Emmy Award-winning journalist Mariana van Zeller is going undercover to investigate the growing threat of romance scams in National Geographic’s new documentary special, SUPER SCAM ME.
Produced by Muck Media and directed by Jeff Plunkett, the one-hour special premieres on Sunday, 18 October at 21:00 CAT on National Geographic across Africa. It will also be available on Disney+ in South Africa.
In the documentary, van Zeller creates a new online dating persona and deliberately becomes the target of a romance scam to investigate how scammers use technology and psychological manipulation to deceive their victims.
Her investigation focuses on one particularly persistent scammer who claims to be a four-star general. With help from a white-hat cyber hacker, van Zeller attempts to uncover the scammer’s identity and location before confronting him face-to-face.
The Real Cost Of Romance Scams
The investigation also introduces viewers to victims whose lives have been severely affected by these scams, including a woman who believed she was in a relationship with musician Jon Bon Jovi and subsequently faced losing her home.
Van Zeller said she wanted to challenge the idea that only certain people can fall victim to online scams.
“I’ve spent years reporting on scams, and the reaction I hear most is ‘How could anyone be so stupid? That would never happen to me.’ But it can, and it does happen to anyone,” she said.
The documentary comes as scammers increasingly use generative AI and other technologies to make fake identities and interactions more convincing.
The week before the broadcast, van Zeller’s podcast The Hidden Third will also feature special episodes exploring the investigation, including interviews with the hacker and victim featured in the documentary.
Van Zeller is best known for hosting and executive producing National Geographic’s Emmy-winning Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller, which investigates underground economies around the world.
Main Image: Supplied
