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  • The Watch on the Septic Lid: How "Duane" Stole a Life and Almost the Heart

    The Watch on the Septic Lid: How "Duane" Stole a Life and Almost the Heart
    2026/09/10
    The Watch on the Septic Lid: How "Duane" Stole a Life and Almost the Heart

    Fear of being carefully loved - then betrayed - hits like a chill: a moving dress watch left on a sealed septic lid at 8:20 AM in the second week of March 2011, its hands frozen at 11:47, would unravel a romance built by email and phone calls and reveal how a seemingly perfect stranger entered a woman's life. Who was the man behind the name "Duane," and what did the watch finally tell them?

    In this episode, we follow the timeline from the first email in early January to the first date at Harlan's Grill and the small, precise details that built trust: nightly calls about a sick guinea pig, hand-delivered notes, and changing handwriting and scars that unsettled Alice. How did those ordinary moments lead to the object on the septic lid that explained everything?

    Person: Alice Hunt
    Date: second week of March 2011
    Location: Harlan's Grill; east side of Kellerton; a rental property
    Event: first email from Duane around January 8-10, 2011
    Item: silver-toned dress watch, hands stopped at 11:47, placed on a sealed septic lid at 8:20 AM

    - Alice was 32 years old and worked six years as a claims processor at Kellerton's largest insurance firm.
    - Pip, one of Alice's four guinea pigs, required nebulizer treatments at 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM without fail.
    - The first email from Duane arrived around January 8-10, 2011 and included a photograph of a man claiming to be a civil engineer.
    - Alice and Duane had talked for about five weeks before meeting in person; their first date at Harlan's Grill was the first Saturday of March, meeting at 6:30 PM.
    - A septic worker, Roy Schultz, found the silver-toned dress watch at 8:20 AM on the sealed septic lid; the band looked unworn and the hands showed 11:47.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    17 分
  • The Phone in the Cattails: Why He Left $4,000 on Valentine's Day

    The Phone in the Cattails: Why He Left $4,000 on Valentine's Day
    2026/09/09
    The Phone in the Cattails: Why He Left $4,000 on Valentine's Day

    Fear and disbelief: a 52-year-old man wired $31,000 over 14 months to a woman who did not exist, then placed his phone in a Ziploc bag chest-high in the cattails on February 14, 2019 - why did he leave $4,000 in an envelope on the passenger seat that morning and walk into the reeds? What decision was sealed with that phone?

    In this episode, we follow the timeline from the first late-night call in November 2017 to the discovery of the phone at Pelham Reservoir on Valentine’s Day morning 2019, tracing the app connection, the transfers, and the moment his daughter uncovered the truth - and we ask what drove him to that specific act by the reservoir.

    Person: Roy Thompson
    Date: February 14, 2019
    Location: Pelham Reservoir, Ohio
    Amount: $31,000
    Perpetrator alias: Heather McCarthy

    - The phone was found upright, sealed inside a Ziploc bag, about sixty feet from the trail at chest height.
    - The phone’s memory contained fourteen months of calls, messages, and bank transfer records totaling $31,000.
    - Roy Thompson wired transfers ranging from $800 to $6,000, deposited at ATMs in Louisville, Kentucky.
    - Roy parked at the reservoir for twenty minutes with an envelope holding $4,000 in cash on the passenger seat before placing the phone in the cattails.
    - The profile “Heather McCarthy” contacted Roy after he downloaded NutriPath in autumn 2017; the first call came at approximately 10:45 p.m, in November 2017.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    19 分
  • The Envelope on the Porch: How a Fake UN Captain Stole $9,400

    The Envelope on the Porch: How a Fake UN Captain Stole $9,400
    2026/09/08
    The Envelope on the Porch: How a Fake UN Captain Stole $9,400

    Cold, steady loneliness met a small, unmarked envelope on a Nebraska mailbox and led to a two-year federal fraud case that cost a widow $9,400. A phony United Nations captain, fake photos taken from a veterans' site, and a fabricated backstory turned a rancher's private savings into a con-so how did a single envelope ignite the scheme?

    In this episode, we follow the sequence of events that began the morning the paperboy found the envelope and trace the online relationship, financial requests, and identities involved to the moment money changed hands. How did trust formed over messages and calls turn into a theft from a woman protecting her late husband's savings?

    Person: Pamela Zeller
    Person: Curtis Zeller
    Person: Person in photo - Steven Harley
    Person: Impostor name used - George McCarthy
    Amount: $9,400

    - The envelope was found at 7:00 AM on January 7, 2021, with no stamp, postmark, or return address.
    - Pamela Zeller turned 44 the summer before the envelope arrived and ran 160 acres with 60 head of cattle.
    - Curtis Zeller died in spring 2019 from a cardiac event in the cab of his tractor.
    - Pamela's four certificates of deposit totaled roughly $230,000, with the smallest CD holding $22,000 and the largest $92,000.
    - The impostor first asked for money in May 2021, requesting $3,400 to cover transit paperwork and promising immediate repayment.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    20 分
  • He Studied Her Queenside for Weeks - Then Stole Her Heart and Savings

    He Studied Her Queenside for Weeks - Then Stole Her Heart and Savings
    2026/09/07
    He Studied Her Queenside for Weeks - Then Stole Her Heart and Savings

    A meticulous chess player was targeted by someone who mapped her moves, her schedule, and even her grandmother's routines before the first intimate message arrived; a yellow sticky note with a bank routing number and the single word "Finally" tied a discarded laptop back to a three-week surveillance that began on a chess platform. How did a game opened on Chessvault become the breadcrumb trail that led to theft and an unexpected act of anger?

    In this episode, we follow the timeline from a public chess profile to private messages and finally to physical evidence, showing how online moves turned into real-world intrusion and financial loss - and ask what the thrower of the laptop revealed by his fury.

    Person: Erin Edwards
    Age: 28
    Location: Caldwell Bluff, Ohio
    Platform: Chessvault
    Perpetrator: Ryan Erickson

    - Laptop was found on Fenwick Mill Road at 9:42 AM on December 9, 2019, intact and undamaged.
    - Sticky note inside the laptop vent listed a bank routing number, an account number, and the single word "Finally."
    - Ryan Erickson created the KarpovDisciple88 account in June 2019 and searched players within 200 miles.
    - Erin and KarpovDisciple88 corresponded and played games for six weeks before messages turned intimate.
    - Ryan had a prior conviction for check fraud in 2016 and learned competitive chess during an 18-month correctional sentence.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    21 分
  • The Basket on County Road Twelve: How Love Became $50,000 Theft

    The Basket on County Road Twelve: How Love Became $50,000 Theft
    2026/09/06
    The Basket on County Road Twelve: How Love Became $50,000 Theft

    Fear that the person you trust online is a perfect lie: a wicker Easter basket on a frozen meter box led to a fourteen-month fraud that stole more than $50,000 from cancer survivors in a Facebook support group-how did a scraped LinkedIn photo and careful messages turn into interstate theft? Who was really behind the man they called Dennis Wells?

    In this episode, we tell what happened from the first message to the moment the basket was found and the totals added up, describing the people, the timeline of requests, and the small records that became crucial evidence. What did a spiral notebook, a scraped profile picture, and an empty rural property reveal about the scam?

    Person: Connie Bowers
    Person: Beverly Crane
    Person: Robert Paine
    Location: County Road Twelve, Harlan County, Iowa
    Group: "Midwest Women After Treatment"

    - The fraud ran for fourteen months before the wicker basket was discovered.
    - Connie made transfers of $4,000 in May, $6,200 in July, and $11,000 by September.
    - The wicker basket was found on a Tuesday morning in November at nine degrees Fahrenheit.
    - The Facebook group was founded and moderated by Beverly Crane in Des Moines.
    - The stolen total exceeded fifty thousand dollars from two women.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    18 分
  • The Green Mailbox: How a Love Scam Left $4,500 Missing

    The Green Mailbox: How a Love Scam Left $4,500 Missing
    2026/09/05
    The Green Mailbox: How a Love Scam Left $4,500 Missing

    A $4,300 cash envelope, a raised flag on a green mailbox by a river, and a handwritten note that said "For the shipment. Do not go to the apartment. I will find you." How did a cautious 23-year-old social work student end up driving to a lonely trail before sunrise to leave that money? Who was the man she thought she trusted?

    In this episode, we follow the timeline from the first handwritten letter to the mailbox drop and the discoveries that followed. You will hear how the correspondence began, the steps investigators took, and the unanswered question about the method that persuaded Janet Lawson to act.

    Person: Janet Lawson
    Date: October 9, 2019 at 7:41 AM
    Amount: $4,300 in cash
    Location: Keswick River Trail, six feet from the river bank
    Correspondence: 41 handwritten letters postmarked from Accra found in a shoebox under her bed

    - Janet Lawson was 23 years old and lived alone in a studio apartment on Delaney Street.
    - Janet kept a 3.4 grade point average while finishing social work studies at Clover State University.
    - The first letter arrived nine days after the NGO email that initiated the pen-pal match in September 2017.
    - Keith Price opened a cash-paid mail drop box in Accra in August 2017, nine days before the fake NGO email was sent.
    - Investigators found 41 handwritten letters, each postmarked from Accra, among Janet’s belongings.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    19 分
  • The Laminated Card: How "Alan" Bought Jean's Trust-and $9,000

    The Laminated Card: How "Alan" Bought Jean's Trust-and $9,000
    2026/09/04
    The Laminated Card: How "Alan" Bought Jean's Trust-and $9,000

    A laminated index card with a handwritten code stuck to an electrical panel became the last visible trace of a year-long online romance that cost a teacher $9,000. The card read “For Alan - the code is 1-9-8-4, same as always. I trust you completely. - J.” Who wrote it, and why was it left on a house in Draper Falls?

    In this episode, we tell how a thirty-eight-year-old fifth grade teacher named Jean Brooks met someone calling himself Alan Moore online, how their messages unfolded over thirteen months, and how small, specific money requests led to transfers totalling $9,000-so what exactly broke the pattern and left that card as evidence?

    Person: Jean Brooks
    Age: 38
    Location: Norwood Terrace, Draper Falls, Ohio
    Amount: $9,000
    Timeline: August 2017 to November 2017 (first requests), correspondence continued thirteen months

    - Jean bought a house in cash on Norwood Terrace and moved in with her cat, Biscuit.
    - Jean created an online profile in August 2017; eleven days later she received a message from “Alan Moore.”
    - Alan’s profile claimed he was an architect based in Portland, Oregon, deaf since birth, working on a long-term contract in West Africa.
    - Between October and November 2017 Jean sent irregular transfers that totalled $9,000 after four financial requests.
    - A laminated index card reading the code 1-9-8-4 with the signature “- J.” was found pressed to an electrical panel and later placed into an evidence bag.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    19 分
  • He Loved Woodworking - Then He Lost $74,000 to a Stranger

    He Loved Woodworking - Then He Lost $74,000 to a Stranger
    2026/09/03
    He Loved Woodworking - Then He Lost $74,000 to a Stranger

    A retired woodworker vanished from his own kitchen while a fresh pot of coffee dripped - and he had already sent $74,000 to a man who did not exist. How did four months of online trust, a fake profile built from three strangers, and one voicemail lead Roger Callahan out the door and into disappearance?

    In this episode, we follow the timeline from a Facebook friend request to the morning Roger’s truck was gone and his wallet left on the dresser, tracing the clues investigators used to link a fabricated identity to a man in Louisville and the financial trail that followed. What convinced a cautious, routine-minded 62-year-old to walk out with a voicemail and never return?

    Person: Roger Callahan
    Date: August 8, 2019
    Age: 62
    Amount: $74,000
    Location: Birchdale Avenue, Kemper

    - Roger’s coffee pot was brewing and a full pot was hot when Michelle Smith arrived at 9:14 a.m.
    - Roger had accepted a Facebook friend request from “Daniel Harwick” in April 2019 and spoke with him daily for four months.
    - The profile photo used Steve Nowak’s images, which Nowak had complained were used without authorization about eight months earlier.
    - The fake biography combined details from Alan Morse’s biography and emotional language from Tom Biel’s widower blog.
    - Neil Bell, age 44, renting in Louisville, was identified as the man who built the false identity.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    19 分