The Crime Book

69

Victor Lustig was not only an

extraordinary “salesman” and a

charming, sophisticated operator; he

also had a talent for evading capture.

See also: The Crawford Inheritance 66–67 ■ Frank Abagnale 86–87

CON ARTISTS

Official business

Based in Paris in 1925, Lustig read

a newspaper story about how the

Eiffel Tower was rusting and

required repairs. It was built for the

1889 Paris Exposition and was

intended to be dismantled and

moved to another location in 1909.

Sensing an opportunity, Lustig

sent out letters on fake government

stationery to five businessmen in

which he claimed to be the Deputy

Director General of the Ministry of

Posts and Telegraphs. In the letters,

he asked for a meeting at the

prestigious Hotel de Crillon to

discuss a business contract.

Believing the opportunity to be

genuine, the five men all met with a

smartly dressed, courteous Lustig.

He revealed that the government

intended to sell the Eiffel Tower for

scrap metal and would take bids for

the right to demolish the tower. He

flattered their egos by claiming that

the five of them had been

recommended based on their

honest reputations.

Lustig had rented a limousine

and invited the men for a tour of the

tower. Lustig identified the most

socially and financially insecure

target, Andre Poisson, who

desperately wanted to join the

ranks of the Parisian business elite,

and who felt that this was the right

opportunity for him to do so.

The plan pays off

Poisson’s wife became suspicious

about the secret and hasty nature

of their dealings, sowing seeds of

doubt in her husband’s mind.

Lustig met with Poisson and “came

clean”, confessing that he wanted

to solicit a bribe for the contract,

hence the clandestine behaviour.

Reassured, Poisson not only paid for

the 7,000 tons of iron but also gave

the con man a hefty bribe.

Lustig correctly predicted that

Poisson would be too humiliated

to report the fraud. Six months later,

Lustig attempted to repeat the

scam but failed, narrowly avoiding

arrest. Lustig later moved to the US

to continue his criminal career. ■

Lustig’s Ten

Commandments

for con men

Be a patient listener

Never look bored

Wait for the other person to

reveal their political

opinions, then agree

with them

Wait for the other person to

reveal their religious views,

then agree with them

Hint at intimate details but

don’t follow up unless the

other person shows interest

Never discuss illness

unless a special concern

is shown

Never pry (they will tell you

all eventually)

Never boast, just let

your importance be

quietly obvious

Never be untidy

Never get drunk

I cannot understand

honest men. They lead

desperate lives full of boredom.

Victor Lustig

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