Those who knew him can’t say for sure whether he was a con artist or a visionary, but one thing is certain – Alan Metcalfe was one hell of a salesman.

The Aussie businessman convinced investors he had found the secret to artificial intelligence while reading the Bible, and that his company would be “bigger than Google”.

But after Metcalfe died in 2017, those promises turned to dust.

Hundreds of trusting investors were left penniless, wondering how they could have fallen for his fraud and trying desperately to discover what happened to their money.

All $49 million of it.

Join finance reporter Alex Turner-Cohen as she tries to separate the truth from lies in this first ever multi-part investigative news.com.au podcast series, The Missing $49 Million.

Follow Alex’s journey as she attempts to discover: Where did the money go? Is it a secret Metcalfe took with him to the grave or can Alex find it?

And is Metcalfe himself really dead?

An episode of The Missing $49 Million is coming out every week for eight weeks, from July 8.

Available on Spotify here.

Available on Apple Podcasts here.

EPISODE ONE: JUDGMENT DAY

Alan Metcalfe was a seemingly successful businessman with a big turnout at his funeral. But was this ‘tech entrepreneur’ all he seemed to be? His death sparked a cascade of questions from 600 investors about what happened to their money. All 49 million dollars of it.

Read the reports on Episode 1 here and here.

Tiny detail at funeral gives away fraudster

Staff quit as ‘Google killer’ nears collapse

Ex-footy star loses $300k in ‘greatest’ scam

EPISODE TWO: GENESIS

It’s time to go back to the very beginning where it all started for accused fraudster Alan Metcalfe. In a remote Queensland mining town, Alan learned he could scam people - and get away with it.

Read the reports on Episode 2 here and here.

Aussie ‘techpreneur’ unveiled as prolific fraudster

Alan Metcalfe had ‘dark triad’ personality

EPISODE THREE: LANGUAGE OF ANGELS

What is Safe Worlds, the business that Alan Metcalfe proposed would be bigger than Google and resurrect the entire world economy? Was he truly a genius or was the idea little more than a pipe dream?

Read the reports on Episode 3 here and here.

Employee blows whistle on ‘scam’ company

Melbourne family torn apart in $49m scam

EPISODE FOUR: PROMISED LAND

The money trail is all leading back to a tiny town in Western Australia. But what business did Alan have there, and why was he so interested in its residents?

Read the reports on Episode 4 here and here.

Conversation on plane costs man $1.5m

Aussie town loses $15m to one scammer

EPISODE FIVE: MOTHER MARY

Alan’s wife Mary Metcalfe is now the boss of Safe Worlds. Many investors are unhappy. Authorities are circling and a so-called Irish billionaire enters the scene with staggering promises.

Read the reports on Episode 5 here and here.

Dark secret hiding in Gold Coast home

Text message exposes $2.25bn mistake

EPISODE SIX: SAFE HAVEN

Alan Metcalfe claimed he was keeping investors’ money in a safe place. The treasure hunt leads to some of the world’s most notorious tax havens and gold that you can’t see or touch.

Read the reports on Episode 6 here and here.

Aussie fraudster’s insane $8m ‘gold’ heist

Dark secret hidden in island paradise

EPISODE SEVEN: RESURRECTION

It’s like the plot of a Hollywood movie—an accused scammer faking his own death and running off with the cash. Rumours are swirling and gaining momentum and Alex Turner-Cohen wants to find out once and for all.

Read the report on Episode 7 here.

Aussie fraudster accused of faking own death

EPISODE EIGHT: FALSE PROPHET

Alan Metcalfe’s business activities are all pointing to US megachurches he was involved with, and to former US President Donald Trump. Could this be where the missing millions ended up?

Read the reports on Episode 8 here and here.

Trump embroiled in Aussie fraudster’s plot

Pauline Hanson distances from fraudster who is her biggest fan

Do you know more? Get in touch on missingmillions@news.com.au or alex.turner-cohen@news.com.au