‘Count’ Victor Lustig was born in 1890 in what is now the Czech Republic to an upper class family. He was fluent in five languages and started out with small cons throughout Europe and would be arrested 45 times. In 1920, he left for America and carried out various scams, his most successful was his Romanian Box that he promised could perfectly duplicate a $100 bill in six hours. He would sell the boxes for as much as $46,000 and escape as the victims waited for the machine to keep printing.
Lustig was one of the only men in history to successfully scam Al Capone and live. The Count asked Capone for $50,000 to invest in a scam that would double his money in sixty days. After the two months had passed, he simply returned with the money claiming the scam had failed. He even received a reward afterwards for being so honest.
When he came back to Paris in 1925 he had set his sights even higher. At this time many Parisiens considered the Eiffel Tower a burden because of the high costs for repairs and maintenance, many believed it would eventually be taken down or relocated. Lustig saw the opportunity and posing as the Minister of Post and Telegraph, sent letters to the biggest scrap dealers in Paris inviting them to the Hotel de Crillon. Andre Poisson was fairly new to the city so the impostor quickly decided to focus on him. He indirectly asked for a bribe to ensure that he believed him. He received a $20,000 bribe plus $50,000 for the scrap metal of the Eiffel Tower, and one hour later he was on his way back to Austria. He soon returned to Paris to give the scheme another try. But, ever cautious, the Count came to suspect that one of the new scrap dealers he contacted had notified the police, so he fled to the United States. Soon, he came back to Paris to give this scam another try, but when one of his new customers reported to the police, he fled to the US. Eventually, he was turned in by his mistress Billy May, and after twelve years in Alcatraz died in a medical center in Springfield.
We chose Victor Lustig because he was one of the greatest con artists of all times and is most famous for selling the Eiffel Tower...twice. He invented a genius scam called Romanian Box, with which he sold fake money printing machines for tons of money. Also he tricked one of the most influential people of his time: Al Capone.
These “Ten Commandments” were attributed to Lustig and could have been the key to his succes:
Lustig was one of the only men in history to successfully scam Al Capone and live. The Count asked Capone for $50,000 to invest in a scam that would double his money in sixty days. After the two months had passed, he simply returned with the money claiming the scam had failed. He even received a reward afterwards for being so honest.
When he came back to Paris in 1925 he had set his sights even higher. At this time many Parisiens considered the Eiffel Tower a burden because of the high costs for repairs and maintenance, many believed it would eventually be taken down or relocated. Lustig saw the opportunity and posing as the Minister of Post and Telegraph, sent letters to the biggest scrap dealers in Paris inviting them to the Hotel de Crillon. Andre Poisson was fairly new to the city so the impostor quickly decided to focus on him. He indirectly asked for a bribe to ensure that he believed him. He received a $20,000 bribe plus $50,000 for the scrap metal of the Eiffel Tower, and one hour later he was on his way back to Austria. He soon returned to Paris to give the scheme another try. But, ever cautious, the Count came to suspect that one of the new scrap dealers he contacted had notified the police, so he fled to the United States. Soon, he came back to Paris to give this scam another try, but when one of his new customers reported to the police, he fled to the US. Eventually, he was turned in by his mistress Billy May, and after twelve years in Alcatraz died in a medical center in Springfield.
We chose Victor Lustig because he was one of the greatest con artists of all times and is most famous for selling the Eiffel Tower...twice. He invented a genius scam called Romanian Box, with which he sold fake money printing machines for tons of money. Also he tricked one of the most influential people of his time: Al Capone.
These “Ten Commandments” were attributed to Lustig and could have been the key to his succes:
- Be a patient listener (it is this, not fast talking, that gets a con man his coups).
- Never look bored.
- Wait for the other person to reveal any political opinions, then agree with them.
- Let the other person reveal religious views, then have the same ones.
- Hint at sex talk, but don't follow it up unless the other person shows a strong interest.
- Never discuss illness, unless some special concern is shown.
- Never pry into a person's personal circumstances (they'll tell you all eventually).
- Never boast - just let your importance be quietly obvious.
- Never be untidy.
- Never get drunk.
Works Cited
"The Smoothest Con Man that Ever Lived" http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-smoothest-con-man-that-ever-lived-29861908/?no-ist
"Count Lustig" http://numismatics.org/Exhibits/FunnyMoney2d
Ian Graham, The Ultimate Book of Impostors
"The Smoothest Con Man that Ever Lived" http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-smoothest-con-man-that-ever-lived-29861908/?no-ist
"Count Lustig" http://numismatics.org/Exhibits/FunnyMoney2d
Ian Graham, The Ultimate Book of Impostors