ABOUT
"Fool Me Twice"
A True Crime Podcast
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
Jules Hannaford was successful and happy in her life and her job, but was still lonely. She turned to online dating as a last resort, after being single for more than a decade. It seemed she was consistently meeting men who were not good enough. One after another, they seemed only to want to swindle her out of her money, and she was getting frustrated.
Finally, she met a man who had his life together. Truman was a successful project manager at a construction firm, and seemed as excited as Jules was about the possibility of building a life with someone special.
Jules travelled across the world to meet him, and the fairy tale immediately began to unravel. All was not as it seemed.
This podcast is an exploration of the world of sweetheart scams, catfishing, and the ugly side of online dating.
Jules Hannaford
Jules grew up in rural South Australia before moving to Adelaide, the state capital, and beginning her career as a teacher. She now lives in Hong Kong, the setting of her first book, Fool Me Twice, which details the pitfalls and abuse she experienced in her online search for love.
Jules began writing her book in 2010, after she was the victim of an internet dating scam. She knew this was an important story to share with other women to prevent them from becoming caught in the same trap and help them make safer, smarter decisions when dating online. It took a long time for her to muster the courage to share her story after battling feelings of shame and regret for choices that landed her in a dangerous situation. She counts herself lucky to have survived.
Jules has always had a passion for people and their stories, so she started her podcast Hong Kong Confidential in 2017 to provide a platform for sharing the stories of interesting and unique people in Hong Kong. With the help of her daughter Zara, she decided to turn her memoir into a true crime podcast, as she feels that this story can make an important contribution to the safety of those navigating the complicated—and sometimes illusionary—internet dating world.
Zara Hannaford
Zara is a writer and editor from Australia. She was educated in Hong Kong and the UK, and travelled extensively throughout Asia and North America before settling down in North Carolina, USA. She has particular interests in psychology, movement and dance, and how the intersection between movement, thought and feeling can bring a sense of connection between body and mind.
Growing up, she recalls witnessing her mother make questionable decisions regarding the men she chose. The particular series of events that led to her being scammed in a dangerous situation in Manchester made Zara interested in the psychology behind her mother’s choices. This podcast was created based on that curiosity – what could make a person ignore warning signs that to others would be so obvious? What makes a person seek love and connection over safety? Their collaboration illuminated the pathway towards healing for Jules.
Acknowledgements
"Fool Me Twice" true crime podcast is based on a memoir of the same name by Jules Hannaford. It is written and directed by Zara Hannaford and is produced and edited by Jules Hannaford. Music and sound design by Shayde Furlong. The "Fool Me Twice" theme song is performed by Angele Meyerhoff. Special thanks to all the actors, experts, victims of scams and the scammer who contributed to this podcast.
Jules Hannaford: http://www.hongkongconfidential.net/
Zara Hannaford: https://www.synonymediting.com/
Auscast Network: https://www.auscastnetwork.com/home/fool-me-twice
Shayde Furlong: shaydefurlong@gmail.com
Angele Meyerhoff: angelemeyerhoff@gmail.com
"This podcast shares a shocking journey that was captivating and insightful. I'm sure there are many out there who have had similar experiences but have never felt confident enough to share their story. It takes a brave person to share being scammed and hopefully others who may have gone through something similar know they are not alone."
- Tarne
"Jules is lucky she came away mostly unharmed, and is sharing the things she learned from her experience on this podcast so that we can all benefit. It's a cold, hard reminder that we need to keep our wits about us, and that it's easy to trust people who don't deserve it." - Valerie
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