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Swindled
American true crime podcast From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Swindled is an American true crime podcast written and hosted by an anonymous man who uses the pseudonym "A Concerned Citizen".[1] The scripted series explores the world of white-collar crime, con artists, and corporate greed.[2]
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Production
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In a Q&A with BBC News, the anonymous host, a former government worker[1] with a background in graphic design and audio production,[3] claimed the inception of the podcast was motivated by the immorality of a "capitalistic culture".[4] According to the Tampa Bay Times, "A Concerned Citizen" created Swindled after failing to find an existing podcast on similar topics.[1] The host explained to MEL Magazine that the underlying theme in all of the episodes is greed and a "social culture that values getting rich as quick as possible."[5]
Each episode begins with a prelude story to the main subject, followed by the theme music consisting of stringed and brass instruments, and then a structured narrative interspersed with archival audio, suspenseful scoring, and dry humor.[6]
In addition to the writing, research, and audio production, "A Concerned Citizen" creates all of the visual artwork for the podcast.[7] The show's music is written and performed by multi-instrumentalist Trevor Harte Howard using the moniker "Deformr".[8]
Since its inception, Swindled has remained independent of podcasting networks.[9] The podcast's advertising sales are supported by AdLarge Media based in New York, New York.[10]
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Reception
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The show has earned widespread critical acclaim. The Columbia Journalism Review called Swindled the "the funniest, most expansive, and certainly the most sui generis podcast" to grace the true-crime genre[11]. Vulture listed the series among the “52 Great True-Crime Podcasts of the post-Serial boom."[2] The Star Tribune named it one of its "10 must-listen true crime podcasts" in June 2018.[12]
The series has also been singled out internationally: The Guardian selected Swindled as its podcast "pick of the week" in September 2018[13] and WVXU highlighted the episode “The Saint” on its Start Hear program in November 2020.[14] In January 2021, Canadian culture writer Scaachi Koul included Swindled in her recommended podcasts for CBC Radio.[15]
Swindled has charted in the Top 100 podcasts in 5 countries, including Australia, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, and United States.[16]
In July 2018, true crime podcast Crime Junkie adopted Swindled's episode "The Contraceptive," covering the Dalkon Shield.[17] In a profile of Crime Junkie host Ashley Flowers, Laura Barcella of Rolling Stone magazine wrote about the episode: "Flowers is at her best when dissecting complicated cases that stink of larger cover-ups and corruption."[18]
A German translation of the series titled Schmutzige Geschäfte launched on November 19, 2018.[19] A Danish translation titled Svindlerne subsequently followed in 2020.[20]
Accolades
- Silver / Community Voice winner in the Sustainability, Environment, & Climate Awareness category at the 5th annual Anthem Awards[21]
- Listed as #10 in "Top Subscriptions" on Apple Podcasts' Best of 2021[22][23]
- Winner in the 2019 Discover Pods Awards for "Best True Crime Podcast"[24]
- Runner-up in the 2019 Discover Pods Awards for "Best Overall Podcast" [24]
- Runner-up in the 2018 Discover Pods Awards for "Best True Crime Podcast"[25]
- Finalist in the 2018 Discover Pods Awards for "Best New Podcast"[25]
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Episodes
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Season 8
Season 9
Bonus Episodes
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References
External links
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