GoKawiilNational Geographic's Super Scam Me documentary tracks romance scam operations
Investigative journalist Mariana van Zeller's new documentary Super Scam Me, premiering on National Geographic and streaming on Disney+ and Hulu, examines how romance scammers manipulate victims online. The film follows van Zeller posing as a scam target herself and working with an ethical hacker to expose a scammer impersonating Jon Bon Jovi on Instagram.
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The FTC says romance scams cost Americans nearly $1.5 billion annually, often targeting isolated older women, and Experian has forecast that AI will make such scams more convincing going forward. By documenting the scam process rather than just a single victim's account, the film could help the public recognize warning signs earlier, though most victims currently never recover lost funds.
- Super Scam Me premieres on National Geographic and streams on Disney+ and Hulu.
- Romance scams cause nearly $1.5 billion in annual US losses, per the FTC.
- The documentary shows journalist Mariana van Zeller posing as a target and using an ethical hacker to confront a scammer impersonating Jon Bon Jovi.
Source: arstechnica.com, 2026-10-16
Published there as: “Super Scam Me documentary shows what it takes to catch a romance scammer”
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