A multi-part podcast series

Sweet Bobby

How well do you know
the person you love?

Episodes

Sweet Bobby is a live, multi-part investigation in search of one of the world’s most sophisticated catfishers. It’s a story about who we are online, and how social media can be weaponised as a tool of abuse and coercion.

Episode 1: Sliding Doors

Kirat is a successful marketer and local radio presenter. Online, she’s contacted by a man she vaguely knows called Bobby, and they start chatting. Slowly, they become close… and she’s reeled in to a scam of epic proportions

Episode 2: Witness protection

Bobby finds his way back into Kirat’s life, and their relationship grows closer – with devastating consequences. Meanwhile, Alexi investigates the sophistication of the catfishing scam

Episode 3: Confession

Bobby keeps slipping through Kirat’s grasp and she’s pushed to breaking point. Finally she makes a big decision – and discovers the truth

Episode 4: Dark triads

In this episode, Kirat deals with the fallout from the confession. Alexi’s investigation reveals the startling true beginnings of the scam, as he tries to work out why this this happened

Episode 5: (In)justice

After the confession, Kirat goes to the police. But their reaction to her case isn’t what she’s expecting. Plus: Alexi tries a new approach with the catfisher

Episode 6: Motive

In the final episode of Sweet Bobby, Kirat’s case against the catfisher takes an unexpected turn. As Alexi is putting the finishing touches to the series, he gets a phone call that changes everything

Bonus episode: Questions and answers

Since the series finished, so many listeners have written to Alexi and Kirat with burning questions. In this bonus episode, they sit down in the studio and answer them. What did the Skype voice sound like? Did the catfisher have burner phones? How did the WhatsApp group work?

Sweet Bobby: Inside the scam

Go behind the scenes and take a closer look at the complex world the catfisher used to trick Kirat

Sweet Bobby resources

How to get in touch if you have a story, and where to look if you have been affected by the Sweet Bobby series

Team

Alexi Mostrous
Reporter and host

Alexi Mostrous is Tortoise’s Investigations Editor. Previously, he was Head of Investigations at the Times newspaper. He has been awarded three National Press Awards.

Gary Marshall
Producer

Gary is a producer at Tortoise. He joined from the Guardian, where he worked in video and audio.

Claudia Williams
Assistant producer and reporter

Claudia is a reporter at Tortoise. Previously, she worked at the New York Times and the Week magazine.

Karla Patella
Sound designer

Karla Patella is a sound designer who has worked on award winning podcasts for the Times, Economist, BBC, Google Ventures and Tortoise Media.

Basia Cummings
Executive producer

Basia is the editor of Tortoise Studios, with Ceri Thomas. Previously, she was the news editor at HuffPost and a foreign editor at the Guardian.