Betrayal, deceit and scandal are the bread and butter of a great crime novel, and no one knows crime novels better than Patricia Cornwell. With over 100 million books sold, she’s one of the most popular novelists in the world. But it is her real-life drama that is making headlines. Now she’s speaking out for the first time on TV since a federal court handed her a whopping $50 million victory.
Patricia Cornwell may be worth a fortune now, but her life didn’t start out that way. From her her humble beginnings growing up in a town of only a few hundred people, Patricia could have never imagined that she would end up in a high-stakes legal battle over millions of dollars.
“Make sure you pay really close attention to everything.” -Patricia Cornwell
@katiecouric This was so awesome! P.Cornwell touched me deeply! Man could I rellate. Many thanks for telling your story to Katie today.
— Lydia Davis-Slatton (@cagrlntn) February 27, 2013
After graduating college in North Carolina, Patricia started covering crime for The Charlotte Observer. What was it about this job that intrigued her and how did it lead her to becoming one of the most prolific and successful female authors of our time?
“It seemed that no matter what I did, I never had any more money.” -Patricia Cornwell
@katiecouric great interview with Patricia Cornwell. Glad to hear her side. Is there a statute of limitation on this type of mismanagement?
— Fran Poole (@frannepoo) February 27, 2013
Author Patricia Cornwell had to put her own forensic knowledge to work when tens of millions of her fortune went missing. How big a role did her forensic training play in cracking her case?
“There was a huge amount of recklessness and mismanagement.” -Patricia Cornwell
@katiecouric In light of recent tragedies, P. Cornwell donating to mental illness wonderful!
— Karen Ward-Hathaway (@KarenWardHathaw) February 27, 2013
Every year, millions of Americans get scammed and billions of dollars are lost to fraud. The scammers use sophisticated technology to prey on the vulnerability of their unsuspecting victims. ABC’s chief investigative correspondent Brian Ross breaks down some of the most successful scams and shares how you can avoid getting taken for a ride.
“These scammers really have a twisted genius for praying on our emotions.” -Brian Ross
@katiecouric we had phone scammers call us trying to get us to pay debt we didn’t have or a warrant would be served.Scared me to death
— Bridget (@DollyMamaB) February 27, 2013
Scammers posing as employees of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a charity that helps sick children, were able to con people out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Brian Ross explains how these scammers pulled it off.
“You have to use your gut in a sense that doesn’t make sense.” -Brain Ross
@katiecouric awesome show today. #thankyou scammers could be honest millionaires because they are smart. Just immoral. #sosad #depressing
— debra bowman (@debdoll1960) February 27, 2013
Think you could never fall prey to a scam? Think again. Brian Ross and Stephanie Zimmermann, a consumer reporter with ABC, say some consumer rip-offs are so common that you may be a victim and not even know it.
“Nothing in life is free.” -Stephanie Zimmermann
@katiecouric great show on these terrible scammers. Watching from Newfoundland.
— Jeff Green (@jeffsgreen) February 27, 2013
How can you protect your money from scammers and common consumer rip-offs? Brian and Stephanie reveal three ways you can prevent yourself from being scammed.
“A big red flag is when anyone asks you to use a wire transfer.” -Stephanie Zimmermann
I’m glad you talked about this topic #scams! 3 yrs. ago I was victim of work fraud, and it’s heartbreaking to go through! @katiecouric
— Ariel Lawrence (@asllove) February 27, 2013
What questions do you have for Patricia Cornwell?
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