# The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman (2022)

> A three-part Netflix docuseries following the victims of a cruel conman who posed as a British spy to defraud them.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/116391

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 3
- Episode runtime: 42 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: documentary, crime
- Network: Netflix
- TMDB rating: 6.9/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15479704/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: harrowing, sober, grim, investigative, intense

## What critics say

Audiences find the true-crime docuseries about a manipulative fraudster gripping but mixed in its reception.

## Synopsis

The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman (2022) is a British true crime documentary miniseries produced for Netflix. Its three episodes of roughly forty-two minutes each follow a manipulative fraudster who masquerades as a British spy to win over and steal from his targets. Rather than dramatizing events, the series builds its engine from the victims themselves, whose accounts reveal how a charming persona turned into financial and emotional ruin for the families around him. Each episode moves through the mechanics of the deception and the slow realization of those left behind, piling up the damage a single liar can cause. The tone is harrowing and sober, with a grim, investigative mood that lingers on the human cost rather than the spectacle of the crimes. Fans of Tinder Swindler and Making a Murderer will find resonance in its focus on dating-app deception, real testimony, and the cold machinery of a predator's trust. Its limited run makes it a compact, intense watch for anyone drawn to true crime exposés of con artists and the damage they leave behind.

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