62
C
onfidence tricks, so-called
because they exploit
people’s trust, are among
the oldest crimes in the world.
Human nature is on the side of the
perpetrators – without a good
reason, most people tend to trust
others. Victims often learn the hard
way that if an offer seems too good
to be true, it probably is.
A con artist is a manipulator
who cheats or tricks others by
persuading them to believe
something that is not true. Through
deception – by lying, cheating, and
fooling their targets into believing
they can make easy gains – con
artists exploit their victims, usually
to obtain money for themselves but
also for other advantages. The legal
consequences of such trickery
depend on the circumstances and
the laws of the land.Con artists are also known as
“ hu s t le r s”, “g r i f t e r s”, a nd “ t r ick s t e r s”,
They derisively call their victims
“marks”, “suckers”, or “gulls”. How
their victims get duped is not as
puzzling as it may seem, though.
Some tricksters deliberately target
the elderly, lonely, or vulnerable, but
almost anyone can be susceptible
to their scams, especially when
they fall prey to a convincing get-
rich-quick scheme that appears
utterly genuine. The impact of the
crime can be substantial. In
18th-century France, for example,
the scandalous machinations of
social climber and trickster Jeanne
de la Motte in a case that became
known as the Affair of the Diamond
Necklace, helped to reinforce the
monarchy’s unpopularity, which led
to the French Revolution and the
destruction of the ancien régime.Champion swindlers
Some cases involve extraordinary
levels of self-confidence on the
part of the con artist. In the 1960s,
master impostor Frank Abagnale
evaded law enforcement for years,
impersonating six different
professionals including a pilot, a
doctor, a lawyer, and an FBI agent.
Victor Lustig succeeded in selling
the Eiffel Tower for scrap metal to
a gullible businessman.
In other cases, it is the
simplicity and brazen nature of
the attempted deception that is
astounding, such as the champion
racehorse disguised as a novice
with a slap of white paint in the
Fine Cotton scandal in Australia,
although that ruse was swiftly
exposed. The escape from Alcatraz
was much more intricately planned,
with the escapees placing papier-INTRODUCTION
1785
1879
1925 1952
1946
Using fake identities
and her natural
charm, Doris Payne
embarks on a career
as a jewel thief.Wealthy French socialite
Thérèse Humbert borrows
vast sums of money
against the promise of a
bogus inheritance.Czech-born Victor
Lustig pretends to be a
member of the French
government wishing to
sell the Eiffel Tower
as scrap metal.In Paris, artist Elmyr de Hory
begins to forge works by
famous painters to sell
to wealthy individuals
and galleries.In France, Jeanne de
la Motte deceives a
wealthy cardinal
with the aim
of obtaining a
diamond necklace.062-063_Timeline_2.indd 62 13/01/2017 15:09
63
mâché heads in their beds to
convince the guards that they were
sleeping instead of digging their
way out of the island prison.
In most cases, it is an individual
or an organization that is fooled,
but hundreds were taken in by art
forger Elmyr de Hory’s remarkable
paintings – he sold more than
a thousand works by “Picasso”,
“Matisse”, and “Modigliani” to
collectors and galleries worldwide.
Master forger Konrad Kujau also
managed to fool most of the world
with the Hitler Diaries. Historians
proclaimed their authenticity,
newspapers ran extracts, and
publishing companies vied for
the rights. Often, those who fall for
such hoaxes are reluctant to believe
they have been duped. The
publishers of the extracts from the
Hitler Diaries and the HowardHughes biography continued to
stand by their scoops long after
everyone else realized they had
been scammed. And many
individuals, after realizing that they
have been deceived, are reluctant
to contact the authorities, for fear
of being ridiculed. Victor Lustig
banked on this in his audacious
sale of the Eiffel Tower; it worked
because he successfully predicted
his victim’s embarrassment at
being duped.Underlying psychology
What con artists have in common
is the power of persuasion. The
most successful perpetrators
share three personality traits –
psychopathy, narcissism, and
Machiavellianism – which allow
them to carry out their crimes
without feeling remorse or guilt.However, making a profit is not
always their goal. According to
psychologists, con artists simply
gain great satisfaction from pulling
off their scams, regardless of the
amount of money they make.
Many con artists use disguises
as part of their modus operandi,
which makes it difficult for law
enforcement agencies to catch
them, especially before the aid of
digital technology. Police may
also hesitate to go after culprits,
because in some jurisdictions,
stealing property is considered a
civil issue rather than a crime. In
addition, police are generally more
concerned with catching violent
criminals and terrorists than
apprehending grifters. The crimes
of the grifter can be difficult to
prove, and the perpetrators are
less likely to be prosecuted. ■CON ARTISTS
1964
1962
1978
1972 1984
In Germany, forger Konrad
Kujau fools the world into
believing documents penned
by him are actually
Hitler’s diaries.Clifford Irving falsely claims
that Howard Hughes has
asked him to write his
biography, and tricks
publishing executives into
giving him a large advance.In the US, three
prisoners trick guards
and pull off one of the
most famous jailbreaks
in history—the escape
from Alcatraz.Master impostor Frank
Abagnale impersonates
a pilot to travel the world
and enjoy a lavish lifestyle.In the Fine Cotton
horseracing scandal in
Australia, a crime
syndicate substitutes
a champion horse
for a novice.062-063_Timeline_2.indd 63 13/01/2017 15:09