The World's Biggest Scammers - Gabrielle Bluestone - #312

**Chris Williamson** (0:00)
Hello, friends, welcome back. My guest today is Gabrielle Bluestone. She's the executive producer of the Fyre Festival Documentary, an author and a journalist. From failed festivals to fake blood tests, the grifters and scammers of the world seem to be having their time in the spotlight right now. Today, expect to learn how Billy McFarland, the founder of Fyre Festival, has got himself into even more trouble since he's been in jail. Why Elizabeth Holmes from Theranos purposefully made her voice lower, what we learn from Mike Bloomberg's presidential campaign, whether you can influence your way to a best selling product, why we're so obsessed with these car crash individuals, and much more. I find it so compelling to follow these sort of stories on the internet. You'll have those people, friends from school or just someone that you know, who their life just seems like a slow motion train wreck, but you can't stop watching. And it feels like the individuals that we go through today are kind of the premier league players in that world. In other news, this episode is brought to you by Pure Sport CBD. The world's first nootropic-infused CBD oils are here. And I've been using Unwind, which is their relaxation and sleep CBD. I've been using it every night for the last couple of months. If you are struggling with your sleep, I highly recommend that you give this a shot. You get 1500 milligrams of CBD, you get valerian root and chamomile and lavender. It's all natural, it includes vitamin B complex. Altogether, it's having a positive impact on my sleep. I'm waking up less, I'm finding myself more rested and revitalized in the morning. If you want to give your sleep that extra little kick, Unwind by Pure Sport is a fantastic place to start. Also, they have other nootropic-infused CBDs, plus their Pure CBDs, which have been the highest quality product on the market for a very long time. They use two separate third-party companies and they test each batch. So it means that it's the highest quality, the highest caliber that is available. Plus, you can get a 20% discount from all full-priced items with the code MW20 by going to puresportcbd.com/modernwisdom.
That's puresportcbd.com/modernwisdom. This is available worldwide. They ship internationally and you get that 20% discount with the code MW20. Go and upgrade your sleep game today. In other other news, this episode is brought to you by Reebok. The gyms are reopening and it is time to get rid of some of that lockdown weight, which means that obviously you need some new gym kit. Head to reebok.co.uk and use the code MW20 for a 20% discount site-wide. That is across everything, footwear, clothing, accessories. This deal is available across all of Europe as well. If you go to reebok.co.uk, it should redirect you to wherever you need to be. You already know how much I love the Nanos for all-round training, but I recently got a brand new pair of Legacy Lifters, which are their lifting shoes. And as I'm getting back into squatting and moving some heavier weight around, I'm really enjoying the stability that they give me. So if you are stepping up your game and starting to lift a little bit more tin, have a look at the Legacy Lifters. They're fantastic. Their Myonite shorts and tops are phenomenal. Plus, they've just released a brand new set of pastel shade hoodies for guys and girls with this big Reebok logo on the front. They're sick. That's so much of their range is awesome. So head to reebok.co.uk and use that MW20 code for 20% off everything site wide. But now it's time to learn about the world's biggest scammers with Gabrielle Bluestone.
Gabrielle Bluestone, welcome to the show.

**Gabrielle Bluestone** (4:05)
Thank you so much for having me.

**Chris Williamson** (4:07)
What have you been researching for the last few years?

**Gabrielle Bluestone** (4:11)
I have been researching why people scam online and why we fall for it.

**Chris Williamson** (4:18)
Lots of examples of that to go through, I feel like.

**Gabrielle Bluestone** (4:22)
Yes, well, this all came about because I was the reporter who broke the Fyre Festival story. And for your listeners who don't know what that is, that was this luxurious music festival that was advertised as the party of the century. It had some of the world's most beloved models and influencers backing it. A lot of money put into it. And when the ticket holders arrived, it was supposed to be on this beautiful private island, flown there by private jets with luxurious catered food from celebrity chefs. And when the attendees arrived, they found a gravel pit next to a sandals resort, that ended up being more luxurious than the festival itself, with instead of these beautiful hotel rooms, it was FEMA tents and IKEA furniture. And so I set about trying to find out how the organizers, led by Billy McFarland, who was Fyre Festival CEO, how they got away with it and why it works so well. And I started to realize that it wasn't just them. These scams are going on in pretty much every walk of life, whether it's in the tech industry, in the media, on social media, even the way that we, a regular social media user is presenting themselves to our friends. We are all scamming each other and accepting what it is as reality, even though we know better. It's a really fascinating psychological profile as well as a business story.