The true crime genre may have mostly moved on from its days of grisly murders and gory descriptions, but our obsession with stories about conmen (and women) continues to grow.

So, when we heard that BBC Radio 4 had a new con-related podcast on the way – a follow-up to its hit series Fake Heiress, no less – it’s safe to say we were very intrigued.

Written and reported by journalist Vicky Baker, Fake Psychic tells the story of Lamar Keene, a renowned American psychic who came to be known as the Prince of Spiritualists.  

But Keene wasn’t exactly who he said he was. In fact, he was a complete fraud, who used a variety of physical and psychological tricks to con vulnerable people out of their money.

While that would be a pretty wild story on its own, Keene’s fraudulent business is just the start of his story. 

Because Keene didn’t get ‘exposed’ in the way you might expect. In fact, he exposed himself – in a tell-all 1976 book in which he claimed he had been working as part of an underground network of fraudulent psychics, clairvoyants and mediums.

He referred to it as the ‘psychic mafia’ – and said that his confession made him a marked man. 

In a six-part series that mixes documentary with drama, Baker takes a deep dive into Keene’s career – and sets out to answer a number of big questions.

As the series’ synopsis asks: “How much can we trust the revelations of a self-confessed conman? How much of Lamar Keene’s extraordinary story is really true? And what can it tell us about how our emotions affect belief and our susceptibility to misinformation?”

If one thing’s for sure, this stranger-than-fiction story is the perfect way to spice up your commute as you return to the office. And with all six episodes of Fake Psychic available to download now, you can get started straight away. What are you waiting for? 

Fake Psychic is available to stream on BBC Sounds now

Image: BBC