Mariana van Zeller to expose romance scams in new documentary

National Geographic journalist Mariana van Zeller will go undercover in the new documentary “Super Scam Me,” premiering October 17 on National Geographic, Disney+, and Hulu. The investigation aims to expose the romance scam industry, which has reportedly stolen more than $1 billion from American victims in 2025 alone.

In the documentary, van Zeller creates a fake online dating persona and collaborates with a white-hat hacker to identify and confront a scammer posing as a four-star general. The special highlights the psychological manipulation used by criminals and the role of generative AI in making these scams more sophisticated. The film also features interviews with victims, including one individual who faced home foreclosure after being deceived by a scammer impersonating Jon Bon Jovi.