch the King's Speech. Okay, Colin. Sorry. We would put some. We gonna put some respect on your name. Colin. Sorry. So this guy is not even Colin Firth. It's someone who's pretending to be him. I could see how somebody could pretend to be, like, an older Colin Firth for sure. So the scam began in May when a man posing as Mr. Firth contacted one of the women on social media after seeing photos of her. Her two sisters were also fooled. And soon all three were eagerly messaging him. So wait a minute. You got the sisters turning against each other, too. Cause now they all think they talking to Colin Firth. And none of them mentioned it to each other in the group chat. Like, wow. Yeah. Who you talking to? Polyfirth. Like, what?

[Jojo Gibbs]

Right? What?

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

So he was said to have resembled the actor on video calls and mimicked his posh accent. Once they were regularly messaging, the scammer told the woman he was creating a website and needed financial support. Okay, there's like, Squarespace, you know, like, it's some, like. I feel like if you need to create a website. Yeah, it's not Godaddy.

[Jojo Gibbs]

They'll walk you through it.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Right. I don't think it's that expensive. The sister sent him almost £3,000, which is about US$4,000 in three separate bank transfers. So. Okay, I will say, at least it was three separate transfers. So it's like he got them all for, like, a little bit, but still. A thousand pounds to build a website, bro.

[Jojo Gibbs]

But it's like, why would Colin first need you to send him money for a website? Think about it. Just think, girl.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Right?

[Jojo Gibbs]

It's three, y'. All. They must have been, like, inbred or something. Cause look.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Look at what we had to do, though. We was like, oh, Colin Firth. And then we had to look. And then we had to find a movie from a while ago to recognize him. So maybe we were like, colin Firth. Maybe he on hard times right now. But he's still. He's still Colin Firth. He still got that D, like, you know.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Hey, who knows? Yeah. Don't be making assumptions.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

You right, because acting is one of those careers where, like, you could be very famous and very broke at the same time if you're not responsible with your money. Because we don't get paid, like, normal, regular checks like everybody else. Unless you're, like, on a job.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Yeah, absolutely. You gotta.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

You gotta budget and they say he looked like him on video chat. So that's crazy.

[Jojo Gibbs]

That's weird. That's almost creepy, right?

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

But there's. They say there's at least six people in the world who look exactly.

[Jojo Gibbs]

You know, just statistics wise.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Six people. At least six.

[Jojo Gibbs]

At least six. Ah, you know what's so crazy? It was a girl in the crowd at a basketball game I was at. My friend was like, that little girl look like you. And it was the first time in my life. And I was like, damn, she does look like me. She look like she be my little sister, but I ain't gonna talk to her or nothing. That would've been weird. Like, hey, little girl, you look like me.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Hey, listen, you might've need her prints or her info one day something, right?

[Jojo Gibbs]

But you know, you gotta really wait till both everybody is an adult. Cause people be changing, right?

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

That's true. That's very true. So with increased confidence, the scammer then told the sisters that he bought them cars as gifts, but needed $25,000 to get them through customs. So now he's doing the Nigeria scam on them of like, I got all this money. If you wire me the taxes and fees, basically, then you can have this thing. Like you can have these cars. Just gotta give you the taxes and fees. Why could you pay for taxes and fees?

[Jojo Gibbs]

Right?

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Why do I have to incur a $25,000 debt? Cause you want to give me a gift. Make it make sense.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Make it make sense.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

So anyway, luckily at this point, the bank got suspicious of the behavior and tracked where the payments were being sent to. So they sent them.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Wow.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

The receiving account ended up being featured on a blacklist. The police are currently attempting to discover the culprit's identity. So they haven't found Colin Firth. He probably still out here on Facebook. Time with. I bet you he rubbed some baby oil on the camera.

[Jojo Gibbs]

What?

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Before he get on FaceTime.

[Jojo Gibbs]

They haven't found this man?

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

No.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Wow.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

He put a little filter on.

[Jojo Gibbs]

He probably don't look nothing like Colin Firth in real life at all. That's crazy.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

But listen, I love that for him. He put little baby on the camera. He said it's, it's. It's his eye. Colin fifth.

[Jojo Gibbs]

It's so many scams out here. Sometimes it's like, you know, if you are dumb enough to get scammed.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Now we don't say dumb enough on this show. Cause we can all get scammed. I get scammed. You were with me on the boat. Scams with sweaty ass Pablo.

[Jojo Gibbs]

We all get scammed. But that was a blatant. Like, I mean, I just ain't never sent nobody no money. I just ain't doing that. But, you know, everybody's in a different season and just.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

That's true. Now, I do think that we should all get out of the season of I Met a Stranger. We did some blurry facetimes and he told me to give him $25,000 for some taxes and fees. Like, we should know better than that. But, you know, that's what this podcast is for. So we always ask Jojo, where do you want to be found? What's coming up? What do we need to be looking out for? Where can we find you?

[Jojo Gibbs]

Online. So online you can find me on my Instagram. JoJo TGibbs. You know, ain't nothing really happening on there right now, but, you know, girl life about to start popping. So, you know, I might. I might get back on Instagram and do stuff. Instagram is. Anyway, that's neither here nor there. Jojo T. Gibbs on Instagram. Also on Twitter, I. I have a film coming out probably sometime next year called Fresh. It's a social thriller co starring Daisy Edgar Jones and Sebastian Stan. I also, of course, am the lead. Co. Lead on the 20s, which is our show that is going to be coming out on BET and Showtime. I don't know if I can officially announce the release date yet.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Okay, well, we'll stay tuned. We can go on your Instagram.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Yeah. Coming this fall. That's what I'll say.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Yes. Season two of twenties. I'm so excited.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Yes. Season two of twenties coming this fall. I'm so excited. You guys are going to love this season. I had an amazing on set every single day, so I'm just really happy about seeing what they put together. And I know it's a lot of people that are, you know, excited to see what comes next too, so.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

Including me. I'm so excited. I, like, devoured the first season. It was so good. You're so good.

[Jojo Gibbs]

Thank you. Yes.

[Lacey Mosley (Scam Goddess)]

And as always, guys, if you want to snitch on your friends and family, scam guys. Podmail.com just make sure your family's retired. So we don't want to fuck up your bag. Yes. If you want to find me. D I V A L A C I Diva Lacey on all platforms. Icarly streaming now on Paramount. Plus a black lady is streaming in full on HBO. Max. Give us five stars. Help a sister out. And to celebrate 100 episodes, we're doing 30% off on pod swag right now. So go ahead and scam your merch and your pod merch right now. 30% off using offer code. Scam 30. Get into it. All right, congregation. Stay scheming. Yeah, I've got it. Scam Goddess stars and is hosted by me, Lacey Mosley, AKA Scam Goddess. It's produced by Judith Kargbo, engineered by Marina Paiz, and researched by Kalen Brandt. Stay scheming.

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[Jojo Gibbs]

Now that's special.

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