He said it could save lives. It didn’t. It couldn’t even find golf balls…
Jim McCormick was a cocky English salesman with an outrageous claim: a black plastic gadget that could sniff out bombs using “electromagnetic energy.” The science was pure fiction. But in the panic after 9/11, governments bought the lie - paying up to $60,000 for a device that started life as a $20 novelty golf-ball finder.
McCormick sold hope to armies and security forces across the globe. But hope turned deadly. Behind the deals were fragmented friendships, betrayals, and a truth so dangerous it would take years to drag into the light.
Alice Levine uncovers the jaw-dropping story of a con that cost countless lives - and the unlikely people who stopped at nothing to uncover the truth.
Explosive Lies is a Global Original podcast, produced by Forest Sounds in partnership with Dentsu Entertainment.
As per usual, Suruthi and Hannah provide a thorough, sensitive and witty insight into the seemingly inexplicable nature of certain twisted human behaviours. It is also a compassionate tale of the victims who chose to believe in hope and trust when they were in truly dire straits. Brilliantly produced. A really great listen.
2024-02-21
Interesting
Hello. Thank you for your investigation and the potential help it can bring the damaged victims… especially the immigrants hoping for a visa..as we can all guess how difficult it is to be so vulnerable in today’s society…
I was curious to know if there were any medical investigation on the scammer personality? She does fit the profile of a sociopath… unable to feel emotions not regrets, and yet able to mimic people’s reactions and emotions so well that at one point they feel understood or seen by this manipulative personality. Also the repetition of her scam over and over …only to waste the money power gained… and make the victims feel inferior or responsible for the consequences… that screams narcissistic personality.. yet you barely mention it….
