Grifters and con artists
Discussion
Watched The Sting the other night and it got me wondering if anyone had pulled off such a good 'long con'. Found this one on wiki and it is beautiful in its elegance:
Eduardo de Valfierno, who referred to himself as Marqués (marquis), was an Argentine con man who allegedly masterminded the theft of the Mona Lisa. Valfierno paid several men to steal the work of art from the Louvre, including museum employee Vincenzo Peruggia. On August 21, 1911 Peruggia hid the Mona Lisa under his coat and simply walked out the door.
Before the heist took place, Valfierno commissioned French art restorer and forger Yves Chaudron to make six copies of the Mona Lisa. The forgeries were then shipped to various parts of the world, readying them for the buyers he had lined up. Valfierno knew once the Mona Lisa was stolen it would be harder to smuggle copies past customs. After the heist the copies were delivered to their buyers, each thinking they had the original which had just been stolen for them. Because Valfierno just wanted to sell forgeries, he only needed the original Mona Lisa to disappear and never contacted Peruggia again after the crime.
f
king genius!
Got paid six times the value of the Mona Lisa, never needed to smuggle the original out of the country (it was recovered subsequently), the 'marks' would have been blissfully ignorant that they had been duped.
I know two or three real-life con artists but their stuff is crude in comparison!
Eduardo de Valfierno, who referred to himself as Marqués (marquis), was an Argentine con man who allegedly masterminded the theft of the Mona Lisa. Valfierno paid several men to steal the work of art from the Louvre, including museum employee Vincenzo Peruggia. On August 21, 1911 Peruggia hid the Mona Lisa under his coat and simply walked out the door.
Before the heist took place, Valfierno commissioned French art restorer and forger Yves Chaudron to make six copies of the Mona Lisa. The forgeries were then shipped to various parts of the world, readying them for the buyers he had lined up. Valfierno knew once the Mona Lisa was stolen it would be harder to smuggle copies past customs. After the heist the copies were delivered to their buyers, each thinking they had the original which had just been stolen for them. Because Valfierno just wanted to sell forgeries, he only needed the original Mona Lisa to disappear and never contacted Peruggia again after the crime.
f
king genius!Got paid six times the value of the Mona Lisa, never needed to smuggle the original out of the country (it was recovered subsequently), the 'marks' would have been blissfully ignorant that they had been duped.
I know two or three real-life con artists but their stuff is crude in comparison!
The asolute essence of a con is to find a dishonest 'mark'. The theory being that you can't confidence trick an honest man. Sounds right to me too. Quite often with cons like selling the Eiffel tower you need to pose as the government official tasked with its disposal, and the con is the bribe from the scrap merchant or whoever that want the chance to buy it at below market price (and means the whole thing can be kept secret).
I'd agree with that.
I suppose the OPs opening is the eventual discovery of the gold? You've done a good lead in over a period of time. So the question is Are you now seeking con technique clarification or starting to crow about the success of your existing scams?
(sits back to wait for the various goldmine/drakes gold buyers to make themselves known)
I suppose the OPs opening is the eventual discovery of the gold? You've done a good lead in over a period of time. So the question is Are you now seeking con technique clarification or starting to crow about the success of your existing scams?
(sits back to wait for the various goldmine/drakes gold buyers to make themselves known)
TooLateForAName said:
I'd agree with that.
I suppose the OPs opening is the eventual discovery of the gold? You've done a good lead in over a period of time. So the question is Are you now seeking con technique clarification or starting to crow about the success of your existing scams?
(sits back to wait for the various goldmine/drakes gold buyers to make themselves known)
Have I got a deal for you!I suppose the OPs opening is the eventual discovery of the gold? You've done a good lead in over a period of time. So the question is Are you now seeking con technique clarification or starting to crow about the success of your existing scams?
(sits back to wait for the various goldmine/drakes gold buyers to make themselves known)
Who was the guy that sold the Eiffel tower twice for scrap?
The same bloke had a fantastic machine that would print money as well, a £50 or £100 note every 24 hours (back at the turn of the last century) He'd go onto a ship, demonstrate the machine working and get paid a large sum of money for it.
The second day another note would come out (because there actually were 2 real notes in the machine). The third day you just get blank paper, by which time he's far away!
Edit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Lustig
Victor Lustig his name was, and it was $100 every 6 hours. Still, not far off!
The same bloke had a fantastic machine that would print money as well, a £50 or £100 note every 24 hours (back at the turn of the last century) He'd go onto a ship, demonstrate the machine working and get paid a large sum of money for it.
The second day another note would come out (because there actually were 2 real notes in the machine). The third day you just get blank paper, by which time he's far away!
Edit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Lustig
Victor Lustig his name was, and it was $100 every 6 hours. Still, not far off!
Edited by crofty1984 on Saturday 27th February 21:35
I shouldn't really, but I have respect for those really good long con artists, same with really good theft stories or smugglers.
I particularly admire this guys patience and the force of character required.
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/thief-woos...
I particularly admire this guys patience and the force of character required.
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/thief-woos...
Edited by shirt on Saturday 27th February 22:48
From the Lustig wiki - how to sell the Eiffel Tower:
...
Lustig had a forger produce fake government stationery for him and invited six scrap metal dealers to a confidential meeting at the Hotel de Crillon, one of the most prestigious of the old Paris hotels, to discuss a possible business deal. All six attended the meeting. There, Lustig introduced himself as the deputy director-general of the Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs. He explained that they had been selected on the basis of their good reputations as honest businessmen, and then dropped his bombshell.
Lustig told the group that the upkeep on the Eiffel Tower was so outrageous that the city could not maintain it any longer, and wanted to sell it for scrap. Due to the certain public outcry, he went on, the matter was to be kept secret until all the details were thought out. Lustig said that he had been given the responsibility to select the dealer to carry out the task. The idea was not as implausible in 1925 as it would be today. The Eiffel Tower had been built for the 1889 Paris Exposition, and was not intended to be permanent. It was to have been taken down in 1909 and moved somewhere else. It did not fit with the city's other great monuments like the Gothic cathedrals or the Arc de Triomphe, and at the time, it really was in poor condition.
Lustig took the men to the tower in a rented limousine for an inspection tour. It gave Lustig the opportunity to gauge which of them was the most enthusiastic and gullible. Lustig asked for bids to be submitted the next day, and reminded them that the matter was a state secret. In reality, Lustig already knew he would accept the bid from one dealer, Andre Poisson (interestingly, in French the word poisson, which means "fish" in English, is also used as a derogatory epithet for someone who is particularly gullible). Poisson was insecure, feeling he was not in the inner circles of the Parisian business community, and thought that obtaining the Eiffel Tower deal would put him in the big league.
However, Poisson's wife was suspicious, wondering who this official was, why everything was so secret, and why everything was being done so quickly. To deal with her suspicion, Lustig arranged another meeting, and then "confessed". As a government minister, Lustig said, he did not make enough money to pursue the lifestyle he enjoyed, and needed to find ways to supplement his income. This meant that his dealings needed a certain discretion. Poisson understood immediately. He was dealing with another corrupt government official who wanted a bribe. That put Poisson's mind at rest immediately, since he was familiar with the type and had no problems dealing with such people.
So Lustig not only received the funds for the Eiffel Tower, he also collected a large bribe. Lustig and his personal secretary, a Franco American con man Robert Arthur Tourbillon also known as Dan Collins, hastily took a train for Vienna with a suitcase full of cash.
.....
...
Lustig had a forger produce fake government stationery for him and invited six scrap metal dealers to a confidential meeting at the Hotel de Crillon, one of the most prestigious of the old Paris hotels, to discuss a possible business deal. All six attended the meeting. There, Lustig introduced himself as the deputy director-general of the Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs. He explained that they had been selected on the basis of their good reputations as honest businessmen, and then dropped his bombshell.
Lustig told the group that the upkeep on the Eiffel Tower was so outrageous that the city could not maintain it any longer, and wanted to sell it for scrap. Due to the certain public outcry, he went on, the matter was to be kept secret until all the details were thought out. Lustig said that he had been given the responsibility to select the dealer to carry out the task. The idea was not as implausible in 1925 as it would be today. The Eiffel Tower had been built for the 1889 Paris Exposition, and was not intended to be permanent. It was to have been taken down in 1909 and moved somewhere else. It did not fit with the city's other great monuments like the Gothic cathedrals or the Arc de Triomphe, and at the time, it really was in poor condition.
Lustig took the men to the tower in a rented limousine for an inspection tour. It gave Lustig the opportunity to gauge which of them was the most enthusiastic and gullible. Lustig asked for bids to be submitted the next day, and reminded them that the matter was a state secret. In reality, Lustig already knew he would accept the bid from one dealer, Andre Poisson (interestingly, in French the word poisson, which means "fish" in English, is also used as a derogatory epithet for someone who is particularly gullible). Poisson was insecure, feeling he was not in the inner circles of the Parisian business community, and thought that obtaining the Eiffel Tower deal would put him in the big league.
However, Poisson's wife was suspicious, wondering who this official was, why everything was so secret, and why everything was being done so quickly. To deal with her suspicion, Lustig arranged another meeting, and then "confessed". As a government minister, Lustig said, he did not make enough money to pursue the lifestyle he enjoyed, and needed to find ways to supplement his income. This meant that his dealings needed a certain discretion. Poisson understood immediately. He was dealing with another corrupt government official who wanted a bribe. That put Poisson's mind at rest immediately, since he was familiar with the type and had no problems dealing with such people.
So Lustig not only received the funds for the Eiffel Tower, he also collected a large bribe. Lustig and his personal secretary, a Franco American con man Robert Arthur Tourbillon also known as Dan Collins, hastily took a train for Vienna with a suitcase full of cash.
.....
if you want a good read, try this:
www.amazon.com/Amarillo-Slim-World-Full-People/dp/...
also try titanic thompson's biog. both more orientated towards outlandish proposition bets and being a sneaky bugger than outright swindling(tho titanic was a bit of a conman too) but very interesting if you like this kind of thing.
www.amazon.com/Amarillo-Slim-World-Full-People/dp/...
also try titanic thompson's biog. both more orientated towards outlandish proposition bets and being a sneaky bugger than outright swindling(tho titanic was a bit of a conman too) but very interesting if you like this kind of thing.
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