The Twisted Scam that Bilked Movie Crews Out of Millions On the new episode of 'Dirty Money,' we learn about the Hollywood Queen, a mysterious con artist who stole from low-level Hollywood types by luring them to Indonesia.
By Dan Bova • Originally published
The phone rings and you answer. On the other end of the call is a woman who says they've heard all about the great work you do and want to hire you for an incredible project in Indonesia that is happening right now. They tell you to get to the airport ASAP and get yourself on the next plane. Keep all of your receipts — you'll be reimbursed as soon as you land, you're told. This job not only pays well, but it will also surely elevate your profile and lead to bigger and better projects.
So what do you do?
If you are one of the hundreds of people who got this call, you get on that plane. And after weeks — sometimes months — of getting the runaround once you're situated in Indonesia, you learn that you've been scammed.
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On this week's episode of Dirty Money, Entrepreneur Media's new podcast dedicated to telling the behind-the-schemes stories of legendary scammers, con artists, and barely-legal lowlifes, hosts Jon Small and Dan Bova speak with journalist and co-founder of Campside Media Josh Dean about the strange twist and turns of the Hollywood Con Queen. We won't give away too much, but this Queen posed as various higher-ups at companies like Lucasfilm and Sony, and preyed on worker-bee types in the film industry (make-up artists, stunt man, and the like) who were duped into spending money out of their own pockets that they never got back.
The more details, the sleazier and weirder this story gets. Listen to the podcast here or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.
