He Turned His Own Father In. Then Built a Career Catching Con Artists.
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08/04/26
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William Ruzich's father stole his identity while he was deployed in Afghanistan. He came home from war at 21 to find bills, liens, and creditors in his own name. He turned his own dad in for fraud.
Then he went to work catching people just like him.
William is a private intelligence operative now, tracking down scammers, fraudsters, and people who vanish with other people's money.
Coming August 11th: The Gypsy Rose Obsession, a new free series from PRETEND. Watch the trailer and subscribe:
Kingdom Forge, a book by Anders Edwards that teaches kids about online safety, Diary of a Wimpy Kid meets Ready Player One. Check it out:
https://a.co/d/0hpgdcYx
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Previous Episode
My friend Joe sells real estate. He called me about one of his clients, a retired nurse who was selling her house, because something about her story wasn't sitting right with him. She'd lost her savings to a man named Edward Smog. Found her online, quoted her scripture, told her he was her way out of debt.
By the time I got involved, she was out a hundred and fifty grand. Now a new scammer is coming after her. She believes he's an offshore oil rig worker, and they're going to get married. I'm trying to stop him before he takes any more of her money.
If you or someone you love is being targeted, here's where to go.
- To report it, the FBI runs the Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov, and the FTC takes reports at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
- If you want to talk to a real person for free, call the National Elder Fraud Hotline run by the Department of Justice at 833-372-8311, seven days a week, 6am to 11pm Eastern. You can also reach the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 877-908-3360.
Tips for your elderly parents:
- No real grant, agency, or lottery ever asks you to pay a fee to get money.
- Gift cards, wire transfers to strangers, and crypto are how scammers get paid. Full stop.
- If you've never met someone in person on a live video call, assume you don't know who they are.
- Ask for that video call right now, not later. Take a screenshot of their photos and run a reverse image search. The excuses will tell you everything.
- And before any money moves, tell one person who loves you. Out loud. The scam only survives in the quiet.
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Next Episode
For almost five years, the Fernandez family told me their doctor's husband was terrorizing them. Threatening messages, unpaid pizza deliveries, police at the door for crimes that never happened.
Three weeks ago, Peoria police surrounded their house with a search warrant and seized every device inside. Nobody was arrested that day. Then this week, Shelbey Fernandez children was booked into a Maricopa County jail on more than thirty counts, including stalking, making a terrorist threat, and sexual exploitation of a minor.
All charges are allegations. No one has been convicted, and the case is ongoing.
Catch up on the full series here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/41KG24W8b5Lz0dzHsU3LoP?si=3aaeef5a367d4c2d
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