The Hansen Files- msnbc.com

Pretending to work for a credit card company, Melvin Fagan convinced widows and widowers to hand over their account numbers and then went on a shopping spree – all while behind bars. Dateline NBC’s Chris Hansen reports in this web exclusive. Video

'If I was a pimp, I wouldn’t do that'

Vegas Undercover: Looking for a date with a… cop?

Suspect caught making fake money

An arrest of a suspected car thief

How lucky can you get?

Fast money: Car device seller's scheme unravels

Delve deeper into this investigation

Deadly Dealing

Deadly Dealing
After a 23-year-old middle-class college grad, Rachel Hoffman, gets caught with marijuana a second time, she becomes a confidential informant for the Tallahassee, Fla. police.

Remembering Rachel Hoffman

Update: Florida governor passes "Rachel's Law"

Blog: Hoffman's case a recipe for disaster

Nicholas Cosmo

Nicholas Cosmo: A Madoff in the making?
Bernard Madoff may have run the world's biggest Ponzi scheme - but many other swindlers are out there. NBC’s Chris Hansen reports on Nicholas Cosmo, who allegedly duped investors out of millions.

Need to file a claim against Agape World? Click here

FBI warning on common fraud schemes

FBI tips on avoiding securities fraud

Read the indictment filed against Nicholas Cosmo

Read the request for Cosmo to be released from May 3

Mortgage Madness

Inside the financial crisis: Mortgage madness
Dateline gets to the bottom of how bad loans and greed wrecked the U.S. economy in this hour-long investigation. Hear from Countrywide insiders and whistleblowers who have never spoken publicly before.

'If you had a pulse, we gave you a loan'

Timeline: Where did the mortgage money go?

Work from home schemes

Promises, promises: Work-from-home scams
Dateline uncovers online schemes thieves used to dupe innocent victims.

What to watch out for

Tips: How to avoid getting scammed

Web-only video: Protect yourself from scams

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Modeling school's steep price

Modeling school's steep price
Why paying thousands to get a shot at stardom doesn't always work

Parents' advice on putting kids through talent school

What it takes to be a supermodel

Modeling traps: Watch out for

Too good to be true? What to watch out for

The evictors

Checking in on an evicted family
Update: Dateline NBC revisits the family who was evicted from their home in Las Vegas last year to see how they are doing now.

Diane's broken American dream

The evictors and their victims

Locked out

Evicted Miami resident leaves home

Tough job: Evicting homes

The cross-dressing thief

Diamonds are this cross-dressing thief’s best friend
Charles Kertesz was a jewel thief with a penchant for unusual disguises. Dateline’s Chris Hansen has Kertesz’s story, which includes six successful heists… some of which he pulled off in women’s clothing.

Read the criminal complaint (.pdf)

Read the plea agreement (.pdf)

Reality Bites

Reality bites update
NBC’s Chris Hansen has an update on Gemase Simmons, the man who scammed seven people into thinking they were on the path to reality TV stardom and supermodel success. Watch the full hour here.

New web-exclusive: Fake reality show producer speaks

Reality bites for modeling hopefuls

A 'dream come true'?

Read the original report

WELCOME

About The Hansen Files

The Hansen Files is a site devoted to breaking investigative news stories on the Web, featuring Dateline NBC's Chris Hansen.

Meet Chris Hansen | Bio | Facebook profile

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