Use BBC.com or the new BBC App to listen to BBC podcasts, Radio 4 and the World Service outside the UK.

Find out how to listen to other BBC stations

Episode details

Radio 4,09 Apr 2026,28 mins

Following the Trail

Scam Secrets

Available for over a year

A message pops up. It's a scam, you can spot that. But who sent it? Where in the world did it come from? And how has it ended up in your inbox? For this special episode of Scam Secrets, the team visit the United Nations Global Fraud Summit in Vienna. Pretty much everyone engaged in the world fight against scams is there too, from politicians and police to the biggest tech companies on the planet. Challenged by listener Catherine to find out more about the criminals who stole £200,000 from her dad in the previous episode, Shari Vahl, Dr Lis Carter and Alex Wood ask Interpol why it isn't easier to track criminals down. And the organised crime chief of the United Nations tells us how networks of global organised crime lie behind that message you received - and offers harrowing evidence of why the scammers are often victims too. PRESENTER: SHARI VAHL PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY

Programme Website
More episodes