Catch Me If You Ken I 4. Hacking the Hacker

Summary

Summary of "The Binge Cases: Catch Me If You Ken I 4. Hacking the Hacker"

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Introduction

In episode four of "Catch Me If You Ken," titled "Hacking the Hacker," host Sony Music Entertainment delves deeper into the intricate web spun by the elusive scammer Ken. This installment chronicles Sophie's relentless pursuit to reclaim her stolen funds and unravel the mystery surrounding Ken's true identity.

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Sophie’s Initial Struggle and Ken’s Release

Sophie, residing in Germany with her parents, reveals that her boyfriend Ken has been arrested on suspicion of a love scam—a term used for fraudsters targeting their romantic partners. Sophie confides,

“He's been given, according to Sophie, on suspicion of a love scam.”
[01:14] Ken

Ken allegedly deceived Sophie and others by presenting himself as a billionaire’s son, a crypto mogul, and a tech genius, promising substantial financial gains. Despite accumulating over $100,000 from Sophie through cryptocurrency, the anonymity of these transactions presented significant challenges for law enforcement. Sophie explains,

“With crypto, it's anonymous. It's not like a bank transfer... it's just like a long string of numbers and letters.”
[01:44] Legal Counsel

The police required Coinbase's cooperation to trace the transactions but faced legal constraints. As a result, Ken was released after 48 hours due to insufficient evidence.

“We reviewed what looks like a copy of the police report for Kenrik Wen Long Chu, which stated that, quote, Ken was strongly suspected of having acted in breach of a criminal offense.”
[01:31] Sophie

This release left Sophie feeling devastated, as her efforts to apprehend Ken had faltered.

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Sophie’s Determination and Ken’s Reappearance

Refusing to give up, Sophie channels her anger into determination. She narrates,

“I'm still more angry than scared. I figure Ken's going to disappear with my money and leave me alone.”
[04:33] Sophie

Contrary to her expectations, Ken resurfaces by convincing a hotel in Zurich, Switzerland, to let him use their computer. From there, he reaches out to Sophie, expressing remorse and promising repayment.

“So sorry, this is a misunderstanding. Of course I can pay you back. Please let me explain.”
[05:03] Ken

Seeing an opportunity, Sophie leverages her possession of Ken’s belongings, including his French bulldog, Luigi, to negotiate.

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Interrogation and Partial Recovery

During an intense confrontation at her parents' home, Sophie's mother confronts Ken physically and verbally, leading to a tense interrogation. Ken admits to certain fabrications about his background but maintains claims of possessing assets in Switzerland and Thailand to repay Sophie.

“If he really is a scammer and if he has scammed so many people, I was thinking he must have this money that he scammed somewhere, right?”
[07:22] Legal Counsel

Believing there's still hope, Sophie re-engages with Ken, resulting in a temporary agreement where Ken repays a portion of the owed money. However, this fragile arrangement eventually collapses when Ken absconds with Luigi, deepening Sophie’s emotional turmoil.

“I have to come out of this on top, be made whole emotionally and financially.”
[09:37] Ken

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Expanding the Investigation: Other Victims Emerge

Sophie’s investigation uncovers that Ken’s deceit extends beyond her. Becca’s family, Rita, and other investors also fell prey to Ken’s schemes, investing substantial amounts under fraudulent pretenses related to "Your Sky Investments" and a purported weed farm.

Becca’s uncle, Steve Sable, a detective, attempts to recover $50,000 invested by his father but faces bureaucratic obstacles, as law enforcement categorizes the issue as a civil matter rather than a criminal one.

“They really didn't want to pursue anything because to them it was a contract, civil matter and not a criminal matter.”
[13:34] Ken

Rita, another victim, shares her frustration over the lack of response from authorities:

“No one cares, you know, no one cares.”
[17:39] Sophie

The aggregation of these cases highlights Ken's sophisticated manipulation across multiple jurisdictions, making it challenging for law enforcement to build a cohesive case against him.

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Tech-Driven Pursuit: Tracking Ken’s Location

Determined to apprehend Ken once and for all, Sophie employs technological tactics to trace his movements. She creates a fake pet food website to lure Ken into clicking a link that reveals his IP address, narrowing his location to near Zurich, Switzerland.

“An IP address is a number that reveals where a device is accessing the Internet from.”
[25:11] Legal Counsel

Upon identifying Ken’s probable location, Sophie collaborates with local police to track him down. This strategic move leads to a confrontation where Sophie's parents, along with a friend, retrieve Luigi from Ken’s possession.

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Final Confrontation and Partial Success

The confrontation results in Ken’s temporary re-arrest, but once again, legal limitations prevent prolonged detention. Sophie manages to recover approximately $50,000 of her original $100,000 through this encounter. However, the emotional toll remains significant.

“This was so emotionally draining for me to just stay in contact with this person.”
[31:24] Sophie

Before severing ties, Sophie urges Ken to repay other victims, leaving the question of Ken’s ultimate fate and the whereabouts of the remaining funds unresolved.

“If Sophie says Ken was able to pay her back $50,000, where did he get the money? Or maybe the better question is, who did he allegedly take that money from?”
[32:05] Sophie

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Conclusion and Ongoing Quest for Justice

"Sophie's" journey underscores the complexities of digital scams, especially those leveraging cryptocurrency's anonymity. Despite recovering a portion of her funds, the episode concludes with lingering questions about Ken's true identity and the full extent of his fraudulent activities, setting the stage for future episodes to explore the depth of his deceit and the impact on his victims.

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Notable Quotes

• Sophie at [01:44]: “With crypto, it's anonymous. It's not like a bank transfer... it's just like a long string of numbers and letters.”

• Legal Counsel at [07:22]: “If he really is a scammer and if he has scammed so many people, I was thinking he must have this money that he scammed somewhere, right?”

• Sophie at [09:37]: “I have to come out of this on top, be made whole emotionally and financially.”

• Legal Counsel at [13:34]: “They really didn't want to pursue anything because to them it was a contract, civil matter and not a criminal matter.”

• Sophie at [17:39]: “No one cares, you know, no one cares.”

• Legal Counsel at [25:11]: “An IP address is a number that reveals where a device is accessing the Internet from.”

• Sophie at [32:05]: “If Sophie says Ken was able to pay her back $50,000, where did he get the money? Or maybe the better question is, who did he allegedly take that money from?”

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Looking Ahead

As "Catch Me If You Ken" continues, listeners can anticipate further unraveling of Ken’s intricate scams, Sophie's unwavering pursuit, and the broader implications of digital fraud in a globally connected world.

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Stay Subscribed: To follow Sophie's quest and uncover more about Ken's manipulative tactics, subscribe to "The Binge Cases" on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com.

Transcript

[Natalie Roberman]

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[Sophie]

Listen to all episodes of.

[Ken]

Catch Me if youf Can Ad Free right now by subscribing to the Binge. Visit the Binge channel on Apple Podcasts and hit subscribe at the top of the page or visit getthebinge.com to get access. Wherever you listen the binge feed your true crime obsession the Binge Campsite Media.

[Sophie]

Sophie is at home in Germany with her parents. She says her boyfriend Ken, the guy she's given more than $100,000 to, is in jail. He's been arrested, according to Sophie, on.

[Ken]

Suspicion of a love scam, the term.

[Sophie]

Used for fraudsters who target their romantic partners. And now she's hoping she'll be able to put this all behind her. But she says the police soon tell her there's a problem because most of the money she was via cryptocurrency.

[Legal Counsel]

With crypto, it's anonymous. It's not like a bank transfer. When you're sending it to a specific name, you just have this address, a.

[Sophie]

Wallet address, it's called.

[Legal Counsel]

It's just like a long string of numbers and letters.

[Sophie]

Now, Sophie says the police tell her this anonymous wallet address poses a serious issue because it makes it difficult to prove that the person Sophie sent money to was really Ken. In order to do so, they need the cooperation of the wallet's platform, a company called Coinbase Coinbase.

[Legal Counsel]

They don't really reveal user information unless it's a criminal case.

[Sophie]

Sophie says the police want to reach out to Coinbase and file a criminal report. The problem is time is running out. The police can only hold Ken for 48 hours before charging him, which means they need that information from Coinbase asap. Sophie freaks out and gets in touch with legal counsel for advice.

[Legal Counsel]

I asked the lawyers what do I need to do to make him stay in jail.

[Sophie]

The lawyers basically tell her that they don't think it's likely that Coinbase US will cooperate unless a bigger organization such as the FBI gets involved, but they're in Germany. They can't get the FBI to care about $100,000 all the way over here. We reviewed what looks like a copy of the police report for Kenrik Wen Long Chu, which stated that, quote, Ken was strongly suspected of having acted in breach of a criminal offense. We emailed and called the German police officer assigned to the case asking for more information, but we did not hear back. So after 48 hours, Sophie says the police release Ken. They just don't have the evidence they need to prove that the anonymous crypto wallet Sophie sent money to belongs to to him. The anonymity of crypto is protecting Ken's alleged scams. And once again, his supposed ability to work across multiple jurisdictions seems like it is making it difficult for law enforcement to pin him down. After Ken's release, Sophie is crushed. She took her one big chance for closure and revenge. She helped set up a sting operation that ended in Ken being thrown to the ground and then thrown into jail. And it all failed.

[Ken]

From Sony Music Entertainment and Campside Media, this is Catch Me if youf Can. I'm Natalie Robomed. This is episode four, Hacking the Hacker.

[Sophie]

Last episode, we heard all about how.

[Ken]

Sophie wound up with Ken and how his emotional manipulations wove her into his web. This episode, Sophie's crusade to bring down Ken continues, and she takes matters into her own hands.

[Sophie]

One thing helps Sophie recover quickly from the failed sting and Ken's release. She says she's still more angry than scared. She figures Ken's going to disappear with her money and leave her alone.

[Legal Counsel]

I initially assumed that after the scam is uncovered that I'm never going to.

[Sophie]

See him again, but that's not what happens. Somehow, she says, Ken talks his way into a hotel and convinces them to let him use their computer.

[Legal Counsel]

So he reaches out to me via email on this hotel computer. It says, so sorry, this is a misunderstanding. Of course I can pay you back. Please let me explain.

[Ken]

Sophie looks at the email, her thoughts racing. She knows Ken's not trustworthy. But on the other hand, she thinks maybe she can still get her money.

[Legal Counsel]

Back if he really is a scammer and if he has scammed so many people, I was thinking he must have this money that he scammed, scammed somewhere, right?

[Ken]

She figures she's in a relative position of power. She's kept a hold of Ken's French bulldog, Luigi, and all of his other possessions.

[Legal Counsel]

I have his dog. I have his luggage. He's essentially in a foreign country where he doesn't Speak the language, and he doesn't have a phone or a laptop or anything. So he's kind of in a vulnerable situation where he's essentially homeless.

[Ken]

Sophie emails him back in the hopes that she can somehow still get her money back. And then.

[Legal Counsel]

He just shows up to our house.

[Sophie]

Ken is at the front door of Sophie's parents house. At this point, Sophie's parents know everything they know. Sophie thinks Ken's taken money from her. And even though they're frustrated she didn't tell them about it earlier, they're supportive of her.

[Legal Counsel]

We are so shocked, first of all, that he's even showing his face because we really thought he would just be gone forever.

[Ken]

They open the door and step onto the porch, ready to confront Ken.

[Legal Counsel]

The first thing my mom does is she goes up to him and slaps him. She was like, how could you do that? She cusses him out in like, our language because she doesn't really speak English well.

[Ken]

Ken just stands there, head bowed, apologizing profusely.

[Legal Counsel]

He's like, yes, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. He keeps pretending to be this weak person.

[Ken]

Sophie's infuriated by Ken's performance. He seems so docile, so repentant, as if he wouldn't hurt a fly. She decides now's her chance to get the truth.

[Legal Counsel]

So then I'm like, okay, we're gonna do an interrogation now. Okay, you're gonna tell me, like, where's the money and I need you to give it back to me.

[Sophie]

Sophie says they sit down and she sticks it to him.

[Legal Counsel]

I asked him, well, what is true? Like, your mom, did she really die?

[Ken]

Remember Ken told Sophie his mom died and that that trauma had really affected him.

[Legal Counsel]

And he was like, yeah, she did. He then shows me a death certificate.

[Sophie]

Sophie says he does admit that he lied to her about some parts of his family story, like the fact that his dad isn't really the founder of Uniqlo.

[Legal Counsel]

He's like, yeah, my father is not this guy, but I do come from a wealthy background.

[Sophie]

Sophie says he assures her that he has a bank account in Switzerland and money in Thailand sitting in Sophie's family home. He insists if he can just get to Switzerland, he can get the money to pay her back.

[Legal Counsel]

So he gives me hope. At this point, I'm actually still hoping, well, maybe he does have money somewhere. So this whole time, I just want to get my money back.

[Ken]

But there's something else too. As Sophie looks across at him, at this man who has lied to her so much she feels a twinge in her chest. Sophie doesn't want to believe it's all a lie, because if she does, then it would mean that all the other feelings she's been feeling were a lie too. All the things he told her, all of the ways she trusted a boyfriend that she was intimate with for many months were completely and utterly fake.

[Legal Counsel]

He kept saying he loved me, right? He kept saying he wanted to marry me, all of these things. So I'm like, well, did he pretend to like me just to get my money? And I kind of felt like, no he didn't. I feel like he did like me.

[Ken]

Sophie's not ready to believe that she misread his feelings for her. She's not ready for her trust in people to be completely dissolved. So when Ken tells her he's going to pay her back, she gives him one more chance.

[Sophie]

As Sophie watches Ken walk out the.

[Ken]

Door, she really wants to trust him. But she also understands the game now. She wants to come out of this on top, be made whole emotionally and financially. She's not the naive 20 year old girl Ken met in New York. Not anymore.

[Narrator]

The Constantinos were a fashion dynasty. Two immigrant brothers who built an empire. They lived side by side in mansions. They had it all. But on New Year's Day, 1985, my brother blooded killed. It all came crashing down in a horrible way. In an exclusive enclave known to Londoners as Millionaires Row, shots rang out.

[Legal Counsel]

Instantly, this story stunk.

[Narrator]

This family dynasty was harboring secrets. Secrets that are about to come to light.

[Sophie]

I have said and I say to.

[Ken]

This day, she knows much more than she's telling.

[Narrator]

This story pulls back the curtain on one of England's most notorious crimes and on the family torn apart in its aftermath. From Sony Music Entertainment and Telltale industries, this is Seven Silver Bullets coming July 1st to the Binge. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ken]

Want more true crime? Subscribe to the binge to get all episodes of Catch Me if youf can ad free today and get instant access to over 50 other jaw dropping true crime stories. Plus, subscribers get a binge drop of a brand new series on the first of every month. Every month. Search for the binge channel on Apple Podcasts or head to getthebinge.com to subscribe today. The binge feed your true crime obsession.

[Sophie]

Let's go back to 2019, two years before Ken met Sophie. Back when Ken was married to Becca, the Kendall Jenner lookalike and had been collecting money from her family for an upscale Airbnb platform. He Claimed to be launching called your Sky Investments. Becca's father, who did not respond to requests for comment, allegedly gave Ken $100,000. And Becca's grandfather invested $50,000 before he died. It was Becca's uncle, Steve Sable and his wife Crystal who tried to get the money back on behalf of Becca's grandfather.

[Becca]

He just kept stringing along saying, oh, you should be getting a delivery in the two days. Well, two days come and fast. Three days, five days, whatever.

[Sophie]

It must be an impossible situation for their niece who just married Ken a year prior.

[Becca]

He's technically almost family right there. And you know, you don't suspect family. You might suspect a stranger trying to scam you, but you wouldn't suspect that your son's daughter's boyfriend would do that.

[Sophie]

But Steve wasn't going to let Ken get away with the money. So he did what any normal person would. He went to the cops. Remember, Steve's a detective working in a local police department. He goes into work and has an informal chat with his colleagues and lays out the situation. It's like one of the office scenes from the Wire. A couple guys sitting around some desks littered with paperwork, leaning back in their chairs and chewing gum. Steve tells the cops about his dad and the $50,000 investment and the contract his dad signed, saying he'd purchased shares in your sky.

[Ken]

All the stuff you heard about in the first episode.

[Sophie]

The guys want to help him, of course they do. He's their colleague, their friend. But there's really not a lane for them to go down.

[Becca]

They really didn't want to pursue anything because to them it was a contract, civil matter and not a criminal matter.

[Ken]

At this point, they tell Steve that because Becca's grandfather signed a contract with Ken, this is a civil matter, not a criminal one. There's nothing the cops can do even for one of their own.

[Sophie]

Steve keeps badgering his brother and sister in law, Becca's father and mother, trying to get his dad's money back. Maybe they can be more neutral about the situation, exert leverage against their son in law that their daughter, Ken's young bride, wouldn't necessarily be expected to. But Steve seems to feel that his brother isn't coming through for him. And then resentment sets in because fairly or not, Steve blames his brother, Becca's dad, for getting his own father involved.

[Becca]

He had to realize that was no longer a legitimate business deal.

[Ken]

Communication has pretty much dried up with grandpa's money nowhere to be seen. And Ken and Becca are gone too. Steve and Crystal want to know where Are they? And then they find a clue on Instagram, because even though the pair have disappeared, Becca is still posting pictures of her glamorous life on social media. Crystal and Steve start examining those photos really, really closely.

[Becca]

Becca and Ken took pictures of their apartment. Our niece then took that picture and did a Google search for it and found out where they lived.

[Ken]

In the fall of 2019, they matched pictures from Instagram with kids. Google Street View and locate kennebeca. They're not in California anymore. Now they're in another jet set. Miami, Florida. Picture it. Green palm trees, white beaches, sleek hotels abutting azure water. The city of skimpy bikinis, an even skimpier income tax. It's a place filled with the sounds of revving engines and ambient dance music, where influencers choke the sidewalks with their photo shoots. During this time, Steve and Crystal watch as Becca posts more snapshots. There's a picture of a vintage white Mercedes with the caption benz baby. She posts another picture of green foliage in a building with gorgeous columns and art deco detailing. The caption reads, I don't think I'll be able to adjust to the Florida weather, but I can definitely get used to this. There's not much Steven Crystal can do with this information other than look on from afar. They're not about to spend more money on a plane ticket to fly down to Florida and confront their niece. What are they going to do? Threaten physical violence? It's just not their style. So what were Ken and Becca really up to in Miami? Were they just laying low and doing a poor job of it, thanks to Becca's Instagram? Or was Ken up to something else?

[Sophie]

I tried to look into it.

[Ken]

I heard that Ken allegedly got into some trouble with the law. I got a hold of a case number allegedly attached to Ken. We plugged it into the Miami PD's online portal and found something. Amazingly, it led to a case under the Economic Crimes Unit. The subject of the case, fraud. But the case was closed, which meant we couldn't get any more details. So we tried to call the Miami PD to find out more. Hi, you've reached the City of Miami.

[Steve]

Police Department Economic Crimes Unit. Sorry, we're unavailable to answer your call at this time.

[Ken]

But if you please leave a brief message, we'll return your call as soon as possible. We had the same experience as Steve when he tried to talk to his police officer colleagues. We couldn't get anyone to listen. And it turns out the same thing happened to Rita, the house cleaner, who gave Ken $60,000.

[Rita]

They said what it sounds like is a civil matter, but they're not, you know, they're one to say either way. But what I could do is as soon as we hang up the phone, go to their website and write down everything that I just told them. And I got so deflated when he told me that, because I was like, this is just gonna go into like the matrix. No one cares, you know, no one cares.

[Sophie]

Rita also never heard back from the authorities. And here's another mind fucking one. You may have guessed already, but your sky never really existed as a company at all. At least not beyond a website. But what a website it is. When you click on it, it opens to an image of a pool at sunset. Over that, there's text reading Luxury unleashed and bookings at the speed of la. Below that are quotes and lyrics about LA from a bizarre array of artists. Singers Elliot Smith and Frank Ocean and filmmaker David Lynch. They're supposed to inspire you, I think, to make bookings. And maybe there is something Lynchian about your Sky. It's uncanny and surreal because it has all the markers of a business, a website, a celebrity investor. Ken allegedly said that LeBron James was involved. And according to government records, a company called your Sky, Inc. Was set up in California in 2018. In Delaware, there are registered entities under both your sky and your sky investments.

[Ken]

But as far as we know, your.

[Sophie]

Sky doesn't really seem to have done any business at all.

[Ken]

Rita blames herself for falling for it.

[Rita]

It is. It's my fault. I just have to live with this. I handed him over the cash. The contract was completely fake. I should have known that. I should have known better.

[Ken]

But of course, Rita is far from the only person who fell for Ken's alleged scams. Not by a long shot. There's Becca's family, There are Rita's friends who allegedly also invested in your Sky. And I managed to find two others, both smart business guys who gave Ken around $30,000 combined around the same time as Rita. One invested in your Sky. The other guy invested in what was supposedly a weed farm. Maybe the weed farm your sky was supposed to have turned into. Both of these men found lawyers to try to help them get their money back, but nothing ever came of it. It's a lot to keep track of. Dizzying, actually. The number of people, the amounts of money. The more I looked into Ken, the wider the circle of victims grew. And every time Ken's able to slip through the cracks, and maybe because he takes thousands rather than millions or because he gets people to sign Contracts making it a civil matter. Maybe because he moves so often that his alleged crimes span different jurisdictions, so no one's able to build a case on him for long. He just disappears and no one can catch him.

[Sophie]

But back in Germany, Sophie is determined to catch him. So she says after Ken leaves her parents house and promises to her he'll pay her back, she stays at home, and Ken keeps in touch with her.

[Legal Counsel]

He kept sending me letters, apology letters. He kept wanting to prove to me that he was really in love with me. So that's also when he got his tattoo, my name, like, all across his.

[Ken]

Forearm, a tattoo of Sophie's name to symbolize his love for her.

[Legal Counsel]

It was massive.

[Ken]

Under different circumstances, this might have been romantic. But given that Ken owes Sophie tons of money and tattoos are pretty expensive, she doesn't find it quite so cute.

[Legal Counsel]

I was like, well, how did you pay for it? He said, I got it for free. So I actually go to that place and I talk to tattoo people. I'm like, hey, by the way, did someone just come here and, like, get a tattoo of this name? And they said, yeah. And they said, wait, are you the girl that he got the name tattooed? I'm like, yeah. And he said, oh, my God. He told us that this was a girlfriend that passed away, and that's why we gave it to him for free, because we felt so bad for him.

[Ken]

It's a process realizing that someone isn't who you thought they were. It's not linear. And Sophie realizes once again that Ken is a master manipulator.

[Legal Counsel]

He was actually promising to pay me back, but he always wanted something in return. So he was saying, for example, well, if you meet up with me and talk to me and give me a chance again of us being together, then I'll pay you back this amount.

[Ken]

For example, Sophie thinks the only way she's going to get her money back is. Is if she beats him at his own game.

[Legal Counsel]

I was like, well, I got manipulated by him for, like, six months, so I'm going to manipulate him back. So I actually pretended to still like him. I pretended to him, yeah, if you can pay me back, we can be together. Sure. Like, pay me back and, like, I'll be your girlfriends again.

[Sophie]

So Sophie says she starts striking deals with Ken.

[Legal Counsel]

If you can pay me back this amount, like, well, meet up for coffee.

[Sophie]

And miraculously, it works. Ken pays her back a portion of what she's owed. Sophie feels a taste of relief. This bartering is working, and I can't know Ken's Mind. But I have to wonder why this is working. Is Ken just trying to keep Sophie from more aggressively pursuing him with law enforcement? Is he just doling out money as a way to keep stringing her along, toying with her? Is it some sick continuation of the same game? Or is it actually that Ken is more vulnerable than he appears? Maybe he really needs Sophie's affection. And maybe Ken's just lonely. So lonely that the only people he has to interact with are people he's already hurt. So lonely, he might even be able to convince himself that Sophie will take him back. And there's another reason Ken might be feeling particularly friendless at this point. Sophie still has Ken's dog, Luigi, the little French bulldog with different colored eyes. And Ken begs to see the dog.

[Legal Counsel]

He was like, please, I really miss him. Please let me go on a walk with him and I'll pay you another 20k.

[Ken]

Sophie agrees. She gets the money, and they go for a walk.

[Legal Counsel]

This was maybe like in April or something? So, like, a couple weeks after his.

[Ken]

Initial arrest, Sophie and Ken take a stroll. Sophie tries to act normal, keep things chill while they're on this walk. They stop outside a cafe because Sophie needs to use the restroom. She gives the leash to Ken.

[Legal Counsel]

I went to the bathroom and left the dog with him outside, and when I came back, he was gone.

[Ken]

Ken is gone again, this time with the dog, the dog Sophie has been living with for the last six months and come to really love.

[Legal Counsel]

My heart dropped. I'm like, oh, my God. I can't trust him. I can't believe that I actually trusted him for this, like, brief moment. Of course I can't. I'm looking around everywhere. I'm asking people on the street, have you seen someone take the dog? Have you seen him? I'm distraught.

[Ken]

Ken messages her.

[Legal Counsel]

He was like, well, if he wants the dog back, like, you need to see me again, you need to give me a chance. He's now the one in power.

[Ken]

Ken won't tell Sophie where he is or where the dog is. Then Sophie. Sophie has an ingenious idea.

[Legal Counsel]

I had this idea that I could track his IP address.

[Ken]

An IP address is a number that reveals where a device is accessing the Internet from. Sophie figures if she can find out Ken's IP address, she can figure out his location.

[Legal Counsel]

And I'm, like, looking up different ways of, like, how to track someone's IP address.

[Ken]

One of the methods is to get someone to click on a link, sort of like a phishing scam. And in doing so, that click would reveal their location.

[Legal Counsel]

So I'm thinking, how can I make him click on a link? Cuz that's kind of suspicious.

[Ken]

Sophie thinks about the dog, Luigi. Ken knows Sophie genuinely loves this dog. Even when they were living together in.

[Sophie]

New York, it was Sophie who'd take.

[Ken]

Luigi out for walks and take care of him.

[Legal Counsel]

So I come up with this idea that I would send him a link to a food website and I would tell him, look, this is the food that I've been buying for him recently. He really needs this food. It's better for him. Can you like check it out and can you order from there for him? So I set up actually like this fake website for pet food. I set it up in like an hour. I just like put some random pictures there, some random food, because it's my website, my link. I can see every visitor that clicks on it and I can see their location, their IP address. So I sent him the this link to this pet store. I'm like, hey, can you please order food from there?

[Ken]

That's right. Sophie builds a fake website for a fake store that supposedly sells the dog food she's been feeding Luigi. It's her own version of your sky, except instead of being a fancy Airbnb, it's a fake pet store.

[Legal Counsel]

When I send it to him, I see a visitor, I see someone clicking on it and I get the IP address. Obviously you don't get really the exact, exact location. You get more of a radius. But I see on the radius that he was actually near Zurich.

[Ken]

Zurich, Switzerland.

[Legal Counsel]

So then I'm starting my detective work. I'm looking up all the different hotels in that area. I start messaging every single one of them.

[Ken]

She tells them about Ken, about what he's done, and sends a picture of him.

[Legal Counsel]

A lot of them got back to me. They were like, no, sorry, we didn't see a person like this. But there's this one hotel, it's a very, very cheap one, and they are saying he's there, they've seen him.

[Ken]

Sophie knows where Ken is. And now she's determined to go and get her money and the dog back.

[Steve]

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[Sophie]

$45 for a three month plan equivalent to $15 per month required. New customer offer for first three months only. Speed slow after 35gb of network's busy. Taxes and fees extra see mint mobile.com so after Sophie tracks down Ken in Switzerland, she says she gets in touch with Swiss police. And she says the police are interested in Ken.

[Legal Counsel]

We had stayed at this hotel over New Year's that was in Switzerland that he scammed.

[Sophie]

This is Sophie's accusation. According to her, Ken hadn't paid the hotel. And she says the police want to question Ken about this hotel situation. So Sophie gets in touch with Ken and uses a familiar bruise.

[Legal Counsel]

I tell him, look, I really want to meet up this and that. And he says, okay, well, I'll meet up with you, but I won't meet up with the dog because then you're not really interested in me. You're just interested in that dog. I'm like, no, I am. It's fine. You can leave him.

[Sophie]

So Sophie says she travels to Zurich. She heads to the rough hotel Ken is staying in. He comes out without the dog and once again, they go for a walk.

[Legal Counsel]

He keeps telling me lies about how he will eventually pay me back and he wants me to get back in a relationship with him.

[Ken]

Meanwhile, Sophie has brought along her parents and a friend.

[Legal Counsel]

I told them that the dog would be at the hotel. They go to the hotel. They ask which room number. With the help of the police, we get access to a room.

[Sophie]

Sophie's parents storm Ken's hotel room and seize Luigi.

[Legal Counsel]

We get the dog back. And while this whole thing is happening, like I'm out on a walk with him.

[Sophie]

And Sophie says when she and Ken return to the hotel, Ken gets taken in by the police again.

[Legal Counsel]

But again, same situation. They can only hold him for 48 hours.

[Ken]

We tried repeatedly to get in touch with Swiss police to confirm the details of this case, but we weren't able to get a hold of them. Still, what we do know for sure is that once again, Ken got released. But for Sophie, the Swiss adventure would be the last time she would see Ken in person. He keeps messaging her from different numbers. They carry on this dance. If you pay me back, I'll message you back. If you pay me back, you can stay in contact with me.

[Legal Counsel]

He gradually paid me back probably half of it. I probably got paid back like around 50,000, which is great. So I'm pretty happy about that.

[Sophie]

Sophie says she doesn't completely recoup her loss, but staying in touch with Ken to try and get the rest of the money back is expensive in another way.

[Legal Counsel]

I mean, this was, like, so emotionally draining for me to just stay in contact with this person. At some point I was like, look, I got a good amount back. I just wanted peace. It's been so many months. It's like almost summer now. And I'm like, okay, I'm done with this. I don't want to keep texting with him. I don't want to stay in contact. I don't believe anything he says anymore.

[Ken]

Sophie does tell Ken one more thing before she blocks him for good.

[Legal Counsel]

I did also urge him to pay back the other victims.

[Sophie]

But one major question remains. If Sophie says Ken was able to pay her back $50,000, where did he get the money? Or maybe the better question is, who did he allegedly take that money from? Next time on Catch Me if you can.

[Narrator]

I got really angry at Tim and.

[Natalie Roberman]

I started loud voice telling him, give.

[Ken]

Me back my money.

[Natalie Roberman]

We didn't have $10,000 to lose. Yeah, and it'd be really nice to.

[Ken]

Have that money back.

[Sophie]

Did you end up giving him the full 100,000?

[Natalie Roberman]

Yeah.

[Legal Counsel]

Catch me if you can.

[Ken]

Don't want to wait for that next episode. You don't have to unlock all episodes of Catch Me if youf can ad free right now by subscribing to the binge podcast channel. Search for the binge on Apple podcasts and hit subscribe at the top of the page, not on apple. Head to getthebinge.com to get access wherever you listen. As a subscriber, you'll get binge access to new stories on the 1st of every month. Check out the Binge channel page on apple podcasts or getthebinge.com to learn more. Catch Me if youf can is a production of Sony Music Entertainment and Campside Media in association with ISH Entertainment.

[Sophie]

It's written and hosted by me, Natalie.

[Ken]

Roberman, and executive produced by myself and Vanessa Gregoriadis. Our senior producer is Aboukar Adan.

[Steve]

Our producer is Julia K. Slevin.

[Sophie]

Our story editor is Michael Canyon Meyer.

[Ken]

And our assistant editor is Emma Siminoff.

[Sophie]

We had help from Blake Rook and.

[Ken]

Lily Houston Smith, who managed the production, sound design, mix and Engineering by Mark.

[Sophie]

McAdam, voice acting for Ken by Ewin.

[Ken]

Lai Chemewin, Becca by Lily Houston Smith.

[Sophie]

And Sophie by Madison Lanicey. The executive producers at Sony Music Entertainment.

[Ken]

Are Catherine St. Louis and Jonathan Hirsch.

[Sophie]

Josh Dean, Adam Hoff and Matt Sher.

[Ken]

At Campside Media and Michael Hirschhorn at ISH Entertainment. Thanks to Jess Antonini, Joe Mancino and Regan Graham, and thanks to Campside's operations team, Doug Slaywin, Ashley Warren and Sabina Mara.

[Sophie]

And thank you for listening.