In this issue

The pandemic has been a boon to scammers.
You’ll find those stories here, plus heists that will thrill, enrage, and entertain you.

DRINK YOUR BLEACH
A “miracle cure” sickened people around the world—while building up one family’s bankbook.

HUSHPUPPI, WE HARDLY KNEW YE
Ray Abbas’s influencer life was the envy of millions. The FBI says a simple con paid for it..

GREAT ARTISTS STEAL

Certain things are expected in a good heist show—and the Netflix hit Lupin does those things with style. It also has an extra je ne sais quoi, in the person of French star Omar Sy

10+ mins

THE CHURCH OF BLEACH

Mark Grenon and his sons earned a small fortune selling a “miracle” tonic made with chlorine dioxide and labeled a religious sacrament. Then a SWAT team came calling

10+ mins

HOW TO KNOCK OFF A BILLION-DOLLAR BRAND AND GET AWAY WITH IT (FOR A WHILE)

At the January 2016 Pitti Uomo, the twice-yearly trade fair in Florence, Italy, where trendspotters soak up the latest in men’s fashion from around the globe, a crew of young people paraded through the 16th century Fortezza da Basso to promote sweatshirts and caps with the word “Supreme” in bold white Futura font on a bright red background.

4 mins

WHERE DID MARCOS HIDE HIS MONEY?

Almost 30 years ago, a court ruled that victims of the Ferdinand Marcos regime should be compensated from a stolen fortune estimated to be worth up to $10 billion. The funds were very well-stashed

10+ mins

THE XBOX CHEAT

Microsoft operates a sort of digital bank, which handles millions, if not billions, of dollars each year. One of the company’s junior engineers figured out how to rob it

10+ mins

THE FALL OF THE BILLIONAIRE GUCCI MASTER

To millions of fans, Ramon Abbas was a self-made influencer synonymous with luxury. To the FBI, he was the man behind scams hoping to net hundreds of millions of dollars

10+ mins

DON'T SUE ME LIKE THAT

The story of a small-time rock photographer who became a big-time copyright troll

2 mins

THE ‘JUICE MAN' AND THE JOCKEY CLUB

After a rash of suspicious wins, investigators started to probe horse racing. Eventually, 29 people would be indicted in a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud bettors

10+ mins

Read all stories from Bloomberg Businessweek US

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