TV Review: Mariana van Zeller Swipes Right on a Scammer in Nat Geo’s “Super Scam Me”

How many missed calls do you get from unknown numbers trying to grant you a loan? Scams are a daily part of our lives, and few people are educating the world about them like Mariana van Zeller. The award-winning journalist behind National Geographic’s Trafficked is back with a new investigative special, Super Scam Me, exploring romance scams.

Going undercover as “Mary Zell,” Mariana enters the world of app dating in search of a scammer, and it doesn’t take long to find one. After reverse-image searching his photos and experiencing a deepfake video call, she enlists experts to unmask her scammer and confront them face-to-face.

At the emotional core of the story is Leslie, a single woman in Louisiana and lifelong Jon Bon Jovi fan. When the “world-famous rockstar” messaged her from a backup account, even sending a video message for her, she was duped into sending him a lot of money for the opportunity to meet him, one that never actually came. As Mariana baits her scammer, she also tries to help Leslie with hers.

With help from cybersecurity expert Arman, Mariana and Leslie uncover who their scammers are. Along the way, Mariana exposes the intricacies of these networks and the unknowing participants who help them thrive. Fans of Traicked know van Zeller’s heroism, but her international trip to meet her scammer face-to-face is another example of her tireless commitment to uncovering these stories.

As modern scamming becomes harder to detect thanks to advances in AI, Super Scam Me also has a fun narrative trick up its sleeve. A smooth-talking AI cat occasionally narrates, showing the audience how easy it is to make a realistic video that can trick a lonely person in search of love into helping someone they thought was in desperate need.

I give Super Scam Me 5 out of 5 stars.

Super Scam Me premieres October 17th at 9:00 pm on National Geographic, streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.