Meet the World's Greatest Scammer: He Sold National Monuments and Fooled Al Capone

Born in the twilight of the 19th century in an unknown location, Victor Lustig mastered the art of deception so completely that the FBI dubbed him "the man with 47 faces." His most audacious con? Posing as a government official and selling the Eiffel Tower to scrap metal dealers – not once, but twice. Lustig charmed his way through luxury hotels across Europe and America, swindled the notorious Al Capone, printed counterfeit money so perfect the Secret Service struggled to detect it, and somehow convinced victims to hand over their life savings for a "money-printing box" that produced nothing. His incredible 40-year criminal career spanned continents, featured daring prison escapes, and left a trail of wealthy victims who were often too embarrassed to report being fooled. Discover the extraordinary life of history's most charismatic swindler and the elaborate psychological games that made his impossible scams work time after time – until his luck finally ran out.Support the show here via Paypal:https://www.paypal.com/donate/?business=DWSYBNBMAY9AL&no_recurring=0&item_name=Thanks+for+your+help%21&currency_code=USD