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Persona: The French Deception
Persona: The French Deception

Persona: The French Deception

What does it feel like to pick up the phone and scam someone out of $50 million? This is the story of Gilbert Chikli, one of the greatest con artists of all time. Host and award-winning journalist Evan Ratliff investigates how Chikli 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?</p>Binge all episodes ad-free by joining Wondery+ on the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting <a href="http://wondery.com/links/persona" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">wondery.com/links/persona</a> now. </p>

Available Episodes 10

Search Engine is hosted by PJ Vogt and has been named one of the top podcasts of the year by Time Magazine, The Economist, and New York Magazine (Vulture). Search Engine is an explainer show that tackles all kinds of questions, big and small. On this episode: who's behind these scammy text messages we've all been getting? To find more episodes of Search Engine or to submit a question to the show, head over to searchengine.show

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In the first episode of Persona, a French banker took the strangest call of her life. On the other end was her boss relaying bizarre orders from a secret agent. Her mission was to wait in a bathroom stall before handing off a bag full of cash. But behind the scheme was no secret agent, rather Gilbert Chikli, one of the greatest con men the world has ever seen. Unlike most fraudsters, Chikli preyed upon the most powerful amongst us. And with that call, he just started in motion the greatest scam of the century.


If you want to hear the rest of Persona, you can binge all eight episodes exclusively on Wondery Plus or on Amazon Music.


On Wondery Plus, you can listen to all your favorite podcasts early and ad-free. With a library featuring over 50 #1 Apple Podcast hits and 45,000 binge worthy episodes, there’s something for everyone.


Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or an Apple Podcasts.

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When a charismatic young doctor announces revolutionary treatments for cancer and HIV, patients from around the world turn to him for their last chance. As medical experts praise Serhat Gumrukcu’s genius, the company he co-founded rockets in value to over half a billion dollars. But when a team of researchers makes a startling discovery, they begin to suspect the brilliant doctor is hiding a secret. From Wondery, the new season of Dr. Death: Bad Magic is a story of miraculous cures, magic and murder. Hosted by Laura Beil.


Listen to Dr. Death - Bad Magic: Wondery.fm/Dr.Death

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On the last day of her grandmother’s life, journalist Maya Lin Sugarman finds a box of forgotten screenplays that sets her on a journey to uncover the truth about their author: her late uncle, Galen. She discovers that he was a leader of a Chinese gang, that he went to jail, and, in a final twist, that he poured his life story into a screenplay that was turned into a ’90s Hollywood action movie…starring Rob Lowe, Burt Rynolds, and Ice-T. Magnificent Jerk is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Pineapple Street Studios.


Listen Now: https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/magnificent-jerk/

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Suspect is an investigative series about mislaid justice and the kinds of weighty decisions that detectives, lawyers, and jurors make every day - decisions that, once made, are almost impossible to reverse.


Season 3: Five Shots in the Dark follows Leon Benson, who spent 24 years in an Indiana state prison for the 1998 murder of a young man named Kasey Schoen. His conviction hinged on the testimony of two eyewitnesses – but what if their memories turned out to be wrong? And what if the people who knew what really happened had never been allowed to speak? Suspect Season 3: Five Shots in the Dark is the story of two victims: one murdered, one sentenced to life. Follow host Matt Shaer and attorney Lara Bazelon as they investigate how the justice system failed both Leon and Kasey, and who the real killer might be. Join this unprecedented look inside the attempt to overturn a wrongful conviction and find out if justice will finally be served.


Follow Suspect wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to Suspect: Five Shots in the Dark early and ad-free on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts.


Listen to Suspect: Wondery.fm/Suspect_S3

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Introducing Classy with Jonathan Menjivar, a new podcast from Pineapple Street Studios. People like to pretend class doesn’t exist. But really, most of the time, we’re just ignoring it because it’s uncomfortable. Classy is a show about what happens when the class tension is so blatant you just can’t keep quiet about it anymore. It’s a collection of surprising stories, juicy and uncomfortable interviews, and engaging segments that explore the ways that class infiltrates our day-to-day lives. In the host seat is veteran podcast producer Jonathan Menjivar – a working-class Latino kid who joined the media elite and became someone who likes oysters, wears cashmere socks, and is very conflicted about all of it. Available wherever you get your podcasts.

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Back Issue is BACK with a brand new season! Back Issue reminisces on moments in pop culture’s past that have shaped our present. Each episode brings personal reflection, incredible guests, and plenty of deep belly laughs. Host Josh Gwynn has invited some very special guest co-hosts to share their perspective on some of the most formative stories in pop culture. We start out with not just another hair story but a conversation about the gendered politics of specific hairstyles as Josh sets out on a mission to get a silk press. We’ll also reflect on iconic award speeches, explore what our brains do on gossip, break down the backstories of Degrassi and Cheetah Girls, decide if Josh should become the next Black ex-pat, and discuss which multi-hyphenate performers are deserving of their flowers.

Listen and follow Back Issue wherever you get your podcasts.

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The Generation Why Podcast released its first episode in 2012 and pioneered the true crime genre in the podcasting world. Two friends, Aaron & Justin, break down theories and give their opinions on unsolved murders, controversies, mysteries and conspiracies.

One of the longest running true crime podcasts out there, Generation Why has a little something for every true crime listener.

Follow The Generation Why Podcast on Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Or you can listen ad-free by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app. Listen here: wondery.fm/P_GenWhyKB

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Reporter Evan Ratliff joins the hosts of Wondery’s ongoing series Scamfluencers, Scaachi Koul and Sarah Hagi, to discuss how he pieced his investigation on Gilbert Chikli together and shares his insights into the culture of scams.


Listen to new episodes 1 week early and to all episodes ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App https://wondery.app.link/persona.


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In the season finale, a confounding clue in Gilbert Chikli’s case sends Evan back to the dossier to see if someone else might have orchestrated the Le Drian affair. The search takes him from the world of high-stakes professional poker, to the office of a lawyer with a curious role in the case, to an apartment building full of unmarked doors. Finally, we return to the very start of Chikli’s mythology, and the Persona team receives a mysterious phone call of our own.


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