Narrator/Denise Chan

A physical punishment. Like a beating. So Jane just tried her best. Seven days a week with maybe one day of rest a month.

A physical punishment. Like a beating. So Jane just tried her best. Seven days a week with maybe one day of rest a month.

Max, on the other hand, scraped by, hitting just the minimum to avoid punishment. His biggest scam was about $12,000. But even as they slowly got used to it, the guilt weighed on them. Max would spend his time between shifts trying to get his mind off the job. Drink a beer or two, call his girlfriend, try to erase his day. He didn't want to do any of this.

Max, on the other hand, scraped by, hitting just the minimum to avoid punishment. His biggest scam was about $12,000. But even as they slowly got used to it, the guilt weighed on them. Max would spend his time between shifts trying to get his mind off the job. Drink a beer or two, call his girlfriend, try to erase his day. He didn't want to do any of this.

But to survive, he had to do what they told him. And all he could do was hope that Charlie would find a way to get him out soon.

But to survive, he had to do what they told him. And all he could do was hope that Charlie would find a way to get him out soon.

But Charlie was already 10 steps ahead of him. From the moment she'd heard Max was in trouble, she knew she was responsible.

But Charlie was already 10 steps ahead of him. From the moment she'd heard Max was in trouble, she knew she was responsible.

Charlie had created this mess, and she knew she had to find a way to clean it up.

Charlie had created this mess, and she knew she had to find a way to clean it up.

Factories were created for peak optimization, to scale the output of our labor to its maximum and beyond. We've gone from working alone, to working in small groups, to mega factories of workers laboring day and night to build or package or assemble an incredible volume of product. Amounts that just a generation or two ago would have been unthinkable.

Factories were created for peak optimization, to scale the output of our labor to its maximum and beyond. We've gone from working alone, to working in small groups, to mega factories of workers laboring day and night to build or package or assemble an incredible volume of product. Amounts that just a generation or two ago would have been unthinkable.

And in a similar way, scamming has also transformed, from a single scam artist targeting small groups to something much bigger in scale. Now there are scam factories whose output is astronomical, whose revenue rivals some of the biggest companies on the planet. And these factories are built on the backs of regular people.

And in a similar way, scamming has also transformed, from a single scam artist targeting small groups to something much bigger in scale. Now there are scam factories whose output is astronomical, whose revenue rivals some of the biggest companies on the planet. And these factories are built on the backs of regular people.

Regular people who have been armed with a script, a formula that teaches them to persuade others into terrible situations. Regular people who get pretty good at scamming because the formula works. Because human beings are, by and large, wired to give trust and to earn trust. And once they have someone's trust, they can do almost anything.

Regular people who have been armed with a script, a formula that teaches them to persuade others into terrible situations. Regular people who get pretty good at scamming because the formula works. Because human beings are, by and large, wired to give trust and to earn trust. And once they have someone's trust, they can do almost anything.

And they will in order to survive until they can find a way out of this hell. This season on Scam Factory...

And they will in order to survive until they can find a way out of this hell. This season on Scam Factory...

Follow Scam Factory on the Wondery app, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Before you go, tell us about yourself by completing a short survey at wondery.com. If you have a tip about a story you think we should investigate, please write to us at wondery.com.

Follow Scam Factory on the Wondery app, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Before you go, tell us about yourself by completing a short survey at wondery.com. If you have a tip about a story you think we should investigate, please write to us at wondery.com.