Alice Levine

I've got a darkly comic but deadly tale to tell you.

This is a story about a lie.

A lie so big that it likely cost countless lives and turned con artists into multi-millionaires.

It's also about what happens when you're forced to confront that lie and destroy your oldest friendship.

At the centre of this story is Jim, gift of the gab wheeler-dealer turned mastermind of this audacious con, and his long-time pal and business partner, Steve.

This scam isn't like the ones that you've heard before, targeting vulnerable people.

This one fooled governments and security services around the world, people who should definitely know better.

Incredibly, Jim convinced them that a cheap golf ball finder sold as a stocking filler was in fact a world-class, life-saving bomb detector.

He used pseudoscience to fool extremely powerful people.

With bribery and corruption on his side, Jim made an obscene fortune.

I'm talking lavish homes, a yacht, even a house from Nicolas Cage.

Would you turn them in?

Even if doing the right thing put your life on the line.

I'm Alice Levine.

From Global and Forest Sounds, this is Explosive Lies.

You can listen to each episode for free on Global Player.

Download it from the App Store or head to globalplayer.com.