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Romance scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and National Geographic is taking viewers deep inside the world of online deception with its upcoming investigative documentary special Super Scam Me.
The one-hour special follows Emmy Award-winning journalist Mariana van Zeller as she takes an unconventional approach to investigating romance scammers: she creates a fake online dating identity and deliberately puts herself in the position of a potential victim.
The newly released trailer gives audiences a glimpse at the dangerous experiment, which sees van Zeller attempting to understand how scammers establish trust, manipulate their targets and eventually turn seemingly genuine relationships into financial schemes.
The investigation also explores how generative AI is making romance scams more difficult to identify, with technology increasingly being used to create convincing identities, images and communications.
According to National Geographic, romance scammers stole more than $1 billion from American victims in 2025, highlighting the enormous financial impact of the crime.
Mariana van Zeller Goes Undercover
Rather than simply reporting on the phenomenon from the outside, van Zeller puts herself directly into the investigation.
After creating her new dating persona, she begins communicating with suspected scammers. One particularly persistent individual claims to be a four-star general and eventually starts sending her instructions on how to use a Bitcoin ATM.
The investigation takes an even more unexpected turn when van Zeller joins forces with a white-hat hacker. Together, they attempt to uncover the scammer’s real identity and determine where he is operating from.
Eventually, van Zeller attempts to take the investigation offline and confront the individual face-to-face.
The documentary also gives a voice to people who have experienced the devastating consequences of romance scams firsthand. One woman featured in the special believed she was romantically involved with music icon Jon Bon Jovi, only to discover that the relationship was based on deception. The financial fallout was severe enough to leave her facing the loss of her home.
For van Zeller, the project represents an extension of her previous reporting on the international scam industry. Her National Geographic series Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller has previously examined romance scammers operating between countries including the United States and Ghana.
With Super Scam Me, however, she moves from investigating the victims and scammers to experiencing the tactics herself.
Super Scam Me premieres October 17 at 9 p.m. ET on National Geographic, with the special also streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
The trailer promises a timely investigation into an increasingly sophisticated form of online crime, while exploring just how easily technology, emotional manipulation and the search for connection can be combined to devastating effect.
