Chameleon
True Crime & Paranormal
About
We are living in a golden age of deception. It feels like everyone has an angle and that, everywhere you turn, someone’s trying to scam you. Chameleon is a new weekly show from veteran journalist Josh Dean (co-creator and host of The Clearing, Hooked, White Devil, and the original Chameleon season, Hollywood Con Queen) that takes you inside an incredible, stranger-than-fiction story about someone—or some people—pretending to be something they aren’t. Are you obsessed with cons, frauds, and impostors? Then this is the podcast for you. Get your new weekly true crime obsession every Thursday from Campside...
Episodes
- Catch Him if You Ken: The Dating Scammer Who Targeted Influencers
Chameleon features the story of a man who deceived women on two continents by pretending to be a wealthy heir with cryptocurrency aspirations. His primary skill involved vanishing before his actions could be legally proven.
- Whiteout: The Olympic Snowboarder Who Became A Cocaine Kingpin
This episode of Chameleon examines the life of Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder who became an FBI fugitive accused of operating a drug trafficking network and ordering murders. Reporting by Alyssa and Tisha details his t…
- High Stakes: Life inside a Vampire Cult
Celeste Mott recounts her involvement in an early internet message board, 'The Looking Glass,' which functioned as a vampire cult. She describes the manipulation, hierarchy, and psychological control within the group and the difficulty of…
- The Journalist And The Voyeur: It’s Not So Easy When You’re The One Being Watched
The episode "The Journalist and the Voyeur" on the Chameleon podcast explores a story about a motel owner who spied on guests. Reporter Paul Farhi
- A Master's Puppet: Jeffrey Epstein's Money Man
This episode explores the story of Leslie Wexner, the billionaire behind Victoria's Secret, and his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. It questions the extent of Wexner's knowledge regarding Epstein's activities.
- The Real Eddie: His Scamming Is Insaaaaane!
This episode details the rise and fall of Eddie Antar, the founder of the Crazy Eddie electronics brand. Antar's story involves a significant scam that took him from Brooklyn to Wall Street, after which he vanished.
- The Mesh Mill: How Scammers Took Advantage of Women's Pain
The episode 'The Mesh Mill' exposes a scam targeting women with pelvic mesh implants. Scammers used fake recalls and stolen medical data to convince women like Sharon to undergo unnecessary surgeries for profit, operating within the mass t…
- Harry And Rachel Part 2: When True Love Dies
Part 2 of the Harry and Rachel story reveals how Harry's belief about his love dying of cancer was false. Rachel's husband's call exposed a pattern of deception, showing a different side of her.
- Harry And Rachel Part 1: When True Love Lies
In this episode of Chameleon, the story of Harry and Rachel's relationship in Houston begins. Spanning two decades, their connection is defined by tragedy, fortune, and a cycle of deception.
- Extra Credit: The Rise and Fall of a Frat House Ponzi Scheme
Syed Arbab presented himself as a financial prodigy who built a successful hedge fund from his frat house. However, this was not the full story, as he was running a Ponzi scheme and lied to the SEC when they investigated.
- Master Manipulator and Commander: Trust Your Gut
A journalist's whirlwind romance with a decorated Navy officer, who claimed to be stationed at the Pentagon and opening hospitals in war zones, unravels into a portrait of compulsive deception. She investigates how and why he lied, and why…
- The Vampire Catfish: A Message Board And The Boy Who Believed
The episode "The Vampire Catfish" details Michael's experience at 16, connecting with Dennis online. What started as a romance on a vampire message board became a dark situation involving deception, which Michael revisits two decades later.
- Goodfellas: The Country Bar Theme Scheme
A reporter investigating restaurant closures in Arizona discovers a collapsing franchise empire and millions in fraud, connected to a mysterious individual with mob ties.
- Face Plant: The Woman With A Thousand Boyfriends
The podcast episode
- The Velvet Sundown: The band that’s not quite Human, not quite machine.
The podcast episode explores the mystery surrounding the band Velvet Sundown, initially suspected to be AI-generated. A denial only deepened the layers of an unfolding internet hoax.
- Engineering to Deceive: The Talented Coder Who Just Keeps Getting Jobs
A warning about engineer Soham Parekh revealed he was hired by numerous startups, occasionally working multiple jobs concurrently. He impressed founders with coding tests but would later become unreachable with excuses.
- Memoir Mystery: The Blockbuster True Story That Maybe Wasn't True At All
The podcast episode "Memoir Mystery: The Blockbuster True Story That Maybe Wasn't True At All" on the show Chameleon investigates the bestselling book The Salt Path. Journalist Chloe Hadjimatheou questions the accuracy of the memoir, revea…
- The Author Trap: Inside The Scheme Selling Lies to Hopeful Writers
Chameleon investigates the Page Turner scam, where the company is accused of stealing $44 million from aspiring writers. Host Brent Crane tracks the operation, which is described as one of the publishing world's most brazen scams.
- White Lies: The Scammer Who Left Brides In The Lurch And Couldn't Stop
Michael Esposito deceived journalists and couples, disappearing after taking money. One victim relentlessly pursued him to expose his repeated scams under different identities.
- The de Kooning Job: Teachers Turned Thieves
The podcast episode "The de Kooning Job: Teachers Turned Thieves" from the show "Chameleon" details an art heist from 1985 where a priceless painting vanished from an Arizona university museum. The case remained unsolved for 32 years until…
- Gay Girl in Damascus: A Viral Kidnapping And An Internet Fantasy
The podcast episode explores the hoax of Amina Arraf, the creator of 'Gay Girl in Damascus.' Her fabricated posts during the Arab Spring gained international attention, leading news organizations and governments to believe her story, raisi…
- Fake It 'Til You Graduate: The Honor Student Who Conned a Town
A Ukrainian immigrant successfully posed as a teenage prodigy, Asher Potts, at a Pennsylvania high school, achieving honor roll status before being arrested by police.
- Spine Collector: Where Have All The Manuscripts Gone?
Two journalists investigate the mystery of the 'Spine Collector,' who tricked publishers into surrendering unpublished manuscripts without ransom or leaks, baffling the publishing world.
- The Barefoot Bandit: Catch Him If You Can
The episode details the story of Colton Harris-Moore, a teenager who evaded law enforcement by stealing vehicles, including planes, and gained notoriety as an internet folk hero.
- The Undead Tour: How The Fake Zombies Fooled America
Four Texans impersonated the British band The Zombies after their hit song 'Time of the Season' became popular in the late 1960s. Two of these imposters later formed the band ZZ Top. Chameleon is a production of Campside Media and Audiochu…
- An Admission of Lies: The Man Who Fooled Princeton
This episode tells the story of James Hogue, who used the alias “Alexi Santana” to gain admission to Princeton. Hogue, a serial imposter with a talent for running, deceived admissions officers and others.
- The Follieri Affair: Who Conned Anne Hathaway?
The Follieri Affair episode of Chameleon investigates Raffaello Follieri, an Italian businessman who deceived wealthy investors and dated a famous actress. It explores his rise and fall after claims of Vatican connections and millions in f…
- The Kid Who Couldn't Stop Playing Cop
The podcast episode
- Introducing... Chameleon: The Weekly
Chameleon: The Weekly is a new podcast hosted by Josh Dean, focusing on stories of scammers, con artists, and imposters. Produced by Campside Media and Audiochuck, it launches November 13th.
- Chameleon
Chameleon is a weekly podcast hosted by Josh Dean. It delves into true crime stories about imposters and people pretending to be something they are not.