Scam Economy
Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Episodes
59: The Golden Age of Grift
07 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Scam Economy is back! And just in time for The Golden Age of Grift. Host Matt Binder breaks down how the cryptocurrency industry bought the 2024 elect...
58: Her: OpenAI v. Scarlett Johansson
30 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Scam Economy host Matt Binder breaks down the latest OpenAI scandal: an AI Voice Assistant that its CEO Sam Altman not so subtly tweeted "Her" about, ...
57: Crypto Number Goes Up + The AI Hype Bubble (w/ Ed Zitron of Better Offline)
07 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ed Zitron of the new podcast Better Offline joins Scam Economy with Matt Binder to discuss Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies getting some a new life ...
56: How MrBeast Inadvertently Revealed X / Twitter Monetization is Rigged
05 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
MrBeast made a quarter of a million dollars by uploading a video to Elon Musk's X and in doing so revealed just how rigged the monetization system is....
55: Sam Bankman-Fried Guilty!: The FTX Fraud Trial (w/ Molly White)
08 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Molly White of Web3 is Going Great joins Scam Economy with Matt Binder to discuss the Sam Bankman-Fried trial. Molly brings us her first hand account ...
54: The Tech Hype Bubble: VR Edition (w/ Paris Marx)
31 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Paris Marx of the Tech Won't Save Us podcast joins Scam Economy with Matt Binder to discuss one of the current big tech industry hype bubbles: VR or V...
53: Meta Launches Threads by Instagram as Elon Musk Wrecks Twitter
07 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The battle between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg officially began on Wednesday, July 5th as Meta launched Threads by Instagram, it's Twitter competito...
52: Unregistered Securities: SEC Sues Coinbase & Binance...Is This the End of Crypto in the U.S.? (w/ Molly White)
13 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Molly White, the creator of Web3 is Going Great, joins Scam Economy with Matt Binder to discuss the SEC's lawsuits against Coinbase and Binance for se...
51: Worldcoin Wants to Scan Your Eyeballs & Give You Crypto in Return: What Could Go Wrong? (w/ Leo Schwartz)
24 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Leo Schwartz, reporter at Fortune, joins Scam Economy with Matt Binder to discuss Worldcoin, the project that wants to scan the eyeballs of everyone i...
50: Elon Musk and the Twitter Blue (Check)Mark of Shame
09 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's a DOOMED / Scam Economy crossover episode! Host Matt Binder breaks down what he's been so busy with over the past few weeks: a series of reports ...
49: Orange is the New Blockchain: Crypto Crime ft. Kwon, Sun, SBF, & CZ (w/ Jacob Silverman)
06 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In honor of the indictment and arrest of Trump Card NFT founder Donald J. Trump, Scam Economy takes a look at four of the (other) biggest crypto found...
48: Bitcoin Miners Are Making Bank...But Not From Mining Crypto (w/ Jackie Sawicky)
27 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when one of the biggest cryptocurrency mining companies in the world sets up shop in your small rural American town? Jacky Sawicky, found...
47: The Fall of Silicon Valley Bank & the Crybaby Tech VCs (w/ Edward Ongweso Jr.)
15 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Edward Ongweso Jr., writer of the Tech Bubble newsletter and co-host of This Machine Kills podcast, joins Scam Economy with Matt Binder to discuss the...
46: No Banking. No Staking. No Crypto Services? (w/ Bennett Tomlin)
09 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Bennett Tomlin of Crypto Critics Corner and Protos joins Scam Economy with Matt Binder to discuss what a horrible years it's already been for crypto. ...
45: Crypto Conspicuously Absent From This Year's Super Bowl. Wonder What Happened? (w/ Brandon Sutton)
09 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One year after the Crypto Bowl, which saw many crypto companies spend big money to advertise during the Super Bowl...crypto is totally absent from thi...
44: Genesis, Gemini, and the Winklevi (w/ Ed Zitron)
26 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ed Zitron joins Scam Economy with Matt Binder to discuss Gemini Earn, the latest crypto lending program to go under and screw over customers. Ed and M...
CES 2023: The Good, The Bad, The Dystopian Tech (w/ Eoin Higgins) (Scam Economy BONUS episode)
24 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Scam Economy BONUS CES 2023 Special Edition episode: Eoin Higgins, reporter with Morning Brew, joins Matt Binder on a special DOOMED / Scam Economy co...
43: The Weirdest Frauds, Grifts, & Rug Pulls of Crypto's Hellish 2022 (w/ Molly White)
18 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Molly White of Web3 is Going Great joins Matt Binder on Scam Economy to discuss the (best? weirdest? most interesting?) worst of crypto / blockchain /...
42: From Sam Bankman-Fried to Sam Bankman-Jailed: The FTX Saga Continues (w/ Molly White)
22 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Molly White, creator of Web3 is Going Great, joins Scam Economy with Matt Binder to discuss a week jam-packed with FTX and SBF news. Molly discusses t...
41: So Many Hacks! The Myth of Blockchain Security (w/ Domingo Flores)
12 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If the blockchain is so secure...why are there so many crypto hacks? Infosec expert Domingo Flores joins Scam Economy with Matt Binder to dispel the m...
40: BlockFi BankruptcyFi: A Bizarre FTX "Bailout" Story (w/ Nikhilesh De of CoinDesk)
05 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Nikhilesh De of CoinDesk joins Scam Economy with Matt Binder to break down the fall of another crypto lending company, BlockFi. This one has a twist t...
39: FTX Conspiracies About Ukraine & Democrats Don't Add Up (w/ Sergey Vasylchuk)
21 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sergey Vasylchuk of Aid For Ukraine and CEO of Ukrainian crypto company Everstake joins Scam Economy with Matt Binder to explain why the conspiracy th...
38: Scam Bankrupt-Fraud: The Death of FTX (w/ Ed Zitron)
14 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ed Zitron joins Scam Economy with Matt Binder to discuss one of the craziest weeks in crypto. FTX goes bankrupt, billions gone, hundreds of millions p...
37: Sam Bankman-Fried is Known as Crypto's Bailout King. Is His Own Empire Broke? (w/ Mike Burgersburg)
07 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mike Burgersburg of Dirty Bubble Media joins Scam Economy to talk Sam Bankman-Fried aka SBF, founder of the crypto exchange FTX and the crypto hedge f...
36: Inside Yuga Labs: Bored Ape Yacht Club Behind-the-Scenes (w/ Yasmin Gagne and Connie Lin)
31 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Fast Company's Yasmin Gagne & Connie Lin join Scam Economy to discuss their latest piece: a sit-down with Yuga Labs to discuss the history of how ...
35: Crypto is the Future...Just Like Google Glass (w/ Quinn Myers)
21 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Quinn Myers, freelance writer and author of the new book Remember the Internet: Google Glass joins the show to discuss Google's new partnership with C...
34: RIP CNN's NFT Vault But Media's Terrible Crypto Coverage Lives On (w/ Parker Molloy)
14 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Parker Molloy of The Present Age newsletter joins Scam Economy with Matt Binder to discuss the death of CNN's little known NFT project, the CNN Vault....
33: Who'll Stop Celebrities From Unlawfully Shilling Shady Crypto & NFTs to Their Fans? (w/ Bonnie Patten)
07 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Bonnie Patten, executive director of Truth In Advertising (TINA), joins Scam Economy with Matt Binder to discuss the scourge of celebrity crypto and N...
32: GiveCrypto and the Real Goal of "Crypto Charity" (w/ Leo Schwartz)
29 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Leo Schwartz, reporter at Fortune, joins Scam Economy with Matt Binder to discuss his report on GiveCrypto, a crypto charity set up by the crypto exch...
31: One Year of Bukele's Bitcoin Law: Chaos in El Salvador (w/ Domingo Flores)
24 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This month marks the one year anniversary of El Salvador's historic Bitcoin Law, cementing the Central American country the very first country to mark...
30: The Ethereum Merge is Here. What It Means, Who's Getting Rich & Why It Won't Be You (w/ Bennett Tomlin)
15 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's finally here...Ethereum Merge Day. Bennett Tomlin of Crypto Critics Corner and Protos.com joins Scam Economy with Matt Binder to break down exact...
29: Binance and the Mystery of Who is Guangying Chen? (w/ Jacob Silverman)
09 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Journalist Jacob Silverman joins Scam Economy with Matt Binder to discuss one of the biggest mysteries surrounding the world's largest cryptocurrency ...
28: Crypto's Summer From Hell (w/ Molly White)
02 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Web3 Is Going Just Great creator Molly White returns to Scam Economy to break down crypto winter aka crypto's summer from hell with host Matt Binder. ...
Immutable and the Push to Force NFTs on Gamers (Scam Economy Live Post Show BONUS Clip)
26 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Another BONUS teaser of the Scam Economy Livestream Call-In Post Show! Jon from Australia calls BACK into the Scam Economy Livestream Post Show in ear...
27: All Your Coinbase Are Belong To Us (w/ Ed Zitron)
18 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Coinbase is America's #1 crypto exchange. Coinbase has also had a very, very bad couple of weeks. Ed Zitron joins Matt Binder on Scam Economy to discu...
Crypto Yield Rates Were Always a Red Flag (Scam Economy Live Post Show BONUS Clip)
12 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A BONUS teaser of the Scam Economy Livestream Call-In Post Show! Listener of the show, Jon from Australia, called into the Scam Economy Livestream Pos...
26: Dune and Done: The Spice DAO Saga (w/ Adi Robertson)
05 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Adi Robertson, senior reporter at The Verge, joins Scam Economy with Matt Binder to bring us on the epic journey that is Spice DAO, the decentralized ...
25: Helium is Touted as the Web3 Gold Standard. Is It All Just a Bunch of Hot Air? (w/ Liron Shapira)
30 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Angel investor Liron Shapira joins Scam Economy host Matt Binder to discuss his viral Twitter thread about the decentralized wireless network Helium, ...
24: PayWrecked: The People Who Took Their Paychecks in Crypto Regret It Now (w/ Quinn Myers)
23 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Quinn Myers, author of the upcoming book Remember the Internet Vol. 3: Google Glass, joins Scam Economy to discuss his piece for MEL Magazine about th...
23: Elon Musk Loves Cryptocurrency (But Elon and Crypto Don't Love You)
15 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Just like crypto, Elon Musk is all hype. So, they're a match made in heaven. Scam Economy host Matt Binder takes a look at Elon Musk's history of prom...
22: Bon Voyager! Your Crypto Loan Cash is Gone (w/ Ed Zitron)
08 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Yet another crypto lender, Voyager Digital, has frozen its customers' funds, pausing withdrawals, and just filed for bankruptcy. But this time, it's e...
21: Coinspiracy: How QAnon Influencers Conned Their Followers with Crypto (w/ Ernie Piper & Nick Backovic of Logically.ai)
01 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Logically.ai UK editor Ernie Piper and Senior OSINT Analyst Nick Backovic join Matt Binder on Scam Economy to discuss the tech-based anti-misinformati...
20: Damn, the Torpedoes: The Story of Celsius (w/ Mike Burgersburg/Dirty Bubble Media)
24 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mike Burgersburg of Dirty Bubble Media joins Matt Binder on Scam Economy to breakdown his reporting on the crypto lender Celsius, how they contributed...
19: Crypto Jenga Tower Collapse: Celsius & the Crypto Time Bombs (w/ David Gerard & Amy Castor)
17 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Crypto critics David Gerard & Amy Castor join Matt Binder on Scam Economy to talk about the "Jenga stack of interconnected time bombs" that is thi...
18: They Lost Everything: How the Terra Crypto Crash Ruined Lives Around the World (w/ Leo Schwartz)
10 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Leo Schwartz, reporter at Rest of World, joins Scam Economy with Matt Binder to discuss his recent piece interviewing people from around the world who...
17: Bitcoin Nazis, Ethereum Grifters: A Tale of Two Communities (Scam Economy LIVE in Brooklyn w/ Michael E. Hayden)
03 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Michael Edison Hayden of the Southern Poverty Law Center joined Matt Binder for a LIVE episode of Scam Economy as part of the Digital Void Festival: B...
16: How Wikipedia Cancelled Crypto (w/ Molly White)
20 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Longtime Wikipedia editor and Web3 is Going Great creator Molly White joins Matt Binder on Scam Economy to discuss why Wikipedia stopped taking crypto...
15: Terra, Luna, & The Crypto Crash: Everything You Need to Know (w/ Bennett Tomlin of Crypto Critics' Corner)
12 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
EMERGENCY POD! The crypto market is in a free fall. What is happening?! Bennett Tomlin of Crypto Critics' Corner joins Scam Economy with Matt Binder t...
14: Crypto Bad Ideas: Abortions on the Blockchain!? + Bored Apes Break Ethereum (w/ Molly White)
06 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Creator of Web3 is Going Great, developer Molly White joins Scam Economy with Matt Binder to discuss the insanely high Ethereum gas fees from over the...
13: Arrested for Protesting Bitcoin (w/ Mario Gomez)
29 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Salvadorian developer Mario Gomez joins Matt Binder on Scam Economy to discuss his arrest over his activism against El Salvador's Bitcoin laws, why El...
12: A/S/L/Crypto?: The Dating App Crypto Scam Scourge
22 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Looking for love? Have you been targeted by a crypto scam on a dating app? Scam Economy listeners recently called into the live post-show to share the...
11: Inside the Bizarre Bitcoin 2022 Conference (w/ Ryan Broderick)
15 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan Broderick of the Garbage Day newsletter joins Scam Economy to take host Matt Binder on a journey to the Bitcoin 2022 Conference in Miami. Ryan br...
10: Bitcoin Goes Green[washing] (w/ Leanna First-Arai)
08 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Climate and environmentalist journalist Leanna First-Arai joins Scam Economy to discuss the news that Exxon was going to help Bitcoin mining companies...
Axie Infinity, Indentured Servitude (Scam Economy Hotline LIVE Post Show Teaser Clip)
05 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's a BONUS teaser clip from the Scam Economy Hotline LIVE Post Show #9! In this clip, listener John from Australia calls in to tell us even more abo...
9: The Play to Earn Pyramid: Axie Infinity & the Dystopia That Crypto Wants (w/ Ed Zitron)
31 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Play To Earn crypto games are hyped as one of the defining products of web3, according to cryptocurrency and blockchain advocates. But, they are extre...
8: Monkey Business: Bored Ape Yacht Club, Yuga Labs, & ApeCoin (w/ Amy Castor)
25 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
NFT and cryptocurrency reporter Amy Castor joins Scam Economy for a deep dive into Yuga Labs, the company behind Bored Ape Yacht Club, and a new crypt...
7: The Crypto Grift Descends on Ukraine
18 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Scam Economy host Matt Binder breaks down how grifting cryptocurrency founders, entrepreneurs, investors, and hustlers are trying to pump their money ...
The Depravity of Randi Zuckerberg's Web3 Song (Scam Economy Post Show Teaser Clip)
15 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A freebie teaser clip from the Scam Economy Post Show Episode #6 livestream on 3/10/22: Matt gives some quick thoughts on Web3 "Pay to Earn" games aft...
6: Web3 Sucks (w/ Molly White)
11 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Molly White, software engineer, Wikipedia editor, and the creator of the website "Web3 is going just great," joins host Matt Binder on Scam Economy to...
5: NFTs Get Physical, Real Estate Gets Digital, It's All Despicable (w/ Wilfred Chan)
04 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Writer Wilfred Chan joins Matt Binder on Scam Economy to discuss his experience using an NFT vending machine, how he got scammed by it, online real es...
4: Crypto Super Bowl Ads Weren't Like the Dot Com Bubble (It's Much Worse.)
18 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Scam Economy host Matt Binder breaks down the "Crypto Bowl," the slew of cryptocurrency ads that ran during the Super Bowl. Why was there so many? Who...
3: Razzlekhan & The Great Bitfinex Heist (w/ Jack Morse)
11 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's not everyday that an eccentric NYC couple in their 30s get caught stealing billions of dollars. Jack Morse, senior tech reporter at Mashable, joi...
Scam Economy Post Show: Episode #2 (Teaser Clip!)
10 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A freebie teaser clip from the Scam Economy post show for episode #2 featuring a live call-in from a crypto fan. (Livestreamed immediately following t...
2: Cryptocurrency is a Ponzi (w/ Sohale Mortazavi)
04 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Check out Sohale Mortazavi's piece in Jacobin here:Â https://jacobinmag.com/2022/01/cryptocurrency-scam-blockchain-bitcoin-economy-decentralization
Scam Economy Post Show: Episode #1
31 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's the Scam Economy post show for episode #1 featuring live call-ins from an artist defending the NFT scene, a former cryptocurrency investor, a fel...
1: Scam Economy 101: The ABCs of Crypto (w/ David Gerard)
28 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the Scam Economy: Episode #1 with our first guest cryptocurrency journalist and author, David Gerard. Cryptocurrency? Bitcoin? Ethereum? NF...
0: Welcome to the Scam Economy
26 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Bitcoin, the Blockchain, Web3, NFTs...welcome to the Scam Economy. Host Matt Binder (The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder, DOOMED) dives into the world of...