ABC NEWS STUDIOS ANNOUNCES 'HEY BEAUTIFUL: ANATOMY OF A ROMANCE SCAM' BEGINS STREAMING MAY 20, ONLY ON HULU

The Docuseries Follows Three Women Who Fall in Love with the Same Man, Revealing Shocking Details of an Elaborate and Dangerous Online Romance Scam

Today, ABC News Studios announced "Hey Beautiful: Anatomy of a Romance Scam," a new three-part docuseries that begins streaming Tuesday, May 20, only on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers. There's big money in the lonely-hearts business with online scammers primed to take advantage of vulnerable women around the world. In the wild west of online dating, how much do we really know about the people behind the profiles? The new true crime series, from Anchor Entertainment in association with Trinoculus Films and produced for ABC News Studios, follows the story of three women - Annette, Roxy and Gaby - who fall head-over-heels in love with the same handsome man, only to discover they have been swindled out of their money in an elaborate romance scam. Heartbroken and furious, they fight back to uncover the scammer's true identity. Their shocking search leads them to a man with more secrets than they could have imagined. As they begin to seek justice, they learn that escaping the scam may become a matter of life and death.

"As more people seek out connection and companionship online, anonymous scammers are lurking to take advantage," said head of ABC News Studios Mike Kelley. "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."

"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," says Ethan Goldman, founder and CEO of Anchor Entertainment. "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."

"Hey Beautiful: Anatomy of a Romance Scam" is produced by Anchor Entertainment, in association with Trinoculus Films, for ABC News Studios. Andy Robertson is director and executive producer, Keayr Braxton is co-director and executive producer, Erin Haglund is field executive producer, and Ethan Goldman and Dan Baglio are executive producers for Anchor Entertainment. Victoria Thompson serves as executive producer, and David Sloan serves as senior executive producer for ABC News Studios.

About ABC News Studios

Winner of four 2024 News and Documentary Emmy Awards, ABC News Studios is inspired by ABC News' trusted reporting and is an award-winning, premium news and documentary original production house and commissioning partner of series and specials. ABC News Studios champions untold and authentic stories driving the cultural zeitgeist spanning true-crime, investigations, pop culture and news-adjacent stories. ABC News Studios' original titles include critically acclaimed documentaries "Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields," "BRATS," "Sound of the Police," "The Lady Bird Diaries," "Aftershock," and "Patrice: The Movie." Other popular docuseries and documentaries include "Scamanda," "The Fox Hollow Murders: Playground of a Serial Killer," "Betrayal: A Father's Secret," "Sins of the Parents: The Crumbley Trials," "Wild Crime," "Mormon No More," "The Randall Scandal: Love, Loathing, and Vanderpump" and "Jelly Roll: Save Me."

About Anchor Entertainment

Anchor Entertainment is an award-winning production company dedicated to telling compelling and impactful, character-driven stories. Founded in 2018 by producer Ethan Goldman, the company has produced over a dozen projects including the Emmy-nominated series "Model America" (MSNBC), "Rather" (Netflix), "Rebel Hearts" (Max), "Undercurrent: The Disappearance Of Kim Wall" (HBO), and "They Called Him Mostly Harmless" (ID/Max). Other notable series include "History's Greatest Heists with Pierce Brosnan," "Capturing Home, The Tailor of Sin City," "Look Into My Eyes," and "Getting Lost With Erin French," a spin-off of their award-winning series "The Lost Kitchen" on Magnolia Network and Max. Their latest documentary feature, "Are We Good?" about comedian and podcaster Marc Maron premiered to critical acclaim this year at SXSW and will have its NY Premiere at TRIBECA in June.