It began with a brazen plot that made international headlines in May: A company that did not seem to exist, run by people who did not seem to exist, had filed a claim seeking control of Graceland over what they alleged was an unpaid debt. When the jig was up, the scammers goaded the media to “come find us in Africa.”

NBC News’ search didn’t lead to Africa, but to a small town in Missouri and a grandmother with a penchant for online reviews — and a long history of fraud.