Love is in the air with ABC News Studios’ new documentary series, but it’s anything but romantic. Debuting next Tuesday, May 20, Hey Beautiful: Anatomy of a Romance Scam takes a chilling look at the lonely hearts business, the people who lose everything through online romantic scams, and the people who are willing to commit such fraud. Specifically, it follows a trio of women, Annette, Roxy, and Gaby, all of whom fell head-over-heels for a handsome charmer they met over the internet and all of whom were swindled and left heartbroken in the end. Ahead of the premiere, Collider can exclusively share the trailer, which teases their hunt for answers and justice against the stranger behind the profile. However, their search also uncovers more secrets around their catfisher and deepens the true crime mystery.
The trailer opens with a tour through the three women’s whirlwind romance with their online Casanova. With good looks, photos, and flattery aplenty, he made all three of them feel like they had found the one for them. Then, in typical romantic scam fashion, he emotionally manipulates them into sending their life’s savings, whether it was for “surgery” or other needs, to prove their love. Even after destroying their lives and breaking their hearts, he still kept pressing them for more, which spurred them to fight back against their mystery man by tracking him down. There’s a twist in the teaser, however, when the man they knew as “Scott Donald Hall,” “James Richards,” and “Michael Silver” reveals himself to the audience and assures them he’s no international criminal mastermind.
More than anything, Hey Beautiful looks to highlight how frighteningly common romance scams are and deconstruct how they reel people in from the perspective of the victims. “Online scammers stole a record $16.6 billion in 2024, marking a staggering 33% rise from the previous year, according to a recent FBI report,” Anchor Entertainment Founder and CEO Ethan Goldman explained in an official statement. “With the rapid rise of AI and deepfake technology, these scammers are using increasingly sophisticated tactics to mask their identities. These brave women’s stories spotlight how anyone can be drawn into a scam that looks and feels all too real.” ABC News Studios also wanted to hit on a subject that was becoming increasingly common in the true crime space and thus deserved a more victim-centric approach. The company’s head, Mike Kelley, continued:
“As more people seek out connection and companionship online, anonymous scammers are lurking to take advantage. Scams have become a key piece of the evolving landscape of true crime content, and ABC News Studios is proud to lead the way telling stories from the victims’ point of view at the heart of the narrative. We brought viewers inside the scam with hit series Scamanda, our most-streamed series launch ever, and now ‘Hey Beautiful: Anatomy of a Romance Scam,’ a surprising story with plenty of twists and turns.”
Who Is Behind ABC’s ‘Hey Beautiful’?
Two-time Emmy nominee Andy Robertson directed Hey Beautiful and served as an executive producer alongside co-director Keayr Braxton, Anchor Entertainment’s Ethan Goldman and Dan Baglio, and Victoria Thompson for ABC News. Erin Haglund was also involved as field executive producer while ABC’s David Sloan took up the mantle of senior executive producer. Before producing docuseries like Free Meek and Dangerous Breed: Crimes, Cons, Cats, Robertson earned his Emmy consideration as part of the team behind Project Runway. Hey Beautiful is just his third directorial effort, after he previously helmed episodes of the Emmy-winning American High and the YouTube Original Strive.
Hey Beautiful premieres all three parts on May 20 on Hulu. Check out the trailer in the player above.
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