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C O N T A C T
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WORDS
“This author knows the world of scams and scammers... these books are not just entertaining, they are educational into the bargain”
– Australian Crime Fiction
It isn’t sleight of hand or smoke and mirrors that I make my living with – it’s words.
As well as performing and speaking, I am also the author of two best-selling books, with my latest book due out in mid 2020. I also have a popular blog, Scamopedia, and a podcast, Scamapalooza.
COMING SOON
My new novel will be out in 2020 (Pan Macmillan). For younger readers, it’s a memoir about growing up as a magician (that’s also a pack of lies).
“A sparkling debut about con artists on the make and on the lam… both entertaining and insightful.”
– The Age
“Johnson has dealt us an excellent hand, at once exciting and intriguing, with a sprinkling of wry humour.”
– Sydney Morning Herald
Why the "Hi Mum!" scam is still out there
A few years ago, I started getting the odd text from a random number that began with “Hi Mum” or “Hi Dad.” The message usually said...
2 min read
Hearing Is Believing: How Audio Illusions Trick Your Brain
Your ears don’t always tell the truth. Audio illusions are a reminder that what we think we hear isn’t always what’s actually being...
2 min read
The city built on scams
I often fall into thinking of scammers as the bad guys—calculating and manipulative. But in many cases, they’re also victims, trapped in...
2 min read
How social media tricks you into engaging with it
If you’ve ever found yourself furiously typing a comment to correct someone’s terrible pronunciation of “croissant” or desperately...
4 min read
All the Cognitive Biases that Causes You to be Scammed
If you’ve been around the scam world for long enough, you’ll know it’s not just about the slick con artist spinning their story. A lot of...
5 min read
The Scam That Scams Scam Victims (Because Why Stop at One?)
Imagine you’ve been scammed. Maybe you wired money to a fake investment firm, or perhaps a charming stranger convinced you they were a...
3 min read
Protecting kids from scams when they're smarter than you!
There comes a moment in every parent's life when they realize their child knows more about technology than they do. Maybe it’s when your...
3 min read
“The Shonkiest of the Shonkys: 2024’s Worst Offenders Revealed”
Every year, CHOICE does us all a favor and calls out the products and companies that have truly outdone themselves in the art of failing...
2 min read
The hidden science of car crashes
"The other car just came out nowhere!" If you ever been in a car crash, you'll know that "what-the-hell-just-happened" feeling. How did I...
2 min read
Scamapalooza 63: The Little Golden Calf with Maya Vinokour
If I told you that “the cafeteria is permanently closed for the schnitzel inventory.” what would you think I was saying? If your Russian,...
1 min read
Scamapalooza 62: Corporate Bullshit with Ian McCarthy
Have you ever had to deal with corporate bullshit? Had your projects “put on the back burner”? Or had your job “right-sized”? Also,...
1 min read
Scamapalooza 61 - Card Counting with Steven Bridges
If I had to guess what the cardinal rule for card counters was, “Don’t draw attention to yourself” would be way up there. While card...
1 min read
Scamapalooza 60 - The Shell Game with Nick Stein
Every other week, I am sent a video of someone playing The Shell Game. Maybe it's a cat finding a single treat under three cups, or maybe...
1 min read
Scamapalooza 59 - The Music Man with Em Chandler
There is a popular image of a con artist that doesn’t exist in the real world. It’s an image of well-dressed, suave, fast-talking...
1 min read
Scamapalooza 58: Deepak Chopra's Bullshit with Gordon Pennycook
I have long suspected that Deepak Chopra spouts garbage. Despite being a trained physician, the author and self-help guru’s trademark...
1 min read
Scamapalooza 56 - Performing Deception with Brian Rappert
Have you ever thought about how magicians learn their tricks? Not the methods—the smoke and mirrors behind the illusion—but the actual...
1 min read
Scamapalooza 55: Science Magic with Dr Matt Pritchard
If you know me then you’ll know that my nemesis is magician and science communicator Dr Matt Pritchard. For the last few years, this evil...
1 min read
Why you can't teach critical thinking
I'm going to make a confession. I've spent close to twenty years teaching critical thinking to high school students... ...even though...
2 min read
Deceptology with State Library Victoria
I've teamed up with State Library Victoria to create a series of videos that both teach you how to perform extraordinary magic AND the...
1 min read
Scamapalooza 54: Hocus Pocus Practice Focus with Amy Kimlat
My kid just performed their first solo magic show. In front of 300 of their peers, they correctly predicted a randomly selected TV show,...
1 min read
Scamapalooza 53: Card Shark with Nicolaï Troshinsky
Why have there not been more video games about card cheating? I remember playing Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist as a kid and...
1 min read
Scamapalooza 52 - The Life-Changing Science of Detecting Bullshit
Did you know the word “bullshit” might just be an Australian invention? During World War I, Australian troops found themselves arriving...
1 min read
Don't Be Fooled by ChatGPT: The Dangers of Talking to Machines
Have you heard about ChatGPT? It's a wild new technology that can hold a conversation with you and make it seem like you're talking to a...
2 min read
Scamapalooza 51 - Harry Potter and The Cursed Child with Lee Cohen
Magicians have a complicated relationship with the Harry Potter franchise. On the one hand, the success of J K Rowling's creation has...
1 min read
Scamapalooza 50 - Bro-Science and The Liver King with Dr Vyom Sharma
There's been a weird evolution in the wellness industry. What was once a market dominated by new age, holistic, self-care has seen a...
1 min read
Scamapalooza 9 – An Angry Word About Puzzles with Magician David Kwong
David Kwong not only designs puzzles for the New York Times crossword, he also designs heists and illusions for movies like Now You See...
1 min read
Scamapalooza 36 – Alien Autopsy Part 1 with Spyros Melaris
In 1995, the world was captivated by the Alien Autopsy video, a grainy 17-minute film supposedly depicting the dissection of an alien...
1 min read
Scamapalooza 48 – Card Counting With Dale Sadler
Imagine you’re a professional magician, performing a few card tricks at function when you’re approached by a mysterious stranger who...
1 min read
Every con artist movie I watched to write my first novel
In 2015, I published my first novel, Chasing The Ace, the story of a teenager who dreams of becoming a master swindler after watching one...
13 min read
The worst kept secret in card cheating history
I'm standing in the parking lot of Crown Casino and there's a card cheat standing in front of me—with his pants around his ankles—just as...
3 min read
Scamapalooza 47 - The Truth About Lie Detectors with Dr Celine Van Golde
The truth about lie detectors is…they probably don’t work. And they never did. A polygraph is little more than a device that measures...
1 min read
An evening with Penn & Teller
As a professional magician, I'm often asked the same question over and over. Who's your favourite magician? The answer hasn't changed in...
2 min read
How to fool a magician with reality
Have you ever wondered what it must be like to be a magician watching a magic show? After all, we know all the secrets! Do we still get...
2 min read
How to bend a spoon with the power of your mind
If you've seen The Bad Science Show or the Matrix or that one episode of Supernatural, then you'll know how powerful the idea of spoon...
1 min read
The Best Illusion Of The Year
The Best Illusion of The Year contest was recently held by the Neural Correlate Society. The contest is a chance for scientists,...
1 min read
Does learning magic make you creative?
Does learning magic make you more creative? As a professional magician of thirty years (I started young), I say: Yes! As a promoter of...
2 min read
Science Gallery Melbourne
After a tiny, lockdown-induced postponement, Science Gallery Melbourne is finally opening to the public. Since the first Science Gallery...
1 min read
The Life-Change Science of Detecting Bullshit
John V Petrocelli’s new book, The Life-Changing Science of Detecting Bullshit isn’t the first book written on the topic of bullshit. That...
2 min read
Scientists did magic tricks for birds and here's what they learnt.
Performing magic with birds isn't new. The oldest recorded magic trick involves plucking a bird's head from its neck. (And putting it...
2 min read
Why the hell do these snakes move?
Take a look at these snakes from Japanese psychologist and academic Akiyoshi Kitaoka That is, TRY to take a look at these snakes: They're...
2 min read
George Washington's teeth and the backfire effect
I've been a big fan of Matthew Inman's The Oatmeal for many years. His comics perfectly balance my love of education and reason with my...
1 min read
The magician I hate most in the world
I don't like being negative about other magicians, particularly those who've also dedicated their careers to science and critical...
4 min read
The man who invented bunkum
Felix Walker was a 19th-century American congressman remembered for precisely one thing: giving half a speech. The year was 1820 and the...
4 min read
The scientific secret behind carnival scams
If I had to list my top five things in the world it would look like this: 1. My wonderful daughter. 2. My other, slightly less wonderful...
2 min read
What the hell even IS critical thinking?
Everyone knows critical thinking is important. It's a general capability for Australian students, employees demand it of jobseekers, and...
2 min read
Do scientists go to heaven?
Sci Fight Science Comedy Debate is a quarterly event that brings together comedians and scientists to debate important topics in a very...
1 min read
I accidentally turned my studio into an Escher painting
I painted the wall of my studio the other week and sent a photo to my friend Pablo. A few minutes later he responded: "WHY IS YOUR DOOR...
2 min read
What my seven-year-old taught me about scams.
Adopt Me! is a massive multiplayer online game on the gaming platform Roblox. Aimed at preteens, the colourful game allows players to...
2 min read
Six mind-bending furniture illusions
Usually, I like to share illusions you might not have seen before. And, with 73 million views and counting, Zach King doesn't need my...
1 min read
Five books for critical thinking with kindness
In the quest to think more critically and not let our emotions cloud decision-making, it's easy to forget that we are human and, perhaps...
2 min read
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