Follows former telemarketing employees Pat Pespas and Sam Lipman-Stern, two longtime office friends who find themselves hot on the trail of a sobering look at the ugly side of American capit... Read allFollows former telemarketing employees Pat Pespas and Sam Lipman-Stern, two longtime office friends who find themselves hot on the trail of a sobering look at the ugly side of American capitalism and the abuse of customer trust.Follows former telemarketing employees Pat Pespas and Sam Lipman-Stern, two longtime office friends who find themselves hot on the trail of a sobering look at the ugly side of American capitalism and the abuse of customer trust.
- Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
- 2 wins & 7 nominations total
Browse episodes
7.34.9K
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Featured reviews
I am HOOKED!!
Holy crap this is some interesting stuff. From the very first line to the end of the first episode I was hanging on every word! Pat is absolutely hilarious! I think what has drawn me to this is how human it all is and extremely dysfunctional. The people in these telemarketing centers are just absolutely entertaining I don't really know any other way to put it. The fact that these guys started making a documentary or investigating telemarketers almost 20 years ago is amazing! I for one am glad they stuck with it, I cannot wait to see what all they uncover and where this goes. And I will say in all honesty, I had a fraternal order police sticker on my car year after year after year hahahahha. So they absolutely got me! Truthfully I never thought about Fraternal Order of Police being a scam. I knew others were but I did trusted this. Because they said they were the actual police, so yeah I believed it! What scumbags! Living the highlife while others scrounge just in order to help families of fallen officers! You're a special kind of as$hole to come up with this! I haven't donated to anything in a very long time and I never answer my cell phone if I don't know who's calling. I ended up getting a different cell and number for my business, and I don't know who had that number before me but I get multiple text messages almost daily from people trying to scam, usually offering money and/or loans. So telemarketing just has a new look. Same scam, just not on a landline! There's 2 more episodes so I'll come change my review if need be. But so far, yeah this is very informative.
A C A B
Blue lives matter people are review bombing this show. Do not listen to them and watch it. Patrick Pespas is a wonderful character, his arc is very inspiring and emotional and the doc is worth watching for that alone but the whole show was great. With many twists and turns narrated by some very interesting (as in, weird) people, it leaves you wanting more until the very last moments. It just shows how rotten and corrupt the system is in America in ways that are actually surprising. How is it possible something like this has ben going on for so long? And it's not even at its worst yet. AI will make sure of it. ACAB!
Raw and Eye-opening
Like the negative reviews have stated, there are a lot of straight up scumbags interviewed, and maybe it's not as polished and focused as a professional documentary, but it is certainly succeeds at what it sets out to do, which is expose the industry that takes advantage of vulnerable and/or naive Americans to the tone of billions every year. It was really cool to see how CDG evolved, and the footage was complimented by the frank, unscripted interviews they did with the various former employees.
I actually found the approach this documentary takes really entertaining, and I developed a sincere admiration for Pat for his dedication and tenacity. Sure he's not a seasoned journalistic pro, but you could tell he was super passionate about the project, and it showed in the end result. Good stuff, and I actually learned a few things and had many suspicions confirmed about how the industry works.
I actually found the approach this documentary takes really entertaining, and I developed a sincere admiration for Pat for his dedication and tenacity. Sure he's not a seasoned journalistic pro, but you could tell he was super passionate about the project, and it showed in the end result. Good stuff, and I actually learned a few things and had many suspicions confirmed about how the industry works.
Eye Opening- Auto Industry Must Watch
One of the most shocking scams in American history exposed. While I knew about the fraternal Order of Police scam the depths of criminality are absolutely shocking.
The people behind the scam are and the governments lax approach toward protecting prosecuting them is even more disappointing.
However, it honesty and amatuer nature in which its shot that makes it even more engaging. You feel for the average man and it encompasses the shortcomings of the American legal system which punishes the poor and the drug addicted while rewarding the rich and powerful in white collar crime. It is a must watch for auto, telemarketing, and law enforcement.
The people behind the scam are and the governments lax approach toward protecting prosecuting them is even more disappointing.
However, it honesty and amatuer nature in which its shot that makes it even more engaging. You feel for the average man and it encompasses the shortcomings of the American legal system which punishes the poor and the drug addicted while rewarding the rich and powerful in white collar crime. It is a must watch for auto, telemarketing, and law enforcement.
Interesting.. but withers....
I'll give this short, 3-episode series props for ensuring I, not anyone I know, EVER donates anything to anyone who calls for a donation.
While this series seems to largely focus on police and fire institutions, I'm sure it's not much different when compared to ANY organization that utilizes telemarketing for "donations".
As a series.. it was compelling for all 3 episodes.
The only issue I had was how it ends.. in a puff of smoke, like it never existed.
But I suppose that's more due to the unsavory organizations having the money and power to control the government (which is really what the US Congress is built upon). All ya need to do is pay lobbyists and you can do the most unethical things to the rest of the population.
Make no mistake.. the government COULD stop this.. if they cared one iota.
------------------
Sidebar.. I can't help but think if Phil dressed better, did NOT wear a hat, and took the damn sunglasses OFF for interviews he may have been taken more seriously. Read the room, as it were.
While this series seems to largely focus on police and fire institutions, I'm sure it's not much different when compared to ANY organization that utilizes telemarketing for "donations".
As a series.. it was compelling for all 3 episodes.
The only issue I had was how it ends.. in a puff of smoke, like it never existed.
But I suppose that's more due to the unsavory organizations having the money and power to control the government (which is really what the US Congress is built upon). All ya need to do is pay lobbyists and you can do the most unethical things to the rest of the population.
Make no mistake.. the government COULD stop this.. if they cared one iota.
------------------
Sidebar.. I can't help but think if Phil dressed better, did NOT wear a hat, and took the damn sunglasses OFF for interviews he may have been taken more seriously. Read the room, as it were.
Did you know
- TriviaThe theme music is "Oh Hail No" by El-P.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Film Junk Podcast: Episode 908: Past Lives (2023)
- How many seasons does Telemarketers have?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- La gran estafa de los teleoperadores
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime
- 1h(60 min)
- Color
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content





