The Marijuana Manipulator with James Mastraieni

Summary

Scam Goddess: "The Marijuana Manipulator" with James Mastraieni

Podcast: Scam Goddess
Host: Laci Mosley
Guest: James Mastraieni
Release Date: Nov 19, 2019

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Episode Overview

This episode of Scam Goddess blends hilarious storytelling and keen insights into the world of scams, with a special focus on weed-related grifts. Host Laci Mosley welcomes comedian and fellow podcaster James Mastraieni (host of I'm Too Effing High) to recount one of his teenage scam attempts, discuss modern romance and weed scams, and examine the broader trend of frauds—from dating app catfishers to sneaky art world stunts.

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Key Discussion Points

1. James’s Teenage Scam Attempt: The "Marijuana Manipulator" (00:55–14:34)

• James’s relationship with scams: James claims he’s not a natural scammer but admits to a memorable attempt as a teen.

• The Amusement Park Line Scam:
  Minor “scam” where James’s family used his mother’s disability to skip lines at amusement parks.

  • "We would use her to get to the front of the line at an amusement park and then leave and just sort of let her sit there." (02:44)

• The Main Event: Liquor Store Wheelchair Scam

  • At 17, James and his friends, already high, scheme to obtain liquor, since they’re underage.
  • James snags his mother’s electric wheelchair, blankets himself for added “frailty,” and dramatically rolls into a local liquor store to play the sympathy card.
  • When denied, James doubles down, feigning both physical and mental disability, but the store owner quickly calls out the act—recognizing him as a regular.
  • The scam ends in humiliation as James gets the wheelchair stuck on his way out.

• Notable Quote:

  • Laci (on his commitment): "The confidence level of saying, 'I'm gonna go unplug an electric mobile vehicle... then I'm gonna back it up in the dark,'... Like, that's an extreme amount of confidence." (06:55)
  • James (on the storeowner): "He goes, 'I’ve seen your van. I know you're not in a wheelchair and I know you're not old enough to be in here. So I'm giving you two seconds to get the fuck out of my store.'" (10:15)

2. What’s Hot in Fraud: Online Romance Scams (14:35–26:09)

• Romance fraud’s rising profile:
  • Laci details how romance scams generated $143 million in reported losses in 2018 (per the FTC).
  • Typical scam involves a "deployed military" persona on apps like Tinder or Grindr, requesting money for bogus emergencies.
• Protecting against romance scams:
  • Never send money to someone you haven’t met.
  • Google reverse image search for profile pictures.
  • Don’t just trust one’s story; run it by friends for red flags.
  • If scammed, cut off contact and report to the FTC and the dating site.
• Story & Commentary:
  • Laci and James riff on viral FTC warning videos, with Laci noting: "He said, I ain't got no FaceTime out here in Baghdad. And I was like, are we still in Baghdad? He said, yes, we are." (18:13)
  • James shares a personal story of a possible Tinder scam involving an overly enthusiastic woman with a sob story about losing her preschool job who tried to invite herself over immediately.
    • "I know my place in the world. I’m not tall enough. I’m not handsome enough. I'm bald. I know my place." (24:12)

3. Historic Hoodwink: Instagram Weed Scams (26:32–36:00)

• Instagram’s weed "dealers":
  • Laci shares the story of Nyajio Bielam, a public weed connoisseur whose identity was stolen to scam people via a fake Instagram account offering weed with “shipping anywhere.”
  • For six months, the fake account collected thousands from would-be buyers who never received product.
• Reddit testimonials:
  • Many scam victims transfer small amounts (e.g., $90 via Western Union) and are ghosted once payment is sent.
• Notable Quote:
  • James: "Three grand for two pounds of weed is an amazing deal. That already is like..." (30:13)
  • Laci: "Anytime you click on a news article... there’s always ads... It's like, Louis Vuitton bag $30. That’s what almost gets me." (30:44)
• Why these scams work:
  • Small transaction amounts lower suspicion and victims’ motivation to pursue justice.
  • The volume of small scams adds up (“blue-collar scammer”).
  • Wire transfers via Western Union are essentially untraceable.

4. Drugs, the Dark Web, and Bitcoin (36:13–39:17)

• Buying drugs online:
  • James describes using illegal online marketplaces and bitcoin for anonymous purchases.
  • Customer service is notoriously bad, but some orders eventually show up.
  • Laci: "Bitcoin is definitely a scam. Like, where did it come from? And we just all gave you money for it, and you told us how much it was worth." (39:09)

5. Guerrilla Weed Growing at the Vermont Capitol (40:12–42:39)

• Scammer of the Week:
  • A mystery grower has planted 34+ cannabis plants in the flower beds of the Vermont state capitol.
  • James likens it to “the plant version of Banksy.”
• Banksy Tangent:
  • Recap the infamous Banksy shredding art stunt at Sotheby's.
  • Laci: "If I pay a million dollars for something, Banksy, you gettin' your ass beat." (44:55)

6. Government as a Scam (49:01–50:56)

• Taxes and government spending:
  • Laci and James discuss the opacity of tax spending: "They literally are like, hey, we know you made money. Give us some, and you better give us the right amount, otherwise we're going to put you in jail. But also, we're not going to tell you how much you need to give us." (49:15)
  • Taxation and use of public funds get labeled a "scam," especially pondering who gets benefits and who bears the burdens.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• James, reflecting on his failed scam:
  "I insulted a lot of people's intelligence. I insulted my own intelligence. I insulted my mother, who... has to endure the suffering of being disabled, and I exploited that to try to get 99 bananas for me and my friends." (12:50)
• Laci on scam success factors:
  "You just needed somebody to get you with the logistics... You can't go to your local. I know. And hang out in front of this place, James." (14:01)
• James, on 'romance scams':
  "That feels like it could easily appeal to any sort of MAGA type of person on Tinder... Now, if you’re scamming MAGA people, shout out to you. Yeah, keep doing that shit." (16:40)
• Laci on the normalization of scams:
  "Scamming is a job. It's a profession. It's one of the oldest professions and it needs more respect." (49:01)
• Laci (on Facebook/Meta’s ever-increasing surveillance):
  "You want my retina? Hold on. Let me open my eye up... Shit. Let me open my booty hole up. Who do I have use for? I have no use for it." (39:46)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Intro, Guest Greeting & Scam Warm-Up: 00:00–01:52
• James’s Liquor Store Wheelchair Scam: 01:53–14:34
• What’s Hot in Fraud Segment (Romance Scams): 14:35–26:09
• Instagram Weed Scams & Online Drug Buying: 26:32–36:00
• Dark Web, Bitcoin, & Customer Service: 36:13–39:17
• Vermont Capitol Weed Grower / Guerrilla Planting & Banksy Tangent: 40:12–46:09
• Government/Taxes as Scams & Big-Picture Takeaways: 49:01–50:56
• Outro and Plugs: 51:04–end (not summarized per instructions)

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Tone & Style

The episode maintains a playful, irreverent, and self-aware tone, with Laci’s quick wit drawing out both the comedy and pathos in scammer stories. Both hosts handle sensitive topics with a mix of humor, self-deprecation, and real skepticism about authority and scam culture.

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Summary Table of Scams Discussed

| Scam Type | Description/Context | Key Takeaways | |----------------------|--------------------------------------------------------|---------------------| | Wheelchair Liquor Scam | Teen James impersonates a disability to buy liquor | Local recognition ruined the ruse | | Romance/Dating Scam | Online “soldiers” or lovers targeting the lonely | Never send $, use reverse image search | | Instagram Weed Scam | Imposters selling fake weed from celeb accounts | Too good deals, untraceable $ = trouble | | Guerrilla Capitol Grower| Mystery person illegally grows weed at the statehouse | Artistic protest, “plant Banksy”| | Banksy’s Art Auction Stunt | “Girl with Balloon” self-shredded post-sale | Art world scam/flex | | Bitcoin — The E-Currency | Anonymous, hype-based digital currency | Scam or the future? | | Government/Taxes | Lack of transparency about use of public funds | “The biggest scam” |

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For Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In

This episode delivers laugh-out-loud storytelling, sharp-eyed analysis of scam culture, and practical advice for avoiding online swindles. From teenage hijinks and bad weed deals to social commentary on systemic scamming, Laci and James remind us: in a world full of schemers, "stay schemin’"—but maybe don’t try James’s method.

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Transcript

[Lacy]

Scams.

[Producer]

C.

[Lacy]

Robbery and Frauds. Scams Cos. Robbery and fraud. Scam Goddess. Hi, welcome to Scam Goddess. As you've heard, I'm here with James Mastroianni. Yes. Oh, my gosh. I've known James for, oh, a few years now.

[James Mastroianni]

Like, quite a few. Almost four years, I think longer than that.

[Lacy]

That's as long as I've been. That's as long as we could have known each other.

[James Mastroianni]

Oh, really?

[Lacy]

Yeah.

[James Mastroianni]

Wow. I thought for sure. It seems like so long ago, I guess.

[Lacy]

I know. It really does.

[James Mastroianni]

Maybe I just know you well enough that it just. It seems like we've been friends for a while.

[Lacy]

Yeah, that's something a scammer would say, too. Guys, I've known you since childhood.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah, we've known each other so long.

[Lacy]

Believe that. Now, what I was saying about the Social Security number.

[James Mastroianni]

Scam.

[Producer]

Scam.

[Lacy]

Yo. Well, James, you have to tell me, like, what's your relationship with scams? Have you been in any scams? Have you?

[James Mastroianni]

You know, I am. As an adult. I'm not really a scam type of person.

[Lacy]

Damn, Shade, you calling me a non adult?

[James Mastroianni]

He's right.

[Lacy]

I'm a child.

[James Mastroianni]

No, I'm saying you're an adult with loose moral fiber. No, I. You know, my parents have been the victims of scams. Cause my parents are, like, older, and I feel like a lot of scams target older people. For sure. For sure, for sure. But, you know, honestly, I just don't think that I'm Would be very good at it, like, just in general scamming.

[Lacy]

Why not? Like, do you have an experience where you tried?

[James Mastroianni]

I do, actually. Yeah. I had. So. But this is like a. So this. This was a scam I tried to pull when I was in high school.

[Lacy]

Oh, okay.

[James Mastroianni]

And I was 17. And so just a little bit of backstory. So first of all, I should say audience. We're just getting.

[Lacy]

We call our audience the congregation.

[James Mastroianni]

Okay, the congregation.

[Lacy]

Yes.

[James Mastroianni]

I would just like to say, first of all, we don't know each other, and this story makes me sound not great.

[Lacy]

Okay.

[James Mastroianni]

So I would say give me a little bit of the benefit of the doubt. Okay.

[Lacy]

You're 17.

[James Mastroianni]

I'm 17 years old.

[Lacy]

With a booming deep voice.

[James Mastroianni]

Exactly. With a booming deep voice. And so a little bit of backstory. My. So growing up, my mom was disabled. Right. She was in a wheelchair. And so if, you know, for a lot of people that are in wheelchairs, you have to have, like, very specific types of vehicles.

[Lacy]

Yeah. And handicap pass. So you got to park in the front of every everything.

[James Mastroianni]

Front, front line at every amusement park, which, oh, here's a minor scam we used to do because my mom couldn't go on rides, right? But we would use her to get to the front of the line at an amusement park and then leave and then just like, sort of let her sit there.

[Lacy]

I think now the thought of your mom having to sit there while you're on Splash Mountain is hilarious and maybe a little sad. But I think your mom probably was also proud that she help her kids.

[James Mastroianni]

Like, absolutely. Yeah. It helped make her, you know, it. It. It felt her, like, made her feel needed, I guess. But. So when my mom's insurance improved, approved of a new disabled van. I got my mom's old van, which was a 1988 Dodge conversion van with a wheelchair lift out the side, Right?

[Lacy]

Oh, my gosh, for a kid, this must have been a dream.

[James Mastroianni]

Oh, my God. It was a dream. And at this point, like, I'm a big stoner, and so I turned it into this big.

[Lacy]

And you got a van.

[James Mastroianni]

Exactly. I turned it into this big smoking van. Like, I took the seats out and replaced them with beanbag chairs, put up, like, beads and black lights and all this stuff.

[Lacy]

And.

[James Mastroianni]

And this. This story is also just seeping with white privilege because there's no. Like, I should have been arrested multiple times for all of this, but. So one night we're in my basement. My parents used to go to bed very early, and I used to have friends over to come and hang in my. In my basement and smoke weed.

[Lacy]

You were that friend who, like, host things and.

[James Mastroianni]

Absolutely.

[Lacy]

Oh, man.

[James Mastroianni]

My parents are asleep at, you know, 8, 8:30. Come on over. We'll get high, we'll chill.

[Lacy]

What kind of sleep is this? They don't hear.

[James Mastroianni]

No, no.

[Lacy]

I mean, like, I crack my ass upstairs. My mom's like, who that? Yeah, I was a petty sleeper.

[James Mastroianni]

That's really funny. No, my parents deep, deep sleepers. And. Well, we'll get. We'll get to that part of the story. So I.

[Producer]

We.

[James Mastroianni]

We were all smoking weed, but we decided, like. And so I'm. I'm all high. And. And we're like, oh, man, you know, we're only 17. We're like, want to get some booze? Right?

[Lacy]

Next level.

[James Mastroianni]

Exactly. Let's take this party to the next level. And I was like, how? We're trying to come up with an idea. Like, how do we get some booze? Right? We're not 21. None of us have fakes, right?

[Lacy]

This is when the scam comes in.

[James Mastroianni]

This is where the scam comes in. So I'm like, okay, I think I have an idea. And so my mom had two different wheelchairs. She had a regular wheelchair, and then she had a really dope like. Like a scooter wheelchair.

[Lacy]

Yeah, like an electric one.

[James Mastroianni]

An electric one, yeah. And which she used to keep charged in her bedroom. So I tell my friend, like, pull my van around front and lower the ramp, and I'll be right back. And I went upstairs and I went into my parents bedroom while they were sleeping, and I unplugged her electric wheelchair, and I slowly start scooting it, you know, out of the bedroom.

[Narrator]

Right.

[Lacy]

So you're, like, doing it with, like. It's like, exactly. And you're, like, looking back to see

[James Mastroianni]

if she's like, 100%. Like, I would go back a little bit, and then they would stir, and I would just freeze. Because I'm also like, if my parents wake up right now and they see me in the middle of their bedroom in the dark, highest sitting in my mom's wheelchair one. If I'm there, them, I'm like, is it like, is he here to kill us? Like, what is the. Is going on?

[Lacy]

Totally. Menendez. Your parents.

[James Mastroianni]

Exactly. It's so freaky. And so, you know, I'm doing this thing, I'm slowly backing it out, and I'm going backwards, too, and, oh, my God. Back my way out in the dark. And so I finally get it out, and I grab a blanket, because in this. In my head, this is going to help make it better. So I pull it into. Into the van. I'm like, all right, here's what we're going to do. Pull up to the liquor store, right? Make sure that the owner sees you. Lower the. The wheelchair ramp or the. Yeah, the wheelchair ramp out the side. I put this blanket on my lap because I thought it made me look more disabled. And I was like, there's no way that they're going to ask me for ID if they think that, like, I'm disabled, right? And I'll just go in, I'll grab a couple bottles, and it'll be. It'll be great, right?

[Lacy]

So this youthful teenage boy is now has a blanket over him in an electric wheelchair. I do have to say, James, that you are a scammer, because the confidence level of saying, I'm gonna go unplug an electric mobile vehicle, right? Then I'm gonna back it up in the dark. I'm also high, so I' impaired. And all this so that my parents don't realize that I'm doing it. Like, that's an extreme amount of confidence.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah.

[Lacy]

And so now you're also the one who's the most confident enough to roll into this convenience store and play the sympathy card to buy alcohol.

[James Mastroianni]

Yep.

[Lacy]

Okay.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah, I guess that's true. Maybe I am a scammer. And so I go in and immediately. And I don't know why this makes me laugh, but I guess it's just that age of, like, the kind of alcohol you drink. But I picked up a bottle of Captain Morgan's and a bottle of 99 bananas was, like, the two that I got for. For us.

[Lacy]

I used to get faded on some. 99. Absolutely like it.

[James Mastroianni]

And bananas. 99 berries was really bad, but I used to do the same shit. And so I take. You know, I take the wheelchair up to the counter, and I put the. And so I'm, like, pretending to be, like, kind of frail, and I put. Put the. Oh, it gets worse. It gets worse, congregation. It gets worse. And I'm so sorry for this. And so I put the bottles on. On the. The thing. And by the way, I'm the only person in the liquor store.

[Lacy]

Wow. Okay.

[James Mastroianni]

Nobody else.

[Lacy]

Distractions.

[James Mastroianni]

No distractions, which I wish there would have been. I feel like if it would have been busier, it would have been easier, right?

[Lacy]

Yeah. Like if you had some friend. If other friends had come in and maybe bought snacks or something. Exactly.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah. Yeah. So I go in and I put the bottles down, and the guy's like, hey, I gotta see some id. And in my head, I was like, immediately, this is what he asked me. So I'm like, okay, pretend you didn't hear him.

[Lacy]

What? So you're trying to make yourself deaf, dude.

[James Mastroianni]

Oh, it gets worse. It gets worse. So I pretend not to hear him, and I just push the bottles further towards him, and I put some cash on the thing, and he goes, hey, man, I'm sorry, but I got to see some ID. I got to make sure you're over 21. And so this. At this point, I'm like, okay, I have to double down. So I then put on an affectation.

[Lacy]

No.

[James Mastroianni]

That I am mentally disabled.

[Lacy]

No,

[James Mastroianni]

I still remember the exact thing that I said. Oh, go. And so, congregation, please stick with me here. And this is.

[Lacy]

Look, we all. We all stray, guys, okay?

[James Mastroianni]

We all stray. I was 17, not 2014.

[Lacy]

Nobody was woke.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah, nobody was woke. Nobody's woke. Believe me. I feel terrible about this. And I looked at him and I said, please, No, I was. So much pain. Just like that.

[Lacy]

Now, James, this is all horrible, but I do have to say the dedication to not just bailing on this.

[James Mastroianni]

Oh, I know, because I think I

[Lacy]

would have just reversed that joint and been like, out of the store.

[James Mastroianni]

Absolutely. And so he looks at me for a moment and he goes, I know who you are. He goes, and this is like an old, middle aged white guy. And there was this restaurant next door called Freshes. He was like, I've seen your. I've seen your van. I've seen you and your friends smoking weed outside the restaurant all the time. I know you're not in a wheelchair and I know you're not old enough to be in here. So I'm going to give you two seconds to get the fuck out of my store. Otherwise I'm calling the police. Yo.

[Lacy]

He's petty as fuck.

[James Mastroianni]

Knowing exactly what he wanted the whole fucking time. He knew. He was just like, I'm going to let this dumb fucking kid. I'm going to let this dumb kid just do this whole bit. I'm maneuvering my way through these narrow ass liquor aisles in this wheelchair and I immediately fess up. And I was like, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done this. I just. My friends and I were just trying to have a good time. And he was like, get the fuck out. And but the funny thing is I was like, yes, absolutely. And I started. I started moving the wheelchair and I got it stuck.

[Producer]

No.

[James Mastroianni]

In the door on the way to the exit, like trying to leave and I couldn't maneuver. And I had to get up out of the wheelchair and try to like drag it through this narrow door while this dude is staring daggers straight through me. And I just sheepishly, like, pulled back into, you know, back into the van.

[Lacy]

James, when the jig was up, why did you just get out of the wheelchair and push it out of the store?

[James Mastroianni]

Because it's heavy as fuck. Like it's this big motorized wheelchair. Like you can't really push it and you have to like use the handle and then. Cause when it got stuck, I had to like use the handle and then like maneuver it through the door. Cause it was like a wide wheelchair.

[Lacy]

Okay. I appreciate this man's petty for letting you do all of this before he told you he even let you do another or he lets you dig yourself into a deep asshole before he finally was like, I know who you are, James. I think that this scam would have worked if you had gone somewhere that wasn't a place that you go all of the time. You can't go to your local. I know. And hang out in front of this place, James.

[James Mastroianni]

Literally, the liquor store was next to the restaurant where, like, four of my friends worked.

[Lacy]

Oh, wow.

[James Mastroianni]

And so we would just go get free food there and get high around back, you know, almost every day.

[Lacy]

So for some reason, you insulted that man's intelligence.

[James Mastroianni]

Absolutely. I insulted a lot of people's intelligence. I insulted my own intelligence. I insulted my mother, who, you know, has to endure the suffering of being disabled. And I exploited that to try to get 99 bananas for me and my friends. She also has never heard this story.

[Lacy]

Wow. So you put the chair back. She never noticed.

[James Mastroianni]

She never noticed. I took the chair home. I took it back. I put it right back where it was. Plugged that shit back in.

[Lacy]

I think you got enough punishment from the liquor store, man.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah, yeah, I think. I think I would love to hear his version of that story.

[Lacy]

I'm sure he loves that story because he goaded you on. He, like, he probably saw from a second that you came in, knew exactly what you were doing, saw you pick up the liquor bottle, saw you driving around the store. He was like, okay. Id, please.

[James Mastroianni]

I know. He knew. Like, he probably saw the van and immediately was like, what are these fucking idiots trying to do?

[Producer]

And.

[James Mastroianni]

Cause he probably. My van was so recognizable. The outside was completely graffitied. Like, James, it was just tagged up completely.

[Producer]

So.

[James Mastroianni]

So there's no way you wouldn't know what this van was.

[Lacy]

Yo, all you needed was some. You needed a consultant. You had. Look, you had confidence. You had gumption. You just needed somebody to get you with the logistics. Like your friends. None of them were thinking they were all just along for the ride. You needed one friend to be like, okay, but we gotta park the van across the street. And also, we can't go to the place that we always go.

[James Mastroianni]

I know, I know.

[Lacy]

I think without those two major factors, you would have gotten your lips around some 99 bananas.

[James Mastroianni]

Probably. Yeah. I needed some scam goddess smartness.

[Lacy]

Yeah, but we knew each other back then, James.

[James Mastroianni]

I know, I know.

[Lacy]

I'm sorry.

[James Mastroianni]

That's right. We've known each other that long.

[Lacy]

Scams C. So this is our segment. What's Hot? And Fraud. Guys, we don't want you to get scammed, at least not by other people, okay? Now, if I call you and I need you to spit in a cup or give me a lock of your child's hair, you mail that to me, okay? Because it's for a Good cause. But if anybody else is trying to run game on you, we just can't allow it. So this is a segment where we'll talk a little bit about a fraud, a scam, a hoodwink that's really popular right now. So today we're going to talk about romance fraud. Guys, we've talked about romance fraud before, but the reason that I want to bring this up is because we actually got some legit numbers on romance fraud. James, do you know that romance fraud makes up about $143 million domestically in losses?

[James Mastroianni]

What? Okay, so first of all, what is romance fraud?

[Lacy]

So romance fraud, which I already told you guys, love, is a scam. Stay woke. Look, it's one we all participated in. It's still a fucking scam. But romance fraud is where people talk on things like Bumble Tind, Christian Mingle, grindr. And they talk to people who are looking for love and commitment as a means to defraud them out of small or large amounts of money.

[James Mastroianni]

Interesting.

[Lacy]

Yes. So in 2018, romance scams were the most expensive type of fraud scam, and that's where we got that $143 million. And this actually comes from the Federal Trade Commission, because you can report. If you guys get scammed, you can report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Will you get your money back? Probably not, but maybe you're gonna save somebody else. Like, come on, guys, let's. That's good, right?

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah.

[Lacy]

So some of the biggest scams are often military men on Tinder, which I think is a good one, because it's like men who are saying they're deployed fighting for their country overseas.

[James Mastroianni]

Wow, that's fucked.

[Lacy]

And so it's like, how can you really say who's in the military or not? Yeah, yeah, there's a lot of people in the military.

[James Mastroianni]

And, like, that feels like it could easily appeal to, like, any sort of, like, MAGA type of person. On Tinder? Hell, yeah. You know, like. Like an uber patriotic type of.

[Lacy]

Now, if you're scamming maga, people shout out to you. Yeah, keep doing that shit.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah, why not?

[Lacy]

I will never discourage it, and I will never report you, but I want to read one of the reports of somebody who actually got scammed by this. All right, guys. So I'm on the Federal Trade Commission website, and they actually have consumer information because this is so popular. People getting scammed by online lovers or what? So their advice is one, never send money or gifts to a sweetheart you haven't met in person. That seems obvious, right?

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah. That seems super obvious.

[Lacy]

Take it slowly. Ask questions and look for inconsistent answers. Check the person's photo using a search engine like Search by Image, Google. If the same picture shows up with a different name, that's a red flag.

[James Mastroianni]

Oh, yeah, that makes sense.

[Lacy]

Talk to someone about this new love entrance and pay attention. If friends and family are concern,

[James Mastroianni]

that seems impractical, right? Is it maybe. I don't know. I feel like if. Well, no, I guess. Yeah. I'm trying to think of, like, if I were talking to something. Like, I'm talking to somebody on Hinge or whatever.

[Lacy]

Like, are you going to tell people that you matched with someone on his.

[James Mastroianni]

How would they know if they're. How would somebody else know if they're a scammer?

[Lacy]

I think because what they're saying is. Is like, maybe you don't realize this shit is weird, but if you say it out loud to somebody else, that's true. Be like, oh, yeah, I'm talking to this new man. His name is John. Do he in the military? He said he needed $6,000 for his medical bills. I said, let's FaceTime before I send the money. He said, I ain't got no FaceTime out here in Baghdad. And I was like, are we still in Baghdad? He was like, yes, we are. We definitely are, for sure.

[James Mastroianni]

That's really funny. That makes sense. Yeah.

[Lacy]

He said, they're trying to get garbage out to tear down that wall. And I was like, okay,

[James Mastroianni]

I'm here in Hanoi, Vietnam, and I've been stationed here for 40 years. Yeah.

[Lacy]

Yeah. They never brought all of us back.

[James Mastroianni]

They never brought us back.

[Lacy]

They didn't tell you, but we're still fighting in the Vietnam War. So. Y' all remember Normandy? Yeah, he's still at Normandy. So I wired him $6,000.

[James Mastroianni]

Oh, my God.

[Lacy]

Yeah, so maybe your friend will be like, hey, girl, that war's been over for a long time.

[James Mastroianni]

Let's open up the history book, shall we?

[Lacy]

And then the last one is, if you suspect a romance scam, cut off contact right away. Then report the scam to FTC, which is ftc.gov complaint, and notify the dating site where you met the scammer, too. So, guys, if this has happened to you, you don't have to tell us, but also, you should tell us email scam Goddess Pod, because we'd love to hear about it, but, yeah, it's crazy. So the website went further. They made an instructional safety video for people who are online dating. And it's right behind you, James.

[James Mastroianni]

Oh, I love this

[Producer]

looking for love in all the right places, like popular dating sites, mobile apps, and social networking sites. Ron seems like a perfect match for you. He's thoughtful and says he can't live without you.

[Lacy]

Ron looks like a serial killer.

[Producer]

He says he's from the US but works out of the country. He says he wants to visit, but says he can't afford it. He asks you to send him money. Last month it was medical bills for his sick aunt. Ron looks evil as fuck trying to fix his car.

[James Mastroianni]

Next month, that ant didn't look sick at all.

[Producer]

Ron wants your money. Don't send it. The person pretending to be Ron is a scammer. He'll tell you anything to get you to wire cash right away. He'll never run out of excuses. If an online love interest asks you for money, walk away, no matter how compelling the story. Report [e-mail] impostors.

[James Mastroianni]

It's so funny. And maybe that says a lot about my own personal relationship to my family. But, like, a sick aunt is not going to get me to give you money. Like, why an aunt?

[Lacy]

Too far away.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah. It's like thinking about all my aunt, like, all my aunts. Like, I can't. I mean, you know, I don't want them to be sick. But also, like, so you wouldn't even

[Lacy]

help your own sick aunt, is what you're saying? Like, they could be like your sister's

[James Mastroianni]

like, I mean, I don't have the money, first of all, to help a sick. And second of all, I haven't talked to ants in years.

[Lacy]

They'd be, yeah, so because of your own close or not close personal relationship with aunts, you will be giving no money for.

[James Mastroianni]

If somebody was like, I have a sick aunt, I'd be like, yeah, maybe a sick mom. Like, why? Why'd you choose an aunt? Why not?

[Lacy]

Because I think aunts, like you said, aren't people that you have to materialize. If it's the mom, it's like, you should know where your mom is. But if it's your sick aunt, you can be like, oh, she's like, in Albuquerque. I don't have any pictures.

[James Mastroianni]

No, it's just far enough removed to. I see what you're saying.

[Lacy]

That was the college excuse. I remember, like, in college, if I couldn't get a paper done in time, you kill off a. You know, kill off an aunt, you'd be like, I'm so sorry, professor, but my aunt died. And so I can't turn in this paper.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah. And see if I were Your professor. I'd be like, lacy, I think I've talked to my aunts once in the last 10 years. So you still gotta do the paper. An aunt's not good enough.

[Lacy]

Oh, listen, I've been killing off the same aunt for so many years. And when your mama do the funeral program, easy Photoshop on that sunset date, you know, it'd be like sunrise they birthday and then sunset whenever I need it to.

[James Mastroianni]

That's so funny.

[Lacy]

But also what struck me about this video is that one, it's a woman who they're warning about these scams. And I'm like, so are they not including men in romance scams? Because is that just, like, culturally normative for women to, like, scam men out of money, pretending that they love them?

[James Mastroianni]

Oh, interesting.

[Lacy]

Cause, like, it's about a woman, and I'm thinking about it and I'm like, I know so many women, women who are out here just getting shoes and bags and boob jobs and Range Rovers from dudes, and no one calls that a scam.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah, that's interesting.

[Lacy]

You know, maybe it's because the woman's not getting anything in return because everybody knows that dick is trash, right?

[James Mastroianni]

Dick is trash. I do think. You know, I wonder if it's, you know, maybe it's not the word scam in that situation, but it's more the idea of, like, some people enter into a more transactional relationship as opposed to a relationship of, like, mutuality, right?

[Lacy]

Yeah, you're right.

[James Mastroianni]

Some like rich old dudes or just be like, hey, like you said, love can be a scam where it's this thing of, like, you know, this a transactional relationship. I'll pay for your apartment or whatever.

[Lacy]

Like, yeah, you're right. And I think for the most part, the women are actually, like, materializing, like, they're showing up. They're not just, like, using, I guess, a fake photo, right? Like, okay, that makes sense because I

[James Mastroianni]

was actually gonna say, I think I almost was the victim of this.

[Lacy]

Really.

[James Mastroianni]

Of a. Of a romance scam, maybe. Like, so I very briefly used Tinder a few years ago, and this instance is what got me off of Tinder. I haven't used it since I had a woman, like, match with me on Tinder. And we started talking from the beginning. I was skeptical because, like, she was just way too enthusiastic. And like, you know, I'm 35. I. I pretty. I know my place in the world. I know I'm not. I know I'm not attractive enough to have a woman over the Internet. Be that enthusiastic. Like. Like, I'm almost 6 foot. Maybe if I was 6, 3, maybe that would be a thing where. But it's not. I'm not tall enough. I'm not handsome enough. I'm bald. I know. I know my place.

[Lacy]

And James, she's not gonna agree with any of this.

[James Mastroianni]

And she was being really enthusiastic. And she was like, what did she

[Lacy]

do that was like, showing you, like, over enthusiasm?

[James Mastroianni]

She wanted to meet that night. She wanted to come see my place. She wanted to. And I was like, you know, I don't know if I feel comfortable. Like, I was like, maybe we can meet at a bar for a drink or something like that. And I was like, I'm not really big into, like, having somebody come straight over to my place. Anything like that. And then I changed the subject and I was like, so what do you do for a living? And her response was, that's what I want to talk to you about. And I was like, what? We don't. Huh? What do you mean? We don't know each other. What do you want to talk to me about? And then she was just like. Started talking about her living situation and started talking about her. She. She was like a preschool teacher and, you know, she just gotten laid off and like. And I was like, where the is this heading? And I kind of got freaked out and I just deleted the app right there because I didn't ask any more questions. I was like, I don't know what kind. Like, is it possible to your house immediately and talk to me about her work situation.

[Lacy]

Maybe she was homeless and she was like, this is how. Like, I'll just get on Tinder and I'll find somebody, and then I'll go to their house that night, and then I'll sleep at their house and I'll live there.

[James Mastroianni]

Oh. Which is a different. Oh, different kind of scam, I guess. I don't know.

[Lacy]

It has to work because I'm sure there's some people on Tinder who are just like, oh, I just really need the company.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah.

[Lacy]

Was she cute?

[James Mastroianni]

I mean, if that was her. You know what I mean?

[Lacy]

Like, I don't know about that in the beginning.

[James Mastroianni]

Well, I don't know if it was her. I don't know. Like, she was cute, but I don't know if, like, I'm assuming that that was not her. I didn't do the Google image image

[Lacy]

search like, FTC told you.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah.

[Lacy]

Got to do that Google search.

[James Mastroianni]

I know now. I wish I knew then.

[Lacy]

Well, James, that's so. That's that's our hot and fraud right now. Guys, if you're on dating apps, any dating apps, they'd put Christian mingle on here as a warning, like, all the dating apps.

[James Mastroianni]

Oh, man.

[Lacy]

Just beware, like, if people are trying to get money from you and you've never met them. Yeah, Not a good look. Also, if anything is happening with anybody's aunt, never believe them.

[James Mastroianni]

Don't believe them. Yeah.

[Lacy]

Nobody's aunt has ever had anything bad happen to them ever.

[James Mastroianni]

And unless your aunt raised you, then just not good enough. Not good enough.

[Lacy]

Too far away. Familia from the tree says James. Robbery and fraud. All right, guys, we are gonna get into the biggest segment, the craziest segment of this show. Historic Hoodwinks. All right, so I kind of picked this one with you in mind because James runs a very dope podcast. And also it's a live show called I'm Too Effing High, which destigmatize weed. And it also is a very fun show where comedians get high and do comedic challenges. I've done it. It's super fun. It's also very fun to listen to while high.

[James Mastroianni]

That's great. Gotta have you back on for a live show.

[Lacy]

Yes. Oh, my gosh. Even though when I'm at a high live show, it's just me, like, holding onto the chair for dear life.

[James Mastroianni]

You're so funny. You're so funny. You kill it every time.

[Lacy]

Just putting the mic in my bosom and being like, are you talking to me? I need to talk now. All right, guys, but so there's a new scam out right now, which is Instagram weed fraud. So people are doing fraudulent Instagram drug deals. Okay, so basically how this works is the one that we're gonna talk about in, like, more detail is this guy named Nyajio Bielam. He's a writer and a comedian and a resident connoisseur on the Netflix show Cooking on High. He's been a recent victim of a fraudulent Instagram drug deal. Sc basically, a friend sent this guy a screenshot of an Instagram program. So basically his whole. This could happen to you, James. Yeah, because this guy's whole business is kind of, like, surrounded around weed or being a connoisseur or being like, you know, one of the first movers in entertainment in weed, and someone made a fake Instagram profile of him. And so one of his friends screenshot it, but it had been up for a minute because the account had 12 images on it that were stolen from Bomb's real Account. And the bio offered pot for sale with shipping available to. To any location.

[James Mastroianni]

Wait, can you say that again? Pot.

[Lacy]

Pot for sale with shipping available to any location. So it's like you go on his Instagram, you see photos of the guy, and it says, we selling weed. We'll send it anywhere in the country. Yeah, it says any location. So I guess that means, like, Papua New Guinea. You can get your weed wherever.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah.

[Lacy]

So Balm obviously had a friend who noticed this, and so he notifies Instagram, and he posts screenshot on his own profile and says, like, please don't follow this gu. And please report this guy. Et cetera, et cetera. But this was happening for at least six months because the imposter had multiple direct messages from people who had wired him money for weed that they'd never received.

[James Mastroianni]

No way.

[Lacy]

So he had been running this. Which is weird. Cause it's like, if, you know, this guy's on tv, why do you think that he had. Okay, he had 2,600 followers though, right. But why do you think that this guy wouldn't have more followers than that?

[James Mastroianni]

Way more followers. And then also. Yeah, like, why would he. Well, I guess I could see him getting in the business of, I guess, distributing, but that just.

[Lacy]

Yeah, and there's. So there's one.

[James Mastroianni]

God, I could see myself falling for this. This is terrifying.

[Lacy]

This is terrifying.

[James Mastroianni]

The show is terrifying.

[Lacy]

So there was one scam, Victor in particular, who contacted this guy after sending an imposter over $3,000 for two pounds of weed that never arrived. And this guy was getting an average of three to five messages a week. So he was doing this.

[James Mastroianni]

Okay, so first of all, two grand for two pounds of weed? Is that what you said?

[Lacy]

Yeah, three grand.

[James Mastroianni]

Three grand for two pounds of weed is like, an amazing deal. That already is. Like.

[Lacy]

Yeah, Yeah.

[James Mastroianni]

I mean, most of the time, a pound of weed is like three to four grand.

[Lacy]

You hear that, guys?

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah.

[Lacy]

Just so you know how much a pound of weed costs.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah.

[Lacy]

Cause I don't.

[James Mastroianni]

That's crazy.

[Lacy]

Yeah. So I guess people are probably. That's why they're like, oh, I'll pay for this deal. Of course it's too good to be true.

[James Mastroianni]

If somebody was like, two pounds of weed for three grand, I'd. Yeah, that is an amazing deal. Yeah. Especially if it's good shit.

[Lacy]

Right? That's like how anytime you click on a news article. Cause the online news is fucking struggling. There's always, like, ads for shit on the side. It's like Louis Vuitton bag $30. That's what almost gets me. I'm like, $30. I need that Louis Vuitton bag. That shit is not real. Yeah, but, yeah, so he pays this much for it and never gets any money. Also, I think wire transfers are just a weird method for paying for shit. I've never had to pay for anything with a wire transfer. I've only received a wire transfer once in my life, and it was from my parents when I was in London. So I'm like, I don't think they're real.

[James Mastroianni]

Do you do it at a bank? I've never done it.

[Lacy]

No. You do it at like, Western Union. Shadiest money place ever.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah. It almost seems like. And this is me being ignorant. Cause I don't know, is Western Union also a payday loan type of place or. It is.

[Lacy]

It's just like where you can go do, isn't it? Am I wrong? I feel like it's just a shady scam organization. The cops should just loiter around Western Union and just randomly like, pick people up.

[James Mastroianni]

Right.

[Lacy]

But so Instagram got contacted about this story. And an Instagram spokesperson noted. And an Instagram spokesperson noted, claiming to be another person violates the platform of community guidelines. And Instagram says, we care deeply about the quality content on Instagram and we take spam and inauthentic and other abusive behavior very seriously. Being verified is a great new way to know if the person is legitimately that person. But not everybody can be verified, which is true.

[James Mastroianni]

Right?

[Lacy]

Like, you have to have, like, fill a certain amount of qualifications to be verified. And this Guy was on TV and had 57,000 followers and wasn't verified. So people were taking advantage of that.

[James Mastroianni]

Crazy. Why Wasn't he verified? 57,000 followers?

[Lacy]

Because it doesn't have anything to do with how many followers you have. You have to like, I guess apply or have a PR agency apply for you or have enough credits and things online that Instagram starts to get curious about if you are really the person.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah, gotcha.

[Lacy]

So there's one person on Reddit because there's a whole subreddit about this guy who tells his story of buying weed through Instagram. So some of you out there might be familiar with popular social networking app called Instagram. In the past few months, there have been accounts popping up on Instagram that claim that they will ship weed to you out of places like Washington, California, etc. These profiles may look very convincing with pictures of large amounts of weed uploaded or orders getting shipped out. How it works is this person Will leave their phone number or KIK messenger id. If you got to get on Kik for anything you already need to know, like, it's not on the up and up on the profile, and you can contact them and ask them to place an order. Prices are usually advertised as fairly low and reasonable. Like you said, that was really cheap for those two pounds of weed. Now, there may be some profiles out there that are actually genuine and will ship you the product. I've had weed shipped to me before. No issues. So I know it's done every day, but most are just plain scammers looking to get your money and leave you with nothing. Here's how my experience went. I kicked a dealer asking for one of his best indicas. He said the price was 180 an ounce and that I only owed him half up front to ship it. He claimed that after the payment was shipped, I would get a tracking number and his phone number to keep contact and track my package. The next morning, I. Western Union, tim. Western Union. $90. And two hours later saw that Western Union tracking had picked up the payment. I texted him asking him for a tracking number. No response. I waited two hours, texted again, nothing. After that, I started calling him. Then an hour later, I realized he had blocked me from his Instagram page, blocked me on kick, and somehow blocked my number from contacting his phone. That's, like, the easiest one to do. Now, I know what you're all thinking. Wow, you're such an idiot to give this guy your money and expect him to send you weed. Yes, that was a naive mistake on my part, but I've had success in transactions in the past. But, guys, please don't do that. This. You will get screwed over and you will feel like an idiot.

[James Mastroianni]

Oh, man. Yeah, absolutely. And that's a good deal, too. 180 for an ounce.

[Lacy]

That's it?

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah, that's a really good deal.

[Lacy]

Isn't that like. I feel like that's small potatoes, though, to be like, here, send me half of this amount. So you're just getting $90 from everybody you scam. Is that enough? I guess it depends on how many people you scam in a day.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah. I mean, if you can. If you scam 10 people, 10 people

[Lacy]

a week, that's 900 a week.

[James Mastroianni]

That's 900 bucks a week. Yeah, that's. Yeah, maybe that's pretty good. And I wonder, too, if the strategy is, like, if I scam 90 bucks out of people, they're gonna be looking for me with less urgency.

[Lacy]

Right.

[James Mastroianni]

Than if I scam like 3,000. 3,000. Yeah, yeah.

[Lacy]

Oh, yeah, that's right.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah.

[Lacy]

And then that just becomes your job, I'm sure. Just every day, like, I set up a new Instagram profile. Gotta create more Hotmail email addresses.

[James Mastroianni]

You're a blue collar scammer. Blue collar.

[Lacy]

I'm a middle class scammer.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah. I'm a middle class scammer. Yeah.

[Lacy]

They probably survive the longest because I feel like when you start getting into bigger deals, that's when people start getting their ey. And when you scam rich people, they be mad.

[James Mastroianni]

Oh, yeah.

[Lacy]

No one's more mad about getting scammed than someone who has a lot of money for some reason, which makes zero sense to me.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah, they have so much, so many more resources to lose, and they're still more mad.

[Lacy]

And they also have more time. I feel like if I'm a rich person, I have more time to hire someone to look for you and get angry with you.

[James Mastroianni]

That's true.

[Lacy]

Hey, I'm into it.

[James Mastroianni]

That's crazy.

[Lacy]

Isn't that insane? Yeah, but I mean, I don't know. I think buying anything online, although I do have a friend who buys like acid on the Dark web and they've never had a problem.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah, I've bought drugs on the dark Web as well.

[Lacy]

How do you get to the Dark web is like www.darkweb. i've never known how you actually get to the Dark Web. And I wanna go.

[James Mastroianni]

I should say, I don't know if this is the Dark web or not. Not where I go is this illegal website where I can purchase different types of drugs and I use bitcoin to get it. And so I go to a bitcoin ATM machine, which is down the street for me, and I get some Bitcoin and then I. I buy, you know, the drugs. And the one time I thought I was getting scammed and I kept emailing them and being like, hey, where. Where is the product? Where's my stuff?

[Lacy]

Where's the product?

[James Mastroianni]

Where's the product?

[Lacy]

Yeah, you don't want to get caught up. Where's the product? Where are the things that I had

[James Mastroianni]

been watching the movie Blow all weekend and Johnny Depp and no, I. And. And they never got back to me. And I was like, fuck, I got scammed. And then one day in the mail, they were there and I was like, oh, okay. I guess they just have terrible customer service. But it worked.

[Lacy]

Look, we don't pride ourselves in customer service here, okay? Yeah, you'll get your things when you get Your thing?

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah. Just relax. We're not going to respond.

[Lacy]

Yeah, that's very, like. That's interesting to me because, like, I remember when I was in Brooklyn and. Is weed legal in New York yet? No. Right. So when I was in Brooklyn years ago, it was probably extra, even more illegal, but I had a weed delivery, like a courier service that would, like, come to my house, and there's always, like, some guys or a girl on a bike.

[James Mastroianni]

On a bike. I've heard of this.

[Lacy]

Yeah. And like, one time, it was, like, during Pride, I think, and it was, like, so busy, and so I, like, ordered, and they, like, couldn't get to me. And I was like, what is this? I've been ordering from you guys for years.

[James Mastroianni]

Yep.

[Lacy]

And they're like, you know what, ma', am, we're so sorry. We're gonna give you 30% off of your next purchase. And I was like, this legal drug company that is running themselves.

[James Mastroianni]

Like, a good customer service.

[Lacy]

Yeah, excellent customer service. I didn't have to email the dark web a bunch of times. Like, hey, it's me again. You know who.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah.

[Lacy]

Wait, what's your alias on there? Because I know you don't go by James.

[James Mastroianni]

No, I don't. I think.

[Lacy]

Do you have to have an alias or is it just like, you. You just don't communicate with any.

[James Mastroianni]

Everything is through, like, it's all through Bitcoin. Like, it's. You don't use a name. Like, it's just my address. There's no, like, name.

[Lacy]

Is bitcoin even, like, becoming, like, a successful form of currency, or is it just a good currency to do, like, sketchy stuff with?

[James Mastroianni]

I think it's that. I think it's like people are hoping that it becomes a thing, but I. I just don't think it will. I think it's, like, right now, I think it's just a way to get anonymously because it's untraceable. That's the. That's the thing about it, is, like, you can't trace it. So I don't know. Yeah, I know some people got rich real fast from it when it. When it.

[Lacy]

Right. Yeah. They bought it and then it, like, exploded, and now it's normal again.

[James Mastroianni]

But that feels like a scam, maybe.

[Lacy]

Oh, hell yeah.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah.

[Lacy]

Online e currency is definitely a scam. Like, where did it come from?

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah.

[Lacy]

And we just all gave you money for it, and then you told us how much it was worth.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah.

[Lacy]

What?

[James Mastroianni]

Even. Even capitalism in general feels like it's just constantly walking the line. Of scam, right?

[Lacy]

Oh, yeah, absolutely.

[James Mastroianni]

Everybody's just toeing that line of, like, how close can I get to people over.

[Lacy]

I mean, that's why we had to have, like, antitrust laws and things like that, because otherwise, like, people. I mean, we're still. Amazon's gonna own all of us pretty soon, and it's fine. I willingly give Facebook all of my information now. I'm like, you have it anyway.

[James Mastroianni]

Here.

[Lacy]

What, you want my retina cut? Hold on. Let me open my eye up.

[Producer]

Shit.

[James Mastroianni]

Let me open my eye up.

[Lacy]

You need me to take my contact out? Fuck. All right. Damn it. Mark Zuckerberg. I just want to send. I just want to post about my comedy show tonight.

[James Mastroianni]

I know.

[Lacy]

Oh, my God. I'll give them whatever they Booty hole.

[James Mastroianni]

Retina a booty hole.

[Lacy]

Who do I have use for? I have no use for it.

[James Mastroianni]

Let me open my booty hole up.

[Lacy]

Oh, gosh. I need these likes.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah.

[Lacy]

This week, our scammer week goes out to a mystery person. We actually do not know who this person is, but there is a weed grower at the capitol building of Vermont.

[James Mastroianni]

Love it.

[Lacy]

Who has planted 34 cannabis plants in counting that have been found growing in the flower beds of the Vermont capital.

[James Mastroianni]

Oh, I love it.

[Lacy]

Yes. And we actually. Oh, my God, so much media. We have another video. We'll describe it to you guys. So this is a weed plant.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah. And it's like, it really is hidden in a garden,

[Lacy]

and they look like they're growing very well.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah. Weed is hard to grow.

[Lacy]

Right. Doesn't it need, like, a lot of water? Water.

[James Mastroianni]

A ton of sunlight, a ton of care? Yeah.

[Lacy]

And these are, like, on the main street in front of the Capitol. So the plants are too immature to test them to see if they're, like, THC plants.

[James Mastroianni]

Right.

[Lacy]

And they also have confirmed that the plants are not in the state's horticultural plant.

[James Mastroianni]

They asked just some random police officer

[Lacy]

who had no information.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah.

[Lacy]

He was like, I don't think they meant to plant these. So there's all these weed plant.

[James Mastroianni]

Honestly, I love that. That's like. That That's a great scam. That hurts nobody.

[Lacy]

Right?

[James Mastroianni]

Like, it's like, let's go plant. And. And, you know, if you're for legalization, I guess it's. It's kind of like a message. But I like that. That's great.

[Lacy]

Oh, right. Because it's in the cat. It's at the capitol building.

[James Mastroianni]

Totally.

[Lacy]

Like, being like, hey, guys, guys, we're already. There's so much weed out here. Just let us grow it.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah.

[Lacy]

And also, like, it's kind of like, it won't bother you. Look at how much weed we have growing right next to you, and it's never bothering you.

[James Mastroianni]

And you have no idea it's even there.

[Lacy]

Yeah, that's a good point. Maybe it is, like, an artistic statement, too. But how is the plant growing so well?

[James Mastroianni]

I don't know. That's a really good question, because they

[Lacy]

need a lot of water, right?

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah, they need a ton. Like. Well, I guess it depends on if they're trying to grow it to some sort of, like, to actually have the flower be good, that's when you have to put in a lot of work. But it is a weed, so it'll just grow. But if you want, like, good bud with, like, you know, good THC and high quality, you got to put in so much work.

[Lacy]

Okay.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah.

[Lacy]

So maybe it's someone who's, like, planted it and then they're like, we'll just use the capital's water. I'm sure they water those. Those plants looked so healthy.

[James Mastroianni]

They looked great.

[Lacy]

They looked refreshed. So I'm sure that they're watering them so, so much.

[James Mastroianni]

It's. They're like the. The green, I guess. The plant version of Banksy, it feels like.

[Lacy]

Wait, explain that to me.

[James Mastroianni]

So Banksy is, you know, the anonymous person that. That goes around graffiti, all these different sort of, like, social justice.

[Lacy]

Which ones? Like that. That Obey guy.

[James Mastroianni]

No, Banks.

[Lacy]

I should know who Banksy is.

[James Mastroianni]

You should totally know.

[Lacy]

Such uncultured swine right now. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[James Mastroianni]

Banks. I mean, he has. Yeah, he. He has. Very, very. He's British, but he's anonymous. Nobody knows who he is.

[Lacy]

So no one's caught Banksy paint and shit? No, I find that hard to believe.

[James Mastroianni]

Some people think that Banksy is more than one. More than one people. More than one person.

[Lacy]

Banksy is a group. It's an artist band.

[James Mastroianni]

But he also famously. Oh, he had a great scam.

[Lacy]

What?

[James Mastroianni]

Where he tried to. Somebody tried to sell a Banksy original at a. At an auction. And when it sold and they tried to bring it off the wall, it ripped in shreds. And, like, that was the whole purpose of it. But the funny thing is it actually upped the value of it. Yeah, it was like an original Banksy,

[Lacy]

so it was really an original.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah. Oh, here we go. Yeah, watch this. It's pretty interesting. And it got.

[Narrator]

Art connoisseurs could only watch in horror as an expensive piece was shredded before their eyes. No Sooner did the gavel come down to mark the sale of Banksy's Girl with Balloon for a record $1.4 million. Did the picture start to slip out of its frame into shreds? Below, the anonymous artist claims to be behind the scene stunt. On Instagram, he posted a photo of his prank with the caption going, going, gone. In a later post, he explained how he did it.

[Lacy]

A few years ago, I secretly built a shredder into a painting.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah, bruh. Yeah. Pretty.

[Lacy]

That is rude. As.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah.

[Lacy]

If I pay a million dollars for something, Banksy, you getting your ass beat. That's when the scene became a brawl. Like, this story would have went completely differently. Like, no, you need to go paint it again.

[James Mastroianni]

I would love it if it was Lacy that unveiled Banksy. Because of this, like, nobody knows who Banksy is. Lacy gets fucked over. You can't scam the scam goddess. No, she will unveil you.

[Lacy]

I would ruin his whole mystique. I would spend the rest of my days trying to figure out who the fuck he was, where he lived, so I could air his ass out on Instagram Live.

[James Mastroianni]

Yep, that's really funny, ladies.

[Lacy]

Is going live with Banksy right now. That's crazy. And of course, some art buyer was like, oh, this is even better. Because now it's a spectacle.

[James Mastroianni]

Of course. Yeah, I'm sure it raised the value.

[Lacy]

Yeah. But also, if you're an art collector, that's already a flex of like, I'm about to spend a ridiculous amount of money on. Yes, yes, art has value. I make art. It has so much value. I want to be paid a million dollars to come perform somewhere, please. But we all know it's a flex to be like, I'm spending a million dollars on a piece of paper. Paper.

[James Mastroianni]

Oh, absolutely. Such a flex.

[Lacy]

So I think it is probably even more of a flex if you're non phased by it ripping apart.

[James Mastroianni]

I guarantee you whoever bought that is like, that's such a conversation piece. Everybody that comes over, they're like, oh, this is the Banksy I purchased. He shredded it.

[Lacy]

Yeah. Did you see the millions of views on YouTube?

[James Mastroianni]

Absolutely.

[Lacy]

The one very angry black woman who beat him up. Y also. Did Sotheby's know this was gonna happen?

[James Mastroianni]

Oh, that's a good question.

[Lacy]

Were they in on the scam?

[James Mastroianni]

I don't think so. If I remember correctly. I don't think so.

[Lacy]

I would have loved if Sotheby's was in on the scam because Sotheby's feels like a scam organization. Like they have to be involved in, like, so much crime.

[James Mastroianni]

I'm sure.

[Lacy]

But like, the sexiest kind of like, white collar crime that you want to

[James Mastroianni]

make movies about money laundering and like, all that.

[Lacy]

Yeah, it's money. Dry cleaning. You know what I mean? That's a different level.

[James Mastroianni]

Yep.

[Lacy]

Yeah, we're not actually touching the money with our hand.

[James Mastroianni]

No, we don't touch money.

[Lacy]

I haven't touched money in 15 years.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah, you're right. Like, money to them is just electronic. Right. It's just that they have enough of it. It just exists.

[Lacy]

Right.

[Narrator]

Oh, man.

[Lacy]

I don't know. But art is also a beautiful game of fraud, so I'll take it, I'll take it. But yeah, this guy is planting these weed plants. Shout out to this mysterious weed grower because I will probably never know who you are. I mean, I would first probably look at the gardeners, but then again, like, if I, I was someone who was gardening the Vermont white, I wouldn't waste my seed weed on that.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah, yeah. I, I, it's probably a protester or somebody that's trying to send a message. I feel like.

[Lacy]

Yeah, yeah, I think you're right about that, like, being artistic.

[James Mastroianni]

I mean, I wish that I had a garden that they could toss some weed seeds and be. I'd be very appreciative.

[Lacy]

I don't. Where do you get weed seeds?

[James Mastroianni]

You can get them online. You can get them online. You can, you know, some dispensaries sell seeds. Some dispensaries, Clones as well, which is like sort of a, A little baby plant that they've cloned off of another plant. So you're already starting with something and you sort of, like, transfer it over.

[Lacy]

Yeah.

[James Mastroianni]

I tried to grow a clone one time.

[Lacy]

Really?

[James Mastroianni]

It didn't go well.

[Lacy]

It didn't go well. I don't think I could do it either. Like, I killed a succubus, so. And that's really hard to do.

[James Mastroianni]

You killed a succubus or a succulent? You killed a succulent?

[Lacy]

Succubus.

[James Mastroianni]

A succubus is like an old timey word for, like, a woman who is promiscuous and, like, seduces men is like a succubus.

[Lacy]

Oh, wow. Yeah. No, no, no. I kill the succulent.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah. Lacy killed a succubus.

[Lacy]

I am a succubus. Oh, my gosh. Well, James, this is so amazing to have you, man.

[James Mastroianni]

This show is great. I love. Thank you for having me. This is. I, like, honestly, just being on this show and hearing about all of these things. I'm like, holy shit, scams are fucking everywhere.

[Lacy]

Yeah. No, scamming is a job. It's a profession. It's one of the oldest professions and it needs more respect.

[James Mastroianni]

It needs. Yeah, it really does. Because now I'm thinking of like, oh, wait, is government a scam?

[Lacy]

Oh, yeah. Government is one of the biggest scams.

[James Mastroianni]

Of course.

[Lacy]

I mean, think about taxes. They literally are like, hey, we know you made money. Give us some, and you better give us the right amount, otherwise we're going to put you in jail. But also, we're not going to tell you. Tell you how much you need to give us.

[James Mastroianni]

And we're not going to tell you what we're going to use it on. We'll pretend like we're going to use it on this.

[Lacy]

We're actually never going to tell you exactly where your tax dollars are going. Yeah, like, so no worries. But. But hand them over.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah, that's true.

[Lacy]

It's crazy because. And then they start taking a lot of money from you. Like, but then I think that they should take more money from the people who have an insane amount of money. We all think this, but I will say that, like, as a black person, I was always wondering, like, well, if the police are gonna keep killing us, could we stay, stop our money, stop going like. Or can I get a refund for the police specifically? It's like, here's your money from just the police taxes because we know that they are harming you.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah, that's completely fair.

[Lacy]

They're protecting and serving everyone else but you. So here's your money back.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah, I also feel like, you know, we sell. We we spend all this tax money for them to create, like, all of these big weapons of war to sell to other countries, and we don't get any of that money back. You just sold all these airplanes and tank and shit. I don't get any of that.

[Lacy]

Where is my cut of that AR15?

[James Mastroianni]

I. I invested to have those war machines made. Where's my investment?

[Lacy]

Yeah, we don't get any return on that.

[James Mastroianni]

You sold that shit to, you know, Saudi Arabia and I don't get any of it.

[Lacy]

I don't get anything. I'm getting oil. I don't get a discount on gas. Gas is very expensive.

[James Mastroianni]

Very expensive.

[Lacy]

I guess sometimes they do discount us on gas. Like, the price went down. Here you go.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah, OPEC will throw us a little. Yeah, a little something to keep us quiet for a month.

[Lacy]

That's like, that's how our gas prices get lower. It's opec. Keep us. Keeping us quiet. Oh, my goodness. Well, James, where can people find you?

[James Mastroianni]

Oh, man, people can find me. So please check out I'm Too Effing High. It's, you know, on Instagram and. And Twitter at I'm Too f ing High. We do a live show at the Upright Citizens Brigade every month. And, you know, we're a podcast that as well. And check out Florida Girls on Pop TV. And you can. I'm on all platforms. JMAZ 1111.

[Lacy]

Yes. And, guys, as always, you can find [e-mail] tell us about how you've been scammed or if you tried to run a scam like James did.

[James Mastroianni]

Oops.

[Lacy]

And also, guys, I'm on every platform at Divalacy. D I V A L A C I. And yes, please watch Florida Girls on Pop tv. James was on Florida Girls. I'm on Florida Girls. It's a very fun show.

[James Mastroianni]

Yeah, it's great.

[Lacy]

Yes. All right, guys, we'll see you next week.