The Best Documentaries about Scandal, Fraud, and the Art of the Con

Posted on March 30, 2019August 18, 2020 by ngschilling

Nothing beats a great scandal documentary about fraud, cheats, or the art of the con. Whether it’s a greedy entrepreneur, a deceptive imposter, or an entire organized conspiracy, it’s always mind-blowing to see how far some people will go to get what they want.

And that is exactly what you get in these scandal-filled documentaries. They feature liars, cheats, con artists, and deceptors on such a grand scale that the only option was to create an entire film based around their story…and they are all stories you’ll never forget!

So sit back and enjoy – it’s definitely time to update your queue! These scandal documentaries are going to totally blow your mind.

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These are the best documentaries about fraud, scandal, and con artists. They're all mind-blowing and totally worth watching. Time to update the Netflix queue!

Fyre: The Greatest Party that Never Happened

Fyre: The Greatest Party that Never Happened is one of Netflix’s newest documentaries and it will definitely keep you glued to the screen from start to finish.

It recaps the events that led up to one of the greatest “party fails” to ever exist – one that cost millions of dollars, ultimately coming out of the pockets of unsuspecting workers, fans, and unlucky subcontractors.

This scandalous Netflix documentary is also different from the rest because it tells of a more modern-day millennial con artist, which is something that the world is just starting to see.

This is definitely one of the best financial fraud documentaries on Netflix (if not just one of the best documentaries period) and a great production. Definitely add it to your queue!

Sour Grapes

Con men exist in every industry and where there’s money, there’s fraud. And nothing makes that clearer than Sour Grapes.

This Netflix con artist documentary dives into the high-end wine market where certain bottles can go for tens of thousands of dollars…even when they aren’t real.

And for Rudy Kurniawan, that was just too enticing.

While he was rubbing shoulders with millionaires and wine aficionados, he was defrauding them of millions with a once-in-a-lifetime wine impersonation scheme.

If you’re looking for a Netflix documentary about financial fraud AND the art of the con, then Sour Grapes is the flick for you!

At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal

Few scandals are more egregious than those carried out against children…and when it’s from a person they’re supposed to trust, it’s even worse. That is the story behind At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal.

This scandal emerged at the peak of the #MeToo movement and garnered a lot of press coverage, but there are still so many disturbing details that weren’t covered by the media.

The documentary, however, does a good job starting from the very beginning to retrace the steps that led to decades of abuse, despite countless attempts at justice.

This is a really shocking scandal documentary that you won’t forget for a long time after seeing it. Add it to your queue!

Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich

Here’s a scandal for you: brazenly manage a sex trafficking ring for you and your buddies using the local high school as your pool of victims. Not scandalous enough? How about wielding your immense power and wealth to ensure you can never be held accountable?

That was the life of Jeffrey Epstein, profiled in Netflix’s Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich. It’s a life and name we all know by now, but the details of his case are still truly shocking.

Not only does this docuseries uncover his secret life, it also shows just how corrupt some of our most trusted institutions are.

This is one of Netflix’s newest documentaries and it’s a great glimpse into a modern-day scandal that is still unfolding before our eyes.

The Imposter

The Imposter is the king of con artist documentaries, both because the scenario is so disturbing, and also because it actually worked.

In it, Frederic Bourdin tells the story of how HE HIMSELF conned an entire family into believing that he was their own missing son, Nicholas Barclay.

The story itself is unbelievable, but listening to how Bourdin pulled it off is terrifying, disturbing, and captivating.

This shocking con artist documentary is an absolute must-watch for everyone. Definitely add it to your queue!

Icarus

Icarus may be a little slow in the beginning, but KEEP WATCHING because it turns into an amazing documentary about one of the largest international scandals to hit the sports world (so good that it won an Academy Award).

The focus is on Grigory Rodchenkov, a top Russian scientist with a unique expertise in steroid use and steroid detection.

Grigory joins the documentary in a supportive role, but ends up being the main focus as real-time news starts breaking around the world.

Rodchenkov is an extremely interesting person, which makes this scandalous documentary even better than it already is.

If you’re looking for a Netflix documentary about scandal and fraud on an international level, look no further than Icarus! This is definitely one to add to your queue!

Betting on Zero

Betting on Zero is definitely one of the best financial fraud documentaries on Netflix…and proves just how hard financial fraud is to identify and prosecute.

The documentary follows billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman as he sets out to prove that mega-corporation Herbalife is a deceptive pyramid scheme.

This “noble” pursuit isn’t without personal gain though because Ackman has taken a massive short position on Herbalife…literally banking on it going bankrupt.

This is a really interesting fraud documentary that covers not only scandal and potential fraud, but also two very fascinating but different industries – investment banking and multi-level marketing.

The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley

The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley tells the scandalous tale of Theranos, one of Silicon Valley’s greatest hopes that crashed and burned in a pool of fraud and deception.

Led by the very misguided, yet passionate Elizabeth Holmes, Theranos was poised to completely transform the healthcare industry and give everyday people more control over their health.

The problem was that all they were really selling was a dream and a hope – the actual product was a farce that remained hidden inside the Silicon Valley walls.

This is a great HBO documentary about a con artist that managed to deceive some of the countries most powerful men and women, all in the name of better healthcare.

I hope you get a chance to watch every single one of these documentaries about scandals, frauds, and con artists! They are definitely some of the best and certainly worth adding to your queue.

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