Ep 5. Phony Phone Calls / Heavy Metal Fraud

American Greed: the Fugitives is a true-crime television series that explores the stories of infamous financial criminals who have managed to escape justice. In season 1 episode 5, titled "Phony Phone Calls / Heavy Metal Fraud," the show delves into two separate cases of white-collar crime.

The first case centers around a man named Anthony Diaz. A smooth-talking salesman, Diaz worked for a company that sold international calling cards. He convinced customers to buy his cards by promising them they could make unlimited international calls for a low flat rate. But what Diaz didn't tell these customers was that his cards only worked for a limited amount of time, and that the rates were actually much higher than advertised.

Eventually, Diaz's scam caught up with him and he was indicted on charges of wire fraud and money laundering. But instead of facing his charges in court, Diaz skipped town and went on the run. The episode follows the law enforcement officials who are still trying to track Diaz down, as well as the victims who were scammed out of their hard-earned money.

The second case involves a group of heavy metal music producers who convinced investors to put money into a music tour that never happened. The producers promised the investors that they would be able to make a profitable return on their investment thanks to ticket sales and merchandise revenue. But as it turned out, the producers didn't even have any bands signed up to perform on the tour.

When the investors began to realize they had been duped, they tried to get their money back. But the producers had already spent the funds on personal expenses and had no intention of paying anyone back. The episode explores how the investors banded together to try and bring the producers to justice, and what steps the authorities took to ensure that the investors were made whole again.

Overall, "Phony Phone Calls / Heavy Metal Fraud" is a gripping episode of American Greed: the Fugitives that showcases the lengths to which some criminals will go in order to scam innocent people out of their money. The show not only highlights the real-life financial crimes that took place, but also allows viewers to see how the law enforcement officials and victims of these crimes try to track down the perpetrators and seek justice.