Name: 10 Creepiest Cases of True Crime Fraud
Uploaded: 2026-02-01T17:04:06.000Z
Duration: 14 min 49 s
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She thought that she couldn't be held accountable, that she thought that she could tell investors anything, that she could tell institutions and financial agencies whatever she wanted to and not be held accountable.

Welcome to Watchmojo and today we're diving into 10 disturbing cases of true crime cons you won't soon forget.

And that's part of the con, the idea that you don't know how it really works.

At first glance, Nixxiom looked like just another elite self improvement program.

But it hid something chilling underneath.

It was the most inhumane, horrific way to treat anybody.

Founded in 1998, the group promised personal growth through pricey executive success seminars.

Behind the scenes, it slowly pulled members into a manipulative pyramid style fraud.

At the center was Keith Rainier, revered as vanguard, who sold himself as a genius while secretly running a criminal operation.

Students are taught about overcoming disintegrations to become more potent and less suppressive and avoiding people termed parasites or Luciferians.

The horror deepened when dos, a far more covert subgroup, was uncovered.

Presented as empowerment, it coerced women into sexual servitude, blackmailed them with personal collateral, starved them and even branded them.

Shockingly, Smallville actress Allison Mack helped recruit and control others.

Nixxiom's exposure revealed not enlightenment, but a deeply unsettling cult.

This morning, vindication for victims of so called sex cult leader Keith Ranieri.

Keith Ranieri will not be able to victimize people anymore after today's sentence and we're very grateful for that.

You know, these people thought this was their big break.

And it turned out to be their worst nightmare.

Imagine finally getting that call, promising real Hollywood work, only to realize it's part of a long con.

This fraud targeted aspiring freelancers looking for honest work.

The Queen wasn't a woman at all, but a man.

Hargobind Tahilrahmani, pulling the strings.

It turned out that who everyone thought was the Hollywood Con Queen was actually a man.

And there was just one man who had been impersonating all of these people from around 2013 to 2020.

He impersonated powerful industry executives with frightening accuracy.

Victims were flown to Indonesia at their own expense.

Then their savings were drained by fake fees, endless delays and false reimbursements.

The CRE factor skyrocketed as victims reported sexual harassment, humiliating auditions, and even violent threats.

By the time the illusion shattered, many were broke, traumatized and robbed of their Hollywood dreams.

I'll give you my word it will be solved by Wednesday next week.

She'd promised the money and that never turned up.

Obviously it's such a weird crime because it's a story of someone who just picks on your hopes and dreams and then leaves them for dust.

She said she was a sick young mum who found her salvation in wholesome foods and natural therapies.

Cons are already bad enough, but exploiting the sick and desperate, that's downright cold blooded.

In the early 2010s, Australian wellness fraudster Annabelle Gibson masterminded a con that left victims betrayed, misled and irreparably heartbroken.

She claimed she'd survived terminal brain cancer through diet and alternative therapy.

She then built an online empire with the whole Pantry app, a best selling cookbook and thousands of Instagram followers, all while promising hefty charity donations.

Along with the Schwartz family, there have been a number of charities Bell has pledged money to which have not seen a cent.

Gibson barely delivered and even infiltrated cancer support groups offering false hope, sometimes leading people to delay real treatments.

Exposed in 2015, she admitted her story was fabricated, yet has evaded full accountability.

Her victims still carry the weight of her deception while she walks free.

While she concedes she might have caused damage to others.

Extraordinarily, Belle maintains she's the real victim here.

Doubtfire scandal people will do almost anything to keep a scam going, but

In 2025, Italian authorities uncovered a pension fraud so grotesque it felt unreal.

Well, a modern day Mrs. Doubtfire with a macabre twist.

The city of Mantua in Italy's north is making headlines after an elaborate pension fraud was exposed.

A man caught dressing up as his dead mother.

A 56 year old man near Mantua concealed his mother's natural death for years, hiding her mummified body while collecting her pension and property income.

When her ID expired, he took things even further.

Dressing as her in public with makeup, jewelry and a cane to rebuild.

The little old lady is in fact a man pretending to be his mother.

On the right, her son, who dressed up as his mother and went on to pocket thousands before pension staff woke up to the ruse.

A clerk noticed the voice was off and the truth unraveled fast.

The media dubbed it the Mrs. Doubtfire scandal, though there was nothing funny about it.

Faking paperwork is one thing, but refusing to bury your own mother for money?

He still pocketed around $90,000 playing dress up before he was discovered.

She's either a mega rich German heiress or she's flat broke.

Has been taken to an audacious link with Anna Sorikin's fraud.

Better known as Anna Delvey, she posed as a German heiress with an over 60 million euro trust fund, infiltrating New York's elite and living a life of luxury.

I'm not this person who is like trying to trick her way into stuff.

Like, I just asked them and they either said yes or no.

She scammed over $200,000 through unpaid hotels, bad checks and stiffing friends.

Even Rachel Deloache Williams wasn't spared.

Anna famously left her with a $62,000 private jet bill.

Manipulating emotions, borrowing thousands and falsifying bank statements to fool even Citibank.

Arrested in 2017 and convicted in 2019, her story inspired Netflix's Inventing Anna, allowing her to monetize her notoriety.

The creepiest part, Anna weaponized her winning personality to manipulate everyone around her.

I mean, you sold the story and they bought it.

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10 Creepiest Cases of True Crime Fraud

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