Top Documentaries To Watch to Increase Scam Awareness

Scams, whether in crypto or in mainstream finance, have defrauded millions of investors worldwide.

These documentaries about scams offer a gripping and often shocking look into the dark underbelly of the finance world.

Whether you're a crypto enthusiast, mainstream investor, or just curious about true crime and financial deception, this list includes some of our favourite scam documentaries across major streaming platforms.

Top Crypto Scam Documentaries To Add to Your Watch List

Bitconned (2024) – Netflix

The eye-opening documentary Bitconned dives into the infamous Centra Tech scam, where three young entrepreneurs exploited the unregulated nature of the early cryptocurrency market to con investors out of millions. Featuring interviews with victims and law enforcement, Bitconned is a cautionary tale about trust, hype, and greed in the wild west of crypto.

Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King (2022)

A real-life mystery thriller, this film, Trust No One, follows the bizarre story of Gerry Cotten, CEO of Canadian exchange QuadrigaCX. His sudden death led to the disappearance of $250 million in customer funds. Amateur sleuths and investors race to uncover whether it was incompetence, fraud, or something even darker.

Crypto Queen: The Onecoin Scam (2022)

This documentary, Crypto Queen, tells the jaw-dropping story of Ruja Ignatova, the mastermind behind the billion-dollar Ponzi scheme known as OneCoin. Once hailed as the "Crypto Queen," Ignatova vanished while swindling people across the globe.

RUIN: Money, Ego and Deception at FTX

This totally free Bloomberg documentary chronicles the meteoric rise and spectacular fall of Sam Bankman-Fried and his crypto empire FTX. Once seen as a visionary, SBF's downfall exposed systemic flaws in crypto regulation and governance.

Catching a Genius Hacker: The Mt. Gox Documentary

This documentary unravels the gripping tale of the infamous 2014 Mt. Gox hack, where 850,000 Bitcoins, worth nearly $500 million, vanished from the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. This thrilling documentary dives into the chaotic downfall of Mt. Gox, exploring the audacious heist, the elusive hacker behind it, and the global manhunt that followed.

Lie To Me: How One Man Exposed the OneCoin Crypto Scam

Lie to Me (2024) is a gripping documentary that follows blockchain expert Bjørn Bjercke as he exposes OneCoin, the largest crypto scam in history. Marketed as the "Bitcoin Killer," OneCoin lured millions with promises of wealth, but lacked a blockchain, revealing its fraudulent core.

Directed by Bår Tyrmi, this docu-thriller delves into greed, deception, and the psychology behind why people still fall for the scam, even after its collapse, blending personal tragedies with a global manhunt for the elusive "Cryptoqueen," Ruja Ignatova.

Biggest Heist Ever (2022)

This film recounts the dramatic Bitfinex hack, where a couple dubbed the “Bitcoin Bonnie and Clyde” stole over $72 million in Bitcoin. Their trail of digital breadcrumbs leads investigators down a rabbit hole of blockchain forensics and international crime.

Crypto Scams by National Geographic

Part of the National Geographic docuseries, this episode investigates how criminals use cryptocurrencies to launder money and fund illegal activities. A must-watch for anyone interested in the intersection of crypto and organised crime.

Other Must-Watch Financial Scandal Documentaries

Scams aren’t exclusive to the crypto industry. All industries are affected by scams. Here are some great documentaries about mainstream financial scams that have caught people out.

FYRE

The Fyre Festival, launched by entrepreneur Billy McFarland and rapper Ja Rule, was marketed as an exclusive luxury music festival in the Bahamas, complete with celebrity-chef catering, beachfront villas, and performances by top artists.

Promoted through a star-studded social media influencer campaign, tickets ranged from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars. Behind the scenes, however, the event was woefully underfunded, poorly planned, and plagued by mismanagement. Promises of a private island and high-end amenities masked the reality that the site lacked basic infrastructure, budgets were slashed, and key acts began pulling out before the festival even began.

When attendees arrived in April 2017, they found disaster relief tents instead of villas, pre-packaged cheese sandwiches instead of gourmet meals, and no reliable water, sanitation, or transport. The “cashless” payment bands proved useless without Wi-Fi, leaving many stranded and without money. Flights were cancelled, baggage was lost or stolen, and some guests were trapped in the island’s small airport without food or air conditioning. The chaos quickly drew comparisons to Lord of the Flies, and the festival was cancelled mid-crisis.

In the aftermath, McFarland faced lawsuits, criminal charges, and a six-year prison sentence for wire fraud, while hundreds of local workers went unpaid. Documentaries by Netflix and Hulu exposed the full scope of the deception, cementing the Fyre Festival as one of the most infamous scams of the decade. Even after his release from prison, McFarland continued to promote “Fyre Festival II” and other questionable ventures, reinforcing the core lesson for consumers: verify claims, be cautious of influencer-driven hype, and recognise the warning signs when promises appear too good to be true.

Con Mum

Con Mum: A celebrated British pastry chef’s life unravels after reuniting with a woman claiming to be his long-lost mother.

MADOFF: The Monster of Wall Street

The definitive account of history’s largest Ponzi scheme.

Lords of Scam

Explores a carbon trading fraud that cost billions.

The Inside Job - How the Financial Crisis Happened

This is an Academy Award-winning exposé on the 2008 financial crisis.

The China Hustle

This documentary investigates Chinese companies defrauding U.S. investors.

Skandal! Bringing Down Wirecard

A journalistic triumph revealing one of Europe’s biggest corporate frauds.

Final Thoughts

As cryptocurrency continues to evolve, so do the methods used by scammers and fraudsters.

These crypto scam documentaries serve as both entertainment and education, offering insight into the psychology of deception, and the importance of due diligence when investing in assets.