Episode 0

**About this series**: **THE INSTASCAMMER** is an audio documentary based on interviews, recordings, documents and public records. The experiences you hear are the accounts of the people who lived them. Where possible we distinguish personal testimony from expert opinion and verified records. Some names and identifying details have been changed to protect contributors and third parties. Any ongoing legal matters referenced are just that - ongoing; we do not speculate on outcomes, and nothing in this series should be understood as a statement of criminal guilt. When we use the term "Insta Scammer" we are not alleging a criminal conviction. Have you experienced something like this? **Support & resources:** If anything in this episode resonates with your own experience, you are not alone, and help is available. - Recovering from a cult or coercive group: **R.A.I.S.E. CIC (UK)** — cultic-abuse support and peer-led recovery — recoverautonomy.org. - Internationally: the **International Cultic Studies Association** — internationalculticstudies.org, hello@internationalculticstudies.org. - If you've lost a loved one to a cult or coercion: **The Family Survival Trust** (UK) — thefamilysurvivaltrust.org/support. - Childhood or sexual abuse: US — RAINN, 1-800-656-4673 (24/7). UK — NAPAC, 0808 801 0331. - In emotional distress or crisis (including suicidal thoughts): UK & ROI — Samaritans, free on 116 123, 24/7. US — 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, call or text 988, 24/7. - Domestic abuse or coercive control: UK — National Domestic Abuse Helpline (Refuge), 0808 2000 247, 24/7. US — National Domestic Violence Hotline, 1-800-799-7233. (If you are in immediate danger, contact your local emergency number.) **Verification & evidence:** Much of what is described in this series is supported by recordings, documents, court filings and public records. If you are a journalist, researcher, or someone personally affected and you would like to verify what you've heard, you can reach the production at cultvaultpodcast@gmail.com. **A note on names:** To protect the privacy and safety of contributors and their families, some names and identifying details have been changed. Where individuals appear under their real names, they have consented to do so.