5 of the World's Greatest Conmen

There's something about con artists that spur the imagination and really kindle interest. These rogues take part in all sorts of scams and trickery to defraud people of their money, in often hard to believe manners.

Con artists manage to spin tales that are often so unbelievable that they have to be believed. Of course, there is always the sad other side of such fraudulent activities and no amount of entertainment can make up for those who think they are being offered the deal page of a lifetime. However, who are some of our favourites?

Charles Dawson

Dawson was a solicitor who in 1912 decided to unleash one of the most intriguing pranks and frauds on the world by claiming he'd found the link between ape and man. The discovery was said to have taken place in the South of England in Sussex and amazingly the hoax was believed for over 40 years until 1953.

Amazingly Dawson had gotten away with sticking an orang-utan jaw to that of a human and then claimed it was the missing links. He simply covered it in gravel and then took it out of the soil to show it off. Dawson was not a one off con artist either and there are a number of others who have begun equally as bizarre tricks as you can see below.

Victor Lustig

Lustig sold the Eiffel Tower as scrap to dealers after it was seen to be in remarkable disrepair. He also managed to invent a machine that could print $100 notes. He then sold the machine for $30,000, though it turned out not to print notes at all. Lustig even received investment from Al Capone, who gave him $50,000 to help his scams, the scariest of all deals if you ask us. Lustig fearing for his life returned the investment when he realised who it was from, however Capone let him keep $5000. Lustig was caught and sent to Alcatraz where he died in 1947.

Eduardo de Valfierno

Having stolen the Mona Lisa in 1911, Valfierno then went on to sell a number of fakes to some of the world's richest men and women. The original stayed hidden until Valfierno's aid tried to sell it to an Italian Gallery, only to be caught and for Valfierno to disappear forever.

Charles Ponzi

Pyramid schemes are the most renowned of all fraudulent schemes and Ponzi certainly worked on a similar model. Through taking from one client to pay another he managed to live an easy life as a supposed investment magnet. However, the money began to disappear and Ponzi had to go on the run. He went to Italy where he ended up dying in poverty and showcasing his scheme was not the deal of the day.

Gerd Heidemann

There can't be a diary as interesting as Adolf Hitler's and when Heidemann supposedly came across it in a hay barn in Germany the papers went frantic. Heidemann even had the diaries authenticated by an English professor. After selling them for £6m it turned out they were fakes and that the paper, diary and glue were all manufactured after the period. It also turned out that there were numerous historical errors in the diaries. Both Heidemann and the English historian received 4.5 years in jail for their troubles.

Frank Abagnale

Catch Me if you Can was based on Abagnale who flew the world as a supposed Pan Am pilot. He also worked as a doctor, lawyer and teacher without any qualifications, but was caught in France. He nowadays is an FBI fraud consultant and has a lot of stories to tell without doubt.

From movies stars to sellers of some of the world's greatest landmarks, there are numerous amazing people who have told the most outrageous stories and gotten away with it. Offering people an unmistakably amazing deal of the day is a sure fire way to draw them in and these people had the belief to do so.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

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