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In October 2002, residents of Maryland, Virginia, and Washington DC became targets for a team of snipers. The two-person group was responsible for killing 17 people and injuring almost a dozen more. The kill team was well trained and stayed well hidden, making them incredibly difficult to locate or identify. Over several months, they terrorized millions of people and were the subject of one of the largest manhunts ever in the US. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In July 1976, the small town of Chowchilla, California was rocked by the largest mass kidnapping in US history. A school bus carrying 26 students, along with its driver, was ambushed by a group of armed men. They were taken to a remote rock quarry and stripped down to their underwear. Each one was then ordered down a ladder into a container truck that had been buried 15 feet underground. They had no idea where they were, who had taken them, or why they had just been buried alive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When police in the UK received a panicked phone call from a teenage boy in the summer of 2003, it seemed fairly routine. His friend had been stabbed and was in need of medical attention. Authorities were told it was a random, unprovoked attack, but that could not have been farther from the truth. In fact, the attack had been meticulously planned for months. The perpetrator was so unexpected and the whole situation was so strange, authorities almost dismissed the case entirely. England had never seen a crime like this before. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Introducing the true crime podcast Persona: The French Deception— the story of Gilbert Chikli, one of the greatest con artists of all time. What does it feel like to pick up the phone and scam someone out of $50 million? Host and award-winning journalist, Evan Ratliff, investigates how Chikli successfully duped some of the world’s most powerful people into handing over their fortunes. He explores how Chikli evaded the law for years and became a Robin Hood-like hero. More than just a tale of criminal genius, this is a show about the moment we’re living in right now — the golden age of scammers — and the power of seduction. But what happens when the fantasy we’ve been lured into finally crumbles away? For all that and more, follow “Persona: The French Deception” wherever you get your podcasts. Or you can listen early on Amazon Music or early and ad-free by subscribing to Wondery Plus in Apple Podcasts or the Wondery app: wondery.fm/TRUE_Persona Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In March 1989, when a 21-year-old student from Texas went missing while on spring break in Mexico, it sparked a federal investigation on both sides of the border. The search led authorities down a bizarre and gruesome rabbit hole of mysticism and the occult that included everything from drug running to human sacrifice. It’s cases like this that make you want to sleep with the light on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When a man was found dead on a South Australia beach in 1948, it kicked off one of the most bizarre cases that country’s authorities had ever seen. With no identification and all the labels cut out of his clothing, police did find a torn piece of paper with two mysterious words. The words led to an unbreakable code in the back of the book. Had he committed suicide or was it murder? Why had no one come forward to identify him? That was just the beginning of what would become one of Australia’s strangest cold cases. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

They can be high-tech or unsophisticated, but either way, the purpose of a booby trap is the same, to surprise the target. In 2002, a retired engineer in Belgium thought he would surprise his estranged family with not one, but 19 hidden traps around his house. Each one was lethal and each one was cleverly disguised. Oh yeah, and to find them, you needed to crack a series of codes. In 2018, a man in the US created what authorities would dub the Indiana Jones house. It might have something to do with the massive hot tub turned on its side rigged to roll down the steep driveway. That was just the beginning! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the Fall of 1982, taking something as simple as a pill for your headache could have been fatal. That’s because someone was tampering with Tylenol capsules and filling them with cyanide. When it comes to risky pain relief treatment, taking an over-the-counter pill usually doesn’t rank at the top of the list. For those living in the Chicago area, however, it was gambling with death. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There’s something both terrifying and fascinating about explosions. Basic curiosity demands that we see what’s going on, while our survival instinct tells us to run. When a fireworks factory in the Netherlands went up in flames back in 2000, onlookers thought the multi-colored sparks and smoke would be the extent. They had no idea it would become one of the largest disasters in that country’s history. Almost a hundred years earlier, a ship in the busy port of Halifax, Nova Scotia detonated, becoming the most powerful human-made blast prior to the atomic bomb. The thing about an accidental explosion is, you’ll never see it coming! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You never really know someone…especially online. In today’s world, the power of influence can be the quickest path to money and fame, and it often ends in ruin. These are the stories of the world’s most insidious Scamfluencers. And we are their prey. On Wondery’s new weekly series, join co-hosts Scaachi Koul and Sarah Hagi as they unpack epic stories of deception from the worlds of social media, fashion, finance, health, and wellness. These influencers claim to be everything from charismatic healers to trusted financial insiders to experts in dating. They cast spells over millions. Why do we believe them, and how does our culture allow them to thrive? From Black Swan Murder to a fake social media influencer to an audacious Hollywood Ponzi schemer, each season will take the listener along the twists and turns, the impact on victims, and what’s left when the facade falls away. Listen to Scamfluencers: wondery.fm/TS_Scamfluencers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There are accidents and then there are freak accidents. The difference is that when it comes to freak accidents, the victim will never see it coming. Whether you’re lying in bed, eating a carrot, sitting on the toilet, or out for a quiet day of fishing, it doesn’t matter how many safety precautions are taken or how simple the activity. In the end, there’s no way to predict when or how it will happen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have you ever been mistaken for somebody else? It’s one thing to share a resemblance, but what if the likeness is so uncanny that you could be a twin. In the case of three strangers in New York, it turned out they were actually identical triplets who had been separated at birth. The heart-warming reunion quickly turned to shock when the dark truth surrounding the circumstances of their separation came to light. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As long as criminals have been breaking the law, authorities have been coming up with clever ways to catch them. From dressing up in ridiculous disguises to developing sophisticated technology, there’s apparently nothing law enforcement won’t do to get their man. What’s even more incredible than the crazy sting operations conceived by police are the crooks that fall for them! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you’re a fan of reading murder mysteries, you might be familiar with the concept of a ‘locked room’ scenario. It’s when the victim is killed under seemingly impossible circumstances, leaving the reader questioning how the perpetrator was able to get away with it. It’s essentially the literary recipe for the perfect crime. Yet, stories like this are not just limited to words on a page. There are plenty of ‘stranger than fiction’ cases that have left police scratching their heads. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For over a decade during the 1940s and 50s, an unassuming man named John Christie was quickly becoming one of Britain’s most infamous serial killers. He hid the bodies behind the walls of his apartment, under the floorboards, and in the garden. But it’s not just the murders that makes this one of the worst in the country’s history. If you ever wondered why England doesn’t have the death penalty, it’s because of this horrific case. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It must be a strange experience to wake up one day to find out that you’ve been declared dead. It’s something that celebrities know well. From Paul Rudd to Jeff Goldblum, it can’t be pleasant to find out the news outlets have killed you off. It’s not just the misinformation they have to deal with in the aftermath of such announcements, it’s all the conspiracy theories that come along with it! Fun times for the famous! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It started as a military outpost in the middle of the North Sea, but the small British stronghold once called Fort Roughs would soon become the world’s smallest nation – sort of. It might not be recognized as a sovereign country, but the Principality of Sealand has seen its share of international conflict over the years. From, pirate radio stations and mercenary invasions, to Guinness Records and its own royal family, this tiny territory is no stranger to excitement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From the 1920s to the 1950s, nothing was more fashionable for the rich and famous than adopting a child. Unlike the Hollywood fairytale endings, thousands of children during that time were bought and sold in a real-life baby black market. For decades, the undisputed boss of that underworld was a charming and pleasant woman from Tennessee named Georgia Tann. To this day, she remains the most prolific child predator in US history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When neighbors disagree, it can often be the start of some pretty serious passive aggressiveness. Anonymous notes, dirty looks, and all-around juvenile behavior often ensues. But if that’s the most it escalates, consider yourself lucky. You could have a neighbor who decides to build a spite house. This is a structure designed with one purpose in mind, to annoy one’s neighbor by blocking daylight, views, and access to other areas. From Boston’s famous Skinny House to the Richardson Spite House in New York City, it’s amazing how far some people will go to show their frustration! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who doesn’t love a good movie? Whether it’s a romcom or an action adventure, sometimes there’s no better escape from reality. Behind the scenes, however, the reality is that movie making is a pretty risky business. From crewmembers being eaten by sharks to actors literally losing their heads for the perfect shot, the industry is not for everyone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices