Scam Goddess – Fraud Friday: The Poisonous Beauty Product Peddler w/ Alaska Thunderfuck

Podcast Host: Laci Mosley
Guest: Alaska Thunderfuck
Release Date: October 31, 2025

Episode Overview

This classic “Fraud Friday” installment of Scam Goddess features drag superstar Alaska Thunderfuck joining host Laci Mosley for a raucous deep-dive into historic and contemporary scams, with the main “historic hoodwink” focusing on Madame Rachel, a Victorian beauty influencer infamous for selling toxic, even poisonous, beauty products. Mosley and Alaska riff on their own experiences with scams, dissect a real-life modern Facebook con from a listener, and crown a new "Scammer of the Week": a couple who crashed a mansion for their dream wedding. It's signature Scam Goddess—irreverent, comedic, and packed with fascinating, laugh-out-loud scam stories.

Episode Breakdown & Key Insights

1. Scam Stories and Modern Grifting

(03:59–08:45)

• Laci asks Alaska about her general relationship with scams and being scammed.
• Alaska describes growing up with skeptical parents:

  "My parents were super like, 'No, everything on TV is fake. Everyone’s lying to you. Everything is a scam.' So I’ve grown up to be very skeptical. I don’t answer emails. I don’t answer the phone. I don’t answer the door." (04:05)

• They both vent about increased scam calls during and after the pandemic.
• Laci jokes about wanting to join in on scam calls for the money.
• Alaska tongue-in-cheek proposes banning all spam calls as her political platform:

  "If I was to run for office...my cause would be, I’m going to get rid of all spam phone calls. That would be my campaign slate. Because...everyone hates them. It’s absurd, and it’s wrong." (06:47)

• Laci discusses PPE loan fraud versus student loan debt, joking the whole country runs on scams.

Notable Quote:

Laci on pandemic government:

"Daddy government went to get a carton of cigarettes and never came back." (05:36)

2. Listener Scam Letter: The “Jamaican Cousin”

(08:49–22:44)

• Alaska creates a fake name for the listener as “Winifred Wilson.”
• Winifred details being contacted on Facebook by someone claiming to be her Jamaican cousin, who attempts to scam her for “eye medicine” money.
• Laci and Alaska poke fun at the outlandishness and poor improvisation skills of the scammer:

  "What kind of medicine is a drop for your eye? You know, I drop anyway. Can you send me $6,000?" (19:00)

• They note that scammers often target older, less tech-savvy relatives, as proven by Winifred’s dad falling for the same trick.
• The duo underscores the dangers of oversharing family links on Facebook, enabling this type of targeted scam.

Notable Quote:

Laci on family Facebook connections:

"Take your whole family tree off of Facebook. That’s what you have reunions for. You know who your cousin is; you don’t need anybody else to tell you." (21:41)

3. Historic Hoodwink: Madame Rachel, the Poisonous Beauty Peddler

(22:44–43:15)

Background

• The “Historic Hoodwink” spotlights Sarah Rachel Russell a.k.a. Madame Rachel, a 19th-century London entrepreneur who sold luxury beauty treatments laden with toxic chemicals.
• Mosley and Alaska draw parallels to today’s beauty industry, mocking how insecurities are manufactured then monetized.

  "Beauty commercials are never like, enhancing your natural beauty. They’re like, ‘Come here, you ugly raggedy skank. If you don’t get this eye cream, no one will love you.’" (26:58)

Madame Rachel’s Hustle

• Russell started poor, hustling rabbit skins, fortune-telling, and matchmaking for brothels, before reinventing herself as a high-class “Madame Rachel.”
• Opened a Mayfair salon, selling ‘beautiful forever’ with supposed foreign ingredients (often just arsenic).
• She dressed lavishly, wore talismans, and promised rich British women access to secret Arabian beauty remedies.
• Her “enameling” service:

  "It claimed to lighten the lady’s skin by removing all the hairs on her face, then dousing her with an alkaline wash that one would normally use to clean a toilet." (36:09)

• She also ran voyeur schemes, letting men peep into women’s baths for money.

Downfall and Legacy

• Was finally bankrupted and jailed when clients exposed the fraud and extortion (including blackmailing women for credit purchases).
• Even after jail, she rebranded herself, continuing her schemes.
• Laci and Alaska are alternately horrified and amused by the sheer breadth of evil:

  "She said, how can I do evil every day? Like, diversify my evil portfolio." (43:28)

Notable Quotes:

Alaska on Victorian beauty standards:

"Well, come on, Queen Victoria, we know you paint for the royal photos...as soon as someone comes out and says, X, Y and Z are vulgar and terrible, it’s only a matter of time before the teenagers start doing it." (29:11)

Laci on Madame Rachel’s branding:

“Before we had KKW Beauty, we had Madame Rachel.” (34:30)

4. Scammer of the Week: The Wedding Mansion Crashers

(44:11–52:03)

• Laci details the wild true story of Courtney Wilson and Shanita Jones, a couple who threw a huge wedding—ceremony, brunch, and all—at a $5-million mansion they did not own, nor have permission to use.
• The owner arrives to find them setting up and calls 911. No charges were filed, but the wedding is shut down.
• Alaska muses on the audacity:

  "It’s kind of a great plan! We invited everyone; like, literally everyone’s coming...if you don’t let us trespass...you’re gonna ruin our big day. It’s sort of perfect." (46:50)

• Laci and Alaska joke about the logistics of scaling a fence with wedding supplies and roast the mansion’s real owner for being a “hater,” suggesting he missed out on viral fame:

  “Nathan could have compromised...The house is just sitting empty now. Come on.” (51:33)

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On scam calls:
  Laci: “How dare you call me and then they’re like, 'Hello, we have a scam for you. Press one.'...You gonna try to rob me? Automated? That’s disrespectful.” (07:56)

• On bad scam artistry:
  Laci: “At least she’s trying to see how your day is...Looking rich? Bank account looking full?...She wants to know.” (15:28)

• On Madame Rachel’s products:
  Laci: “Madame Rachel, my face is bleeding. ‘Oh, yeah, that’s just new face coming in...When the blood stop, it’s gonna be some new face and then that’s gonna be cute.’” (35:05)

• On Victorian-era beauty hacks:
  Alaska: “Some women use beeswax on their lashes to make them look thicker...for eyeliner, burnt matches. The smokey eye really came from smoke.” (30:41)

• Ending banter:
  Alaska: "Well, I have this beautiful mansion that I'm trying to sell and if you'd like to come check it out..." (52:19)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Welcome and guest intro: 01:07–02:42
• Scam culture, spam calls: 03:59–08:45
• Listener “Jamaican cousin” scam: 08:49–22:44
• Historic Hoodwinks – Madame Rachel: 22:44–43:15
• Wedding mansion scam: 44:11–52:03
• Outro and plugs: 52:03–53:39

Tone & Style

The entire episode is suffused with Laci’s trademark irreverence and quick-witted humor, seamlessly merged with Alaska’s affable, sardonic style. Both lean into campy banter and pop culture references, skewering scammers and scam-mechanisms alike—while still offering informative breakdowns of how cons actually work. The show keeps it playful and sharp, with both hosts riffing off each other for maximum comedic effect. This isn’t a true crime podcast obsessed with darkness; it’s “true con”– crime, comedy, and historical drama, all rolled into one.

Summary: Why Listen?

If you love humor with your history and want to learn about both modern and historic swindlers—from fake cousin cash grabs to the original poisonous beauty influencer—this episode is for you. Alaska Thunderfuck provides delightful commentary, and Laci Mosley keeps the show on-brand: celebrating the creativity (and chutzpah) of con artists past and present, while reminding listeners: “Stay schemin’!”