Scam City with host Connor Woodman has returned for its 2nd season on the National Geographic channel is slicker than season 1 making it a worth watch particularly for travelers the problem is the show might be sued for being a scam - Scam City photo

Video Beat Part 2 - IS TV's SCAM CITY A SCAM?

James Loving - National Radio Text Service

The Scam City series televised on the National Geographic Channel in East Asia is accused of staging events and hiring actors to portray con artists in one of its episodes. The question of integrity was raised and the show is subject to being sued. The bottom line is the show does depict how tourists are and can be ripped off during their travels. Scam City remains a WORTH WATCH but in the end it's UP TO YOU - Recommended TV Listings

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

ARE WE BEING DUPED?

Last season we were impressed with the television series Scam City in which its host Englishman, Connor Woodman visits cities around the world seeking to be scammed. The objective is to create a TV show about scams around the world with him being the fall guy as he says he gets scammed so you won't have to.

Currently in its second season and televised on the National Geographic Channel the show has been experiencing its own problems as being accused of being scammers themselves by staging events and hiring actors to do so.

One of the most memorable shows last season was Woodman being taken to clubs in Prague, Czech Republic by a taxi driver. Once inside he was approached by a lovely lady who offered him to come into a back room with her. After doing so he was strong armed by a beefy thug/employee that informed him to get out of the club he must pay. I don't recall the exact fee but it was at least the equivalent of US $500 OR MORE.

Woodman was told if he didn't have the money he would be physically harmed. He was offered an escort to an ATM machine to withdraw the funds. Later in the show they focused on a young tourist that it was obvious he had no money and was set free for $100. It was later revealed that the taxi driver worked with the clubs and received a commission for each customer that was ripped off.

That show stood out as much as another filmed in Buenos Aires, Argentina targeting scams involving counterfeit money, pick pocketing, clip joints, vice girls and taxi scams. Most prevalent was the counterfeit money scam. When he went after counterfters one scene depicted men in Halloween type masks with weapons telling Woodman how their fake money scams worked and revealed that the police and money changers were involved.

We estimate that 80% of the Scam City content is interesting and offers a perspective to what problems tourists can run into, many of which we have encountered. The Prague episode raised some eyebrows of some government officials.

According to Prague's criminal police department, all events depicted in the Prague episode were staged and the scammers were actually hired actors, as Czech Prima TV first revealed on October 2013. The Prague Police spokesperson, Ms. Jana Rösslerová, happened to see the episode on TV and immediately informed her colleagues. The Prague Police started to investigate the "crimes" depicted in the episode. They found and interrogated people featured in the documentary and checked all places where the crimes should have taken place.

The result of their work was discovery that the whole reportage was fiction and staff shooting the documentary hired actors and extras for the roles of scammers. According to the police, the night-club presented as a place with prostitutes and blackmailers has been closed for several years and the company Eurotaxi, used in the document as an example of taxi overpricing in Prague, went bankrupt in 2011, a year before the show was created.

Woodman was requested by local police to give an explanation, yet he refused to do so stating he was too busy, and Interpol was requested for assistance in this matter. The city of Prague is, as of October 2013, considering taking legal actions against National Geographic for damaging its reputation.

National Geographic Channel insists that the documentary is not a fake, and that all persons depicted in the documentary were informed after the filming.

Other episodes depict tricks that prostitutes use in drugging their victims and robbing them as well as working with a male partner to assist them. We previously published a story regarding an Italian tourist being drugged by Bangkok prostitute who had the drug on her breasts. The result of his doing his business was he passed out and awoke finding a man with a knife above him. The man cut the tourist's money belt from his body cutting him slightly.

This show is a WORTH WATCH regardless of the staged charges by Prague officials as we have personally been involved or witnessed at least 50% of the stories that Scam City covers. The bottom line is IT'S UP TO YOU.

New episodes air Tuesday nights with repeats throughout the week on the National Geographic Channel. In Australia, Scam City is shown on subscription TV channel Nat Geo Adventure, which airs on channel 628 on the Foxtel network.

Part 3 - POLICE WOMEN OF BROWARD COUNTY & SAINT HOODS

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