Francois-Marie Banier: The French Connection Part 1 | 155
Scamfluencers
Wondery
4.1 • 7K Ratings
🗓️ 21 April 2025
⏱️ 57 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Francois-Marie Banier overcame indifferent parents to reach the heights of the Parisian art scene. His novels, plays, and photography gained him famous friends like Salvadore Dali, Princess Caroline of Monaco, and Johnny Depp. But he’s also known as a striving social climber who seeks the affections of older French women to bankroll his artistic projects. When he’s hired to photograph L’Oréal heiress Liliane Bettencourt, at one point the richest woman in the world, they hit it off instantly. As they grow closer, Liliane starts lavishing Francois-Marie with gifts: jewelry, real estate, and lucrative consulting contracts. But when she makes him the beneficiary of a life insurance policy, Liliane’s daughter takes notice. She thinks Francois-Marie is taking advantage of the aging, possibly demented heiress. Liliane’s daughter, and household staff, start monitoring Francois-Marie’s every move. Soon, this palace intrigue will go far beyond France’s wealthiest family, leading to lawsuits, secret recordings, and shocking revelations that will captivate all of France.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, Scam Fluencers fans, Sarah here. If you love the drama, deception, and mind-blowing |
| 0:05.6 | reveals, Wondery Plus is your VIP ticket to more. Add free episodes, early access to the juiciest |
| 0:11.8 | scandals, and deep dives you won't find anywhere else. Get the full Scampluencers experience. Sign up today. |
| 0:23.9 | Sachi, have you ever been in the position where you're friends with someone who has, like, |
| 0:28.4 | a lot more money than you? |
| 0:30.3 | And was it ever awkward when it came to paying for stuff or, like, what you guys did? |
| 0:35.1 | No, I don't think so. |
| 0:37.1 | I don't think. I wouldn't really know, but I don't think so. I don't think. |
| 0:38.3 | I wouldn't really know, but I don't, I guess it hasn't been awkward enough that I've thought about it. |
| 0:43.0 | Yeah, and you've been pretty gainfully employed for a while. |
| 0:46.3 | I've been the broke friend many times. |
| 0:48.9 | And also the not so broke friend with a friend who's more broke. |
| 0:54.0 | And my rule now is that it all just comes out in the wash, you know? |
| 0:57.9 | Yeah. |
| 0:58.7 | Well, Sachi, today's story is so beyond crazy. |
| 1:02.7 | I don't even know how to describe it. |
| 1:04.7 | On its face, it's about a financially unbalanced friendship that becomes major tabloid fodder. |
| 1:10.2 | But this scam will explode into a national |
| 1:13.0 | scandal that uncovers decades of crime. |
| 1:19.1 | It's late 2006 at a bank in Paris. Claire Tibu stands in front of a giant steel door leading to a |
| 1:26.6 | safe. She taps her foot nervously as an |
| 1:30.2 | employee opens a safe door. Claire is in her late 40s with a shiny blonde bob and blue eyes. |
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