'Marianne Smyth will never stop scamming' - Con-hunter opens up about being tricked by 'Queen of Con' episode artwork

EPISODE · Nov 10, 2025 · 39 MIN

'Marianne Smyth will never stop scamming' - Con-hunter opens up about being tricked by 'Queen of Con'

from The BelTel

Jonathan Walton describes himself as a ‘con-hunter’ but that’s not what he set out to be. The tv producer turned vigilante after he was scammed by con artist Marianne Smyth, the so-called ‘Queen of Con’. Over several years he had handed his supposed best friend Smyth, who claimed to be an Irish heiress, over $100,000. She was a lifelong con-artist, using a range of strategies, lies and aliases – posing as Jennifer Anniston, becoming a satanic priestess, claiming to be on the IRA’s army council, pretending to have cancer. Smyth was sentenced in September to 4 years in jail at Downpatrick crown court as it was revealed that she had scammed over £100,000 from people in Northern Ireland.  Jonathan Walton has written a book on his experience with the fraudster. It’s called ‘ Anatomy of a Con Artist: The 14 Red Flags to Spot Scammers, Grifters, and Thieves and is host of the hit podcast Queen of the Con, he joined Ciarán Dunbar on the BelTel.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Nov 10, 2025

Embed this episode

NOW PLAYING

'Marianne Smyth will never stop scamming' - Con-hunter opens up about being tricked by 'Queen of Con'

0:00 39:18

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of The BelTel?

This episode is 39 minutes long.

When was this The BelTel episode published?

This episode was published on November 10, 2025.

Can I download this The BelTel episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!