ARD-alpha 2026 - 1 season 3 eps Returning series

Kings of Scam

Name: Kings of Scam
Genre: Documentary, Crime
Cast: Julia Schweinberger

2026 - 1 season 3 eps

Season 1

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Season 1

All episodes

30 min

S1 · E1 · Apr 1, 2026

You have mail Episode 1

Smishing messages in many languages lure victims with alleged package problems in order to steal credit card data via fake links; the scammers earn billions. Two Norwegian hackers penetrate the scammers' software, discover a Telegram chat group, and observe for a year until a scammer reveals too much.

30 min

S1 · E2 · Apr 1, 2026

One Night in Bangkok Episode 2

"Magic Cat" is Chinese scammer software; young men boast in a Chinese Telegram group about stolen credit cards, luxury goods, and cars; a user leads to clues in Bangkok and California, and reporters confront the perpetrators and examine their motives.

30 min

S1 · E3 · Apr 1, 2026

Cat and Mouse Episode 3

The DHL scam investigation leads to China: the developer and many scammers are based there, government countermeasures appear weak, and refunds for victims are difficult; after release, the developer disappears and "Magic Cat" goes offline, but the cat-and-mouse game continues.

3 episodes in Season 1

Some details come from TheTVDB.

Smishing attacks often begin with fake package notifications that lead to fraudulent links; this is how hundreds of thousands of victims are scammed, their credit card data stolen. The documentary investigates this multi-billion-dollar fraud network, the luxurious lifestyles of those involved, and the software used, "Magic Cat." The BR's investigative team follows leads in an internal Telegram group and reconstructs connections to China, Thailand, and the USA.

Documentary Crime

Where to watch

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Not on any streaming service in United States, and not available to rent.

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Cast

1 person

Julia Schweinberger

Self - Narrator

Julia Schweinberger Writer · Lena Walbrunn Writer · Alexander Nabert Writer

Writer

Julia Schweinberger

Writer

Lena Walbrunn

Writer

Alexander Nabert

Total runtime 1h 30m · Episode length 30 min · Type Documentary

Show info

Premiered

April 1, 2026

Status

Returning series

Network

ARD-alpha

Country

Germany

Type

Documentary

Episode length

30 min

Total runtime

1h 30m

Original language

German

Production

Germany

Produced in

Languages

Original title

Kings of Scam - Millionen mit Fake-SMS

Spoken on screen

English · German

Some details come from TheTVDB.

Kings of Scam