Transcripts For WPVI Nightline 20141121

83. From the graduate to working girl. But first, the nightline five. This holiday season, my good friend gave to me 7 powerball tickets 6 match 6 chances 5 cash 5s 4 big 4s 3 daily numbers 2 Mega Millions joe happy holidays, rita. rita thanks, joe man what a great gift announcer Pennsylvania Lottery tickets make great gifts, like the new 1 million peppermint payout. joe happy holidays and best wishes from the lottery good evening. Tonight were exposing a nasty new scam that hits you where it hurts, your family and your wallet. These predators know youll shell out when the safety of a loved one is at stake. Theyll target parents and grandparents. So how can you protect yourself . A former con artist is letting us in on their secrets. I was at my office at work and got a phone call on my cell phone. He said do you have a daughter or son and i said yes, i have a daughter. Reporter it was 11 00 a. M. When lou ann and betty anns world was shattered with a single phone call. He said theres been a terrible accident, four cars at an intersection. Now im panicking freaking out. He said what kind of a car does she have. I said its a kia. He said its a kia here. Desperate to get to their daughter. Im thinking shes laying in a highway unconscious and they wouldnt say where she was exactly. Reporter and then the story took an unexpected but even more frightening turn. Finally i was like, look, you got to tell me exactly where you are and what the hell is going on now. Then his whole demeanor changed and he was like, now you wait a minute. She was white as a ghost. Okay, we have her at gunpoint and were going to kill her if you dont give me 1700. I never felt terror before in my life. This was absolute terror, having your childs life in your hands. Reporter little did they know they were on the receiving end of the latest technique in an otherwise old low tech phone scam, con artists claiming to have kidnapped a loved one to make you pay up. 25 million americans lose more than 2. 5 billion to fraud each year, and phone scams which account for a big chunk of that have been surprisingly successful for decades. Maybe they want you to invest in an oil or gas deal or gold coins. Maybe you won the lottery. Or maybe its someone posing as an irs agent saying you owe back taxes. Whatever the pitch, these con artists are like top notch sales people, and theyre supreme ext effective. Its emotionally driven, its not logic. Reporter meet jimmy, a convicted con artist. These are dangerous people youre on the phone with, make no bones about it. I am a dangerous person on the telephone. If i choose to be fraudulent in my practices, theres nothing thats going to stop me from taking lots of money from people, period, the end. I dont know how people sleep at night doing this kind of thing. Reporter this man of the aarp has interviewed jimmy and more than a dozen like him trying to understand how theyre able to pull off a scam most of us think we would never fall fo are. We ask what is your central strategy and they said get them under the either. Under the either . Youre no longer thinking rationally. This explains why so many people fall for this. How could somebody that smart fall for this. Its not their intellect thats engaged. Its the emotion. Reporter like claiming a child has been kidnapped. Looking back, i dont think i could have done anything different, not at all. When they do that to you, they pull right at your emotions and youre raw and youre terrorized and whatever, youll do anything. What is wrong with you . Reporter listen to this and just imagine youre own mother or grandmother on the other end of the line. And i dont want to do the verification. Are you stupid . If you were in front of me, old lady, man, i would have slapped you right now. Reporter hes received piles of recordings from state attorney general investigations into phone scams, sort of a top 40 collection for criminals with no conscience. Theres no shortage of people still calling. Reporter many filled with abusive and demeaning language, even threats. Youll never ever be anything. Youre going to your grave a loser. A big loser. I think youre terrible. There are thousands of people out there who are suffering in silence like this. Reporter but for Law Enforcement tracking down the scammers can be challenging. Its easy to avoid detection and a lot of times people are embarrassed to report them which makes it an even bigger problem. Prevention is the key and the smarter consumers are, the more likely they can prevent this. Reporter the new York Attorney Generals Office is currently taking on the grandparent phone scam where a grandparent gets a call supposedly from a grandchildren in trouble. What were here to do today is to enlist you guys, you students, to be fraud fighters. Reporter the eegs office is reaching out to teenage grandkids. Who wants to be the con artist who pretends to be the grandson. Reporter to try to get them to warn their families about the phony phone calls that could come their way. Why are you calling me at this hour . Reporter investigators say theyre up against crooks who have no problem tugging at a persons emotion to rip them off. I think that there is really no sense of propriety about what these people do anymore. It suits them. This is all ready for that. Reporter betty ann and lou ann say they were lucky to be together when that phony kidnapping call came in. While lou ann was on the phone with the scammer, betty ann franticly tried to call their daughter. I called again and there was no answer. I called again and i said where are you. Finally i get a text back and said im in class. What is wrong. I was in the middle of a class getting ready to take a test. I said tell me the password. We have a password, a code so i know shes okay. Once i knew it was a scam i hung up on the son of a bitch. I got upset and then angry. Who is doing this to my mother. Who are you to do this to my mother . This is my mother, this is my family. Reporter they filed a Police Report but doubt the callers will ever be caught which is why they asked us not to use their full name. Theyre not going to get me. Im too smart for that. But they got the info they needed and used it against me. Reporter investigators warn even if you keep your doors locked and password security, crooks walk into your life and sometimes theyre just a phone call away. Its a happy ending, thank god. Next, the new social media mogul are turning themselves into fame and fortune. Later on nightline were regular is the graduate director mike nichols, his life, his work, his family. Curl up with their favorite man. But heres the thing about half of men over 40 have some degree of erectile dysfunction. Well, viagra helps guys with ed get and keep an erection. And remember, you only take it when you need it. Ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. Do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain; it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. Side effects include headache, flushing, upset stomach and abnormal vision. To avoid longterm injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. Stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. Ask your doctor about viagra. Man mr. Mucus tore do you work, with you. Ing . Its taco tuesday. Man youre not coming. I took mucinex to help get rid of my mucusy congestion. Im good all day. [announcer ] mucinex keeps working. Not 4, not 6, but 12 hours. Lets end this siren wails pop music playing when youre ready ready, ready, ready come and get it get it, get it when youre ready, come and get it na na na na na na na na na na na when youre ready, come and get it na na na na. Female announcer its a great big world and it can all be yours. Here and only here. Come and get it. A new breed of celebrities taking a do it yourself approach to fame. Theyre amassing followers on twitter and youtube and bringing social media success beyond virtual reality. Tonight were trying something new here with pioneers Frankie Grande and tie trick hall taking over our nightline accounts for a hands on lesson about the art form. Heres abcs paula faris. Reporter this is one of the biggest nights of Frankie Grandes life. Hes just minutes away from his debut in broadways mega hit musical rock of ages. To these adoring fans hes already a bone fied star. Its time to shine bright on broadway. Reporter it wasnt just a great audition tape or a hot head shot that got him the role. It was videos like this. Welcome to ten things that you may or may not know about freddie. Reporter he couldnt find fame the traditional way. He had auditioned for the show four times but never made the cut, so he took matters into his own hands, tweeting, instagraming and youtubing his way into mainstream success. And it didnt hurt that his baby sister is break free pop sensation ariana grande. Reporter taking a page from mega stars like taylor swift and justin bieber, remember they started like this, too. Frankie is part of a knew breed of celebrities. Social media master minds. Like youtube juggernaut today drink hall. Hes been tapped to star in his own reality show on mtv next year. Hes even managed by scooter brawn, the man behind justin bieber, ariana grande, and the wanted. You have to be relevant on social media. It doesnt matter how famous you are. Reporter for most people its easy to get lost on the streets of the big apple. Youre walking with glitter on your face. Reporter but frankie cant help but stand out. He invited us to follow him for a day. Happy frankie friday. Reporter we mean in real life, not on twitter. Were on nightline. Im going to show you the perfect selfie. You have to do the duck lips to the side and do this. Did you wake up one day and say i want to create a Youtube Channel . No. Kind of. I said one day, i have no idea why i dont do this and then i started and i had 100,000 subscribers in two months. Reporter arranging from the random to the ridiculous. Happy tuesday. Reporter im glad this interview didnt happen on a tuesday. Its you that has to go topless, not me. Correct. Reporter as his page views soared, so did his public profile. Can you believe you have so many subscribers . No. Its crazy. Im the new hoh in town and its going to be a hell of a good week. Reporter this summer he got his wish, hanging out with other house guests on cbss big brother, but he still had big broadway dreams, so he came back for his fourth edition of rock of ages. This time something stuck. Never hurts to have somebody that has an increased profile and creates buzz and attention. Reporter attention is what frankie lives for. Its my show. Youre so fired up. This role that you tried out for so many times is a reality. Im so excited. Whats up, whats your name. Jessica. Nice to meet you. Why do you love me . Because youre awesome. Nice to meet you. Lets take a selfie. How pop you la do you think you would be if your last name was not grande . When people have this drive and passion and light, it doesnt matter what your last name is. Reporter on opening night, the only grande these fans are here to see is frankie. Across the country todd drink hall is bringing his star power all the way home to where it began in the loan star state. Hes filming an episode of his up coming tv show and we have exclusive access. Becoming a viral sensation wasnt exactly what todd drink grew up dreaming about. When i was a young kid i was like, i just want to be a costume character in disney world. Reporter eventually his talent would shine on a bigger stage, american idol. But his path to hollywood hit a road block. It was a horrible feeling. I remember just being so depressed the day after i got cut. Reporter forcing him to take an unconventional tour. I put a video up of me singing at mcdonalds and the rest is history. If its mickey ds, im loving it reporter a video thats received over 8 million views and was followed by many fast food jingles and flash mobs, but none more successful than this one at target which caught the eye of his idol, queen bee himself. She even invited him to core yoe graph blow. She was very hands on and it inspired me so i was like i want to be that hands on and really involved in every aspect, the costumes, the hair, the makeup, everything. Reporter now one of forbes 30 under 30 in hollywood, todd drinks videos have been a huge cash cow. There are people that are millionaires off of youtube. You look at someones youtube views and multiply that by 3,000 and there you have it. Reporter beyond the money, the thing hes most proud of is inspiring kids like him who grow up feeling like outcasts. It gets better that reminds me of why were here making art and why were making music. Reporter it seems like the message from both of these social media mega stars, hashtag be yourself, hashtag do it yourself. I believe in myself. I dont have to be on a panel and have judges telling me whether or not what i did is great because i can put it on youtube and the world can decide if they like it or not. Thats a true testament of what my art is. Reporter for nightline, im paula faris in new york. Next, the passing of an entertainment icon, mike nichols dies at 83. Were paying tribute to some of the best moments he created in films like whos afraid of virginia woolf. And his successes off screen as well. Man sternly where do you think youre going . Mr. Mucus to work, with you. Its taco tuesday. Man youre not coming. I took mucinex to help get rid of my mucusy congestion. Im good all day. [announcer ] mucinex keeps working. Not 4, not 6, but 12 hours. Lets end this then boom. What happened . Stress, fun, bad habits kids, now what . Lets build a new, smarter bed using the dualair chambers to sense your movement, heartbeat, breathing. Introducing the sleep number bed with sleepiq™ technology. It tracks your sleep and tells you how to adjust for a good, better and an awesome night. The difference . Try adjusting up or down. Youll know cuz sleep iq™ tells you. Give the gift of amazing sleep, only at a sleep number store. Find our best buy rated c2 Queen Mattress with sleepiq. Know better sleep with sleep number. Where you have 3 ways to become a millionaire. First, win the top prize of up to 25 Million Dollars when you match all the draw numbers. Or win 1 Million Dollars when you match all the club numbers. Or you could win up to one Million Dollars as a contestant on the exciting new tv game show in las vegas. Play the Monopoly Millionaires Club game today. There could be more Million Dollar prizes than any lottery game in us history. The Pennsylvania Lottery. Benefits older pennsylvanians every day. Finally tonight, the multitalented mike nichols passes away at the age of 83. From film to stage, television, it seemed there was no art form he could not elevate. Nightline co anchor dan harris remembers some of the finest examples of a beautiful life. Mrs. Robinson, youre trying to seduce me. He was the man behind the camera in some of the most iconic scenes in hollywoods most unforgettable movies. From the graduate to working girl i have a head for business and a bod for sin. Reporter mike nichols, it is safe to say, is a true legend of american entertainment, one of the few people ever to win an oscar, tony, emmy and grammy. The winner is mike nichols. Im grateful to them and to the academy and too the movies themselves, and id also like to wish my mother a happy birthday. Reporter his was an extraordinary life. He escaped nazi germany at age seven, coming to america barely knowing any english. In college, he met a young actress named elaine may. Together they started the Famous Comedy due woe, nichols and may. I feel awful. Oh, honey, if i could believe that id be the happiest mother. Reporter he directed his first play, barefoot in the park, and received his first tony. Whos afraid of reporter then the movies, starting with whos afraid of virginia woolf. Then carnal knowledge, heartburn, postcards from the edge and Charlie Wilsons war. But he said that for him, life didnt truly begin until he was age 54 and met diane sawyer, a legend in her own right. Thus began a decades long romance and marriage. Diane was right by his side when nichols was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award. He is the most encouraging person ive ever met. I remember once you said to me directing is like making love. You never know if youre doing it right. Reporter at 80 he won a tony for a revival of death of a salesman. You see before you a happy man. Reporter he was working on master class for hbo starring meryl streep when he died at home suddenly of a cardiac arrest at age 83. His wife, diane, by his side. Life is so short. Reporter today on the view, whoopi goldberg, who was discovered by mike nichols, broke down while announcing the news. This man meant the world to her. Love, family, food, movies. Good night moon, good night stars. Ill see you on the set and on the beach and in the kitchen and at the movies. Reporter for nightline, this is dan harris in new york. A grand life lived well. Diane and her family are in our thoughts and prayers tonight. Thank you for watching abc news. Tune in to good morning [dramatic music] [cheers and applause] yeah hey ha ha [cheers and applause] im terry crews. And its time to start making some people rich right here on millionaire [cheers and applause] our returning contestant has had to overcome personal obstacles just to have the confidence to stand in front of so many people today. I have a feeling itll all pay off. From roy, utah, lets give the warmest welcome to john busch [cheers and applause] [laughter] come here. Ahh. Hi, terry. Man. Welcome back. Thank you. You are doing so well. What are some of these personal obstacles you had to overcome . Terry, i have something called tourettes syndrome, which is something that ive had since a kid. And anybody that doesnt know what that is, its a neurological disorder that causes you to have very hard to control motor tics and motor habits. So when i was a kid, it was biting my cheek until it got real sore, opening my mouth until the corners of my mouth would start to rip, just painful things. But it got harder in high school when it actually became a verbal thing, and it was a highpitched squeak that i would have to do