Featured Image Credit: Netflix
We've come across a fair few audacious scams in our day.
Whether it's Anna Delvey posing as a Russian heiress or the Tinder Swindler's lies, there's something so gripping about a good scam - even if it leaves us screaming at the TV.
The latest addition to this unholy pantheon of scam stories? It's got to be Netflix's latest documentary, Bitconned.
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It delves into the rise and fall of Centra Tech, a cryptocurrency firm that according to the Department of Justice scammed victims out of more than $25 million worth of digital funds - shaking the industry to its core.
The trailer is narrated by Ray Trapani - one of the company's co-founders - who audaciously proclaims: "Ever since I was a kid I've always wanted to be a criminal”.
Yeah, that pretty much sets the tone for the whole documentary.
Trapani founded the company alongside Sohrab Sharma and Robert Farkas in 2017, promising customers a debit card for cryptocurrency transactions - meaning you could spend Bitcoin as easily as swiping a Visa or Mastercard.
The problem? It was all fake - but that didn't stop investors pouring money into the company.
In the film, Trapani says: "Crypto [was] just this new unfound territory, completely unregulated by the SEC.
"Anytime you find a market like that, you just have to figure out how to exploit [it]."
As you've probably guessed, the scam didn't last forever - but we'll let you watch it yourself to find out what happens.
And the people who have already seen this buzzy new doc can't believe their eyes.
One X user proclaimed it made their "blood boil" and another said it left them "speechless".
An X user posted: "The ending of that Bitconned doc on Netflix will make you go, 'Are you kidding me?' But then you'll be like, 'Of course'."
That ending really is getting people talking: "Watching Bitconned and oh god, this documentary pulled off the best twist reveal I've seen a documentary do in a while. I'm not spoiling it, but it's f**king perfect."
While it is peak hate-watching entertainment, one X user saw it as a teachable moment, writing: "Watch #Bitconned when you can. It’s on Netflix. A lot to learn.
"From how influencers can lie for money to not just thinking every tech is a unicorn to invest in. To how you can’t just trust anyone. And I mean anyone."
