Financial scams are often harder to detect than they appear. Whether it is small-town cyber traps or billion-dollar corporate fraud, these schemes thrive on power, ambition, and carefully crafted credibility. Over the years, Netflix has chronicled such stories in sharp detail. In doing so, it reveals how these cons are created, who they benefit, and, eventually, how they collapse. Both gripping and cautionary, these titles underline one truth: when money, power, and ego collide, the fallout is never small. Here are five Netflix shows and documentaries that expose the dark underbelly of financial fraud.
Bad Boy Billionaires: India
A Close Look at India’s Biggest Business Scams
To begin with, the investigative docuseries concludes with its fourth and final episode, Riding the Tiger, which revisits the Satyam scandal—often dubbed India’s Enron. The episode centres on Ramalinga Raju, once celebrated as Hyderabad’s ethical business icon. It traces Satyam’s rise from its founding in 1987 to its dominance in the global IT space. However, the illusion shattered when Raju admitted to inflating cash and bank balances by over $1.5 billion (approximately ₹7,000 crore). Moreover, earlier episodes examine the financial wrongdoings of Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, and Subrata Roy, making the series a sweeping account of corporate deception.
Jamtara: Sabka Number Ayega
Inside India’s Phishing Capital
Meanwhile, set in a quiet town in Jharkhand, Jamtara pulls back the curtain on organised cyber fraud. Young men turn cold calls into fast money, targeting unsuspecting victims across the country. What begins as a small-time hustle soon escalates into a dangerous ecosystem involving politicians, middlemen, and rival gangs. As a result, the series effectively shows how cyber scams became scalable, ruthless, and deeply embedded in everyday life.
Inventing Anna
When Confidence Turned Into Currency
Similarly, inspired by real events, Inventing Anna follows Anna Delvey, who posed as a wealthy German heiress to gain access to New York’s elite circles. Stylish yet deeply unsettling, the series explores how charm, confidence, and social access can be weaponised into financial fraud. In turn, it raises uncomfortable questions about privilege, perception, and who society chooses to believe.
The Tinder Swindler
When Love Became a Financial Trap
In contrast, this true-crime documentary focuses on a modern conman who exploited dating apps to emotionally and financially manipulate women. By blending romance with deception, the film highlights how scams have evolved in the digital age. Trust is built quickly, exploited even faster, and the consequences are devastating.
Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street
The Biggest Ponzi Scheme in History
Finally, this docuseries charts the rise and fall of Bernie Madoff, once among Wall Street’s most trusted insiders. Madoff orchestrated the largest Ponzi scheme ever, siphoning off billions by promising consistent returns. Ultimately, the series exposes how reputation, blind faith, and regulatory lapses allowed the fraud to continue unchecked for decades.
Stream these titles on Netflix to explore stories where big money meets even bigger lies—and where the truth, sooner or later, always catches up.
