The first four words we hear are perfect for what follows: “I’m searching for something.” They’re spoken by Smith, the villainous subject of the series, but they apply to various aspects of this project. At its core, “Love Fraud” is about women who were searching for love, companionship, something to break them from their routine. Smith himself claims to be searching for similar things but he’s really just out for profit, bilking women across the heartland of the country. And then “Love Fraud” takes that concept a step further, focusing on the search for Smith as investigators, victims, and the filmmakers stalk the con man across the country.
As “Love Fraud” makes clear in its first episode, Richard Scott Smith is a prodigious con man. He has assumed multiple identities, married several women, and then stolen everything he can from them. He has ripped apart families and destroyed savings accounts. He has even opened businesses with people, only to drain them of as much money as possible, leaving his partner with insane degrees of debt. In the first episode, a childhood friends speaks about how a young Smith used to get off on juggling multiple girlfriends at the same time just to see if he could get away with it. If you currently have a friend like this, keep an eye on him—it could get much worse.
For the most part, Ewing and Grady tell their story through the women that Smith defrauded and betrayed, and they make so many smart decisions along the way. First, there’s a mastery of tone here in terms of interview skills. “Love Fraud” could have easily become a dirge of destruction, hearing stories of the most painful relationship in the lives of these women over and over again. Imagine not only losing everything you have but to someone who you believe loved you. These women repeatedly make clear that they felt love and gave love to Smith before he turned to Mr. Hyde and destroyed their lives.
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