Ep 9. COVID Cons

In episode 9 of the 15th season of American Greed titled "COVID Cons," the show uncovers the disturbing world of COVID-19 fraud.

The episode starts by highlighting the chaos that the pandemic caused in 2020 and introduces the audience to the vast amount of money that was poured into relief funds. The Department of Justice predicted that billions of dollars would be stolen by fraudsters looking to cash in on the pandemic's desperation.

The first case the show delves into is that of a woman named Andrea who was running a business that promised to import N95 masks from China. Andrea convinced a company in California to send her $45 million to secure the personal protective equipment, but instead, she used the money to pay off her credit card debts and splurged on expensive handbags and luxury cars. The mask shipment never arrived.

The episode further explores a case where a so-called pandemic broker named Greed tried to sell non-existent government stimulus packages to unsuspecting victims. He claimed he could secure them a share of the $2.2 trillion relief package for a fee. Greed and his team went as far as offering fake approval letters and professional-looking websites to their victims.

The show also features the story of an entrepreneur named Eric who cashed in on the panic caused by the pandemic. Eric claimed he had access to a company that produced germ-killing drones and convinced investors to pour in $750,000. However, it was all a lie. Eric used the money to fund his lavish lifestyle, including meals at expensive restaurants and stays at five-star resorts.

Another case in the episode is that of a Florida-based company called Y-Impact. The company claimed to have FDA-approved masks that could kill COVID-19. Y-Impact sold the masks for more than $10 each and created a whole marketing campaign around their seemingly revolutionary product. However, investigations revealed that the masks were not FDA-approved, and the company scammed millions from desperate buyers.

The greed and deceit in the episode continue as American Greed introduces us to a pair of siblings who ran a fake church that claimed to have a cure for the coronavirus. The siblings sold their miracle cure online and even tried to sell it to a CBS correspondent posing as a desperate COVID-19 patient. The fake church managed to inflate its bank account by over $1 million before getting caught.

The episode then takes us into the world of fake charities set up only to scam people during the pandemic. A non-profit organization named Feed the Need claimed that it would feed Americans in need during the pandemic. The charity was promoted widely on social media platforms, and many people donated to the cause. However, it was later found that the organization was a fraud, and the founder had spent the donations on personal expenses like cars and vacations.

Towards the end of the episode, American Greed highlights the story of a family duo who used the pandemic to carry out a stock market scam. The duo claimed to have invented a vaccine that could cure COVID-19 and used this claim to drive an increase in their company's stock prices. They then sold off their stocks and pocketed millions before getting caught.

Overall, the episode titled "COVID Cons" highlights the lengths people go to cash-in on the desperation and panic caused by the pandemic. It also shows how investigative authorities are working to bring these fraudsters to justice.