Scam Secrets

Shari Vahl, Elisabeth Carter, Alex Wood

Booking Overview

An investigative interview show focused on scams, fraud prevention, cybersecurity, and the psychology of criminal deception, typically featuring specialist experts from academia, government, policing, banking, and technology alongside firsthand victim accounts. Credible pitches include fraud researchers, cybersecurity leaders, consumer-protection specialists, law-enforcement experts, and authors with substantial expertise; booking is likely high difficulty because the program favors authoritative senior professionals and operates within BBC Radio 4’s commissioning environment.

Metrics

Episodes: 32

Frequency: Weekly

Rating: 4.8/5.0

Estimated listeners: 1k-10k

Gender skew: Neutral

Location: United Kingdom

Contact Information

Publicly listed emails

podcast.support@bbc.co.uk

Looking for the right person? Join Podseeker to find direct host and producer contacts and manage your podcast outreach.

Host

Shari Vahl - BBC investigative journalist who has investigated fraud for two decades.

Elisabeth Carter - Criminologist and forensic linguist specializing in criminal techniques, language, and deception.

Alex Wood - Former criminal who now works to help prevent scams.

Booking Intelligence

Booking Requirements

high

Typical Credentials:

Senior expertise in fraud prevention, cybersecurity, criminology, policing, banking, consumer protection, or related academic research, with practical authority or direct experience addressing scams.

Required Achievements:

Leadership of a major public-sector, technology, banking, or fraud-prevention organization, Published academic research on fraud, scams, victims, or cybersecurity, Professional responsibility for protecting the public or investigating criminal activity

Recent Guest Discussions

Ollie Whitehouse - Email Security, Moving Beyond Passwords, And Passkey Technology.

Filipo Sharevski - Qr-code Scams, Phishing Links, Quishing, And Public Responses To QR Codes.

Mark Button - Fraud Reporting, Victim Experiences, And The Operation Of Report Fraud.

Recent Topics

True Crime, Fraud Prevention, Cybersecurity, Consumer Protection, Social Engineering

Episodes

Here's the recent few episodes on

Scam Secrets

The 'Money Back' Scam

September 24, 2026

Being scammed once can be a devastating, life-changing experience. But the criminals we hear about on Scam Secrets don't care about that. They'll often come back for more, with bogus offers to help you get your money back. It's known as recovery fraud, and its impact can be worse than the original crime. Often the criminals will be the same ones that stole your money in the first place.More than £200 million was stolen like this last year, according to Report Fraud. Sometimes it'll be an offi...

Mobile Handset Fraud

September 17, 2026

Being sent a shiny new phone when you weren't expecting one sounds great - but it most likely isn't. In this episode, the Scam Secrets team investigate mobile handset fraud - a widespread scam whereby criminals gain access to your telecoms account, then order new phones or tablets once inside. Shari Vahl, Elisabeth Carter and Alex Wood hear from two listeners who thought they were dealing with their mobile provider, only to find out they'd become the latest victims of this manipulative scam. ...

The Power of Your Email

September 10, 2026

What's the name of your first pet? If a question like that holds the key to your email inbox, it might be time to beef up your security. In this episode, Shari Vahl, Dr Lis Carter and Alex Wood talk about why our emails are so valuable to scammers, and hear some of the terrible things criminals will do if they can get inside. From booking a holiday to intercepting the proceeds of a house sale, they've got plenty of options. The team is also joined by Ollie Whitehouse, chief technology officer...

Publicly listed emails

podcast.support@bbc.co.uk

Looking for the right person? Join Podseeker to find direct host and producer contacts and manage your podcast outreach.

Get your clients booked on top podcasts

Try us risk free with a FREE 3 days trial.

Start Your Free Trial

Join hundreds of PR teams using Podseeker to pitch and land bookings