Scam Goddess: "SCAMTRAK w/ Loren Lorosa" – Episode Summary

Podcast: Scam Goddess
Host: Laci Mosley
Guest: Loren Lorosa
Date: October 7, 2025

Episode Overview

Comedy meets true crime as host Laci Mosley welcomes pop culture correspondent, producer, and vlogger Loren Lorosa for a lively exploration of bold frauds, pop-culture obsession, and the big Amtrak healthcare scam. With trademark wit, Mosley and Lorosa break down how over 100 Amtrak workers, aided by sketchy doctors, syphoned millions from the company’s insurance plan—and unpack the cultural, economic, and ethical layers of this historic hoodwink. The episode blends scam deep-dives with social criticism, reality TV sidebars, and plenty of personal anecdotes.

Main Topics & Key Insights

1. Meet the Guest & Keeping It "Church Real" ([02:14–08:00])

• Introduction to Loren Lorosa: Laci introduces Loren’s multi-faceted media career, including her leadership at Brown Girl Grinding and podcasting on the Black Effect Network.
• Running Joke – "Intake Member of the Church": The show’s “congregation” theme becomes a running bit, with Laci inviting Loren as a new ‘intake member.’
• Food Poisoning & Suing Fears: Laci jokes about getting food poisoning from a "bougie" LA restaurant and her repeated dance with cease & desist letters, playing into the everyday risk of “scam” in entertainment reporting.
• Quote:
  "I need y'all to donate to my Abugado fund, because I think this might be the year." – Laci Mosley [02:00]

2. Pop Culture, Reality TV, and Scamming as Social Currency ([05:14–15:00])

• Reality TV as a Scam: Laci and Loren riff on Love Island, questioning the ethical boundaries of reality TV and whether naive contestants are themselves victims of production “scams.”
• Gen Z Media Literacy: Both agree that newer generations may lack understanding of TV’s manipulative nature, with Loren lamenting the effects of social media on fame and fortune myths.
• Quick Success Illusions: They discuss how virality often doesn’t lead to lasting success—sometimes leaving "stars" broke and disillusioned.
• Quote:
  "There's a sense of delusion... you go viral one time, and now, you know, some people, it sustains a full career. Some people, you just go viral one time." – Loren Lorosa [07:32]
• Influencer Hustle: Both praise the relentless grind behind influencer content, debunking the myth that it’s an easy or trivial job.

3. Loren’s Relationship with Scams & Scam Fascination ([16:15–20:00])

• Scams: Observing, Not Doing: Loren is adamant she’s never run a scam—her exposure is strictly as a journalist.
• Anna Delvey & Glamour Scams: Loren’s favorite scammer is Anna Delvey—the audacity, the fashion, and the reverse-elitism.
• Scam Typologies Via Sex & the City: They humorously cast Anna Delvey as all four SATC leads.
• Quote:
  "Her audacity—it wasn't even for sale, you had to auction and bid on it." – Loren Lorosa [17:41]

4. The Historic Amtrak Healthcare Fraud ([20:06–54:34])

The Scam Breakdown ([20:06–24:53])

• How It Worked: Over 100 Amtrak employees teamed with three New York-area crooked doctors (including “Susie” the acupuncturist) to file fake medical claims, netting kickbacks and bribes. Total damage: $12 million (with Susie alone racking up $9M).
• Motive: The system itself may incentivize these frauds—workers underpaid, insurance companies predatory.
• Quote:
  "At this point, it's the scam scamming the scammer... spy vs. spy." – Laci Mosley [22:07]

Execution & Escalation ([24:53–40:39])

• Unrealistic Trust: The fraudulent doctors welcomed undercover agents with open arms—no vetting, just sign here. Both Laci and Loren highlight how real-life scams often lack the sophistication seen in movies.
• Doctor Shenanigans: Dr. Mazira had a record (Yelp lawsuits, botched surgeries), with comedic listener horror at “penis enhancements” gone wrong.
• Getting Caught: Authorities noticed suspicious clusters of Amtrak-related claims, triggering the takedown.

Worker Ethics & Economic Pressures ([41:20–54:16])

• Economic Realities: The hosts empathize with workers pressured into fraud as corporations squeeze them with poor pay and rising costs.
• Health Insurance as a Scam: Laci rails against the "nickel and diming" of benefits and healthcare, noting that classic employers exploit the dependence via language like “health benefits.”
• Unpacking the Corporate Victim: Discussion turns to who’s really doing the scamming—insurance companies versus working people.

Quote Parade:

• "Health benefits or die—if you don't get to the desk..." – Laci Mosley [68:41]
• "You gotta pay your people, otherwise they'll snitch on you." – Laci Mosley [39:29]
• "Lips full of lies, forehead full of secrets." – Loren Lorosa, on Dr. Mazira [49:34]

5. Yelp Reviews and Victim Responsibility ([53:00–62:21])

• Sketchy Clinics: Live reading of negative Yelp reviews of Dr. Mazira’s office prompts laughter and disbelief—Botox injections standing up, syringes from a folding chair, no aftercare.
• Victim-Blaming: Loren critiques people who go to Groupon surgeons without reading reviews, while Laci maintains empathy; “We don’t know what they use their faces for.”
• Red Flags:
  "Folding chair needles. I feel like the first red flag was the folding chair needles." – Laci Mosley [61:27]
  "I would hate to see this person’s dating life. I know she be in Six Flags." – Loren Lorosa [61:31]

6. Punishments & Aftermath ([64:10–67:23])

• Sentencing:
  • Susie (acupuncturist): 34 months in prison, $9M restitution (unlikely to ever be paid)
  • Devon & Hallam (Amtrak recruiters): Pled guilty, ordered to pay back $1M+ each; faced conspiracy and extortion charges.
  • Remaining workforce: 12 facing charges, 28 resigned, but 61 still work at Amtrak, likely due to necessity.
• Quote:
  "If you pay people enough money that they don't want to lose their job, they most likely won't engage in fraud, because the job is too good." – Laci Mosley [64:15]

7. Scams as Social Critique & Economic Survival ([67:23–69:03])

• Everyday Squeezing: Laci highlights how, from cell phones to gas, the cost of living is ballooning, making these scams more tempting and understandable.
• Norms & Radicalism:
  "What's radical is how we're being pinched and squeezed and stolen from every single day." – Laci Mosley [69:03]

Memorable Laughs & One-Liners

• On scam churches:
  "I will pull up in a Rolls Royce, but I will also give back to the community." – Laci Mosley [35:01]
• On being set up:
  “Lauren thinks I'm the ops.” – Laci Mosley [25:01]
• Red flag clinics:
  "If you find your cosmetic doctor on Groupon and you don't read reviews on top of that... you have empathy for these people?" – Loren Lorosa [54:22]
• Botched penile surgeries:
  "How do you come back from that?... How do you fix a botched penis?" – Loren Lorosa [50:43]
• Church aisle seating:
  "We have two pews, so you know, the shadier people sit on the other." – Laci Mosley [70:29]
• On losing $20-100 going outside:
  "Air ain’t free no more." – Laci Mosley [69:21]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–01:58 – Intro banter, food poisoning woes, setup for humor
• 05:14–15:00 – Reality TV as scam/the delusions of internet fame
• 16:15–20:02 – Loren on scams, Anna Delvey, SATC allegory
• 20:06–40:39 – The Amtrak healthcare scam deep dive: how it worked & who was involved
• 41:20–54:16 – Economic critique, insurance companies, workplace realities
• 53:00–62:21 – Yelp reviews, bad clinics, victim empathy vs. skepticism
• 64:10–69:03 – Sentencing, lasting effects, social critique, radical perspective
• 70:29–74:20 – Farewells, plugs, and outro

Where to Find the Guest

• Podcast: Latest with Loren Lorosa – weekday mornings, all platforms
• IG/Twitter/TikTok: @lorenlorosa (L O R E N, not L A U R E N)
• Also appears daily on The Breakfast Club

Final Takeaway

Episode delivers comedy, sharp social insight, and scam breakdowns with heart. Laci and Loren reveal the human (and hilarious) sides of scam culture—reminding us to stay vigilant, question authority, and maybe, sometimes, have a little empathy for those caught grinding in a rigged system. Stay schemin’!