Greatest swindlers in history

Adolf Burg


The man who forged the equivalent of three billion pounds a Naziplot to overthrow the British economy during World War II, has been invited by the Bank of England, to inspect one of forged banknotes.


Adolf Burger, 91, a Slovakian Jew who was forced to conductalmost perfect forgeries in a concentration camp, having closelyinspected banknote admitted that he had forged.


Adolf Burger, the forger's first guest in a bank, told the British newspaper "The Times" that he and other prisoners had markedcounterfeit banknotes in a way that hoped it was notable for the Bank of England, but s 'will be noticed by the Nazis


Burger helped to create false £ 135 million, equivalent today to three billion pounds. German agents put them all over Europe andhad plans to stabilize the pound.


Printing, whose wife, Gisela was executed in gas chambers atBirkenau, survived Auzhvicit and Birkenau before being sent toSashenshausen to counterfeit. There with a group of others werecondemned to forced to falsified notes.


The story was adapted for the creation of the film "TheCounterfeiters" and won the award "Oscar" as best film of last yearoverseas. Forgers and fraudsters are often subjected to back films, presenting interesting scenarios.

Victor Lustig, the man who sold the tower, "Eiffel"

Victor lusting is held as one of the most talented marifetçinjtë who ever lived. He lived in the years 1890-1947 and his first fraud wasthe sale of a machine for printing money that does not work for 30thousand dollars.


In 1925, his great idea to sell the tower, "Eiffel" came while readinga newspaper. The article discussed the problems that were createdfor the city to maintain the famous tower. So he was introduced as agovernment official and six businessmen were sent an invitation ironto discuss a matter of big business.


Lusting businessmen were told that the repair of the tower "Eiffel" was so hard that the city can not afford more, to be sold for iron.


So he sold the tower, "Eiffel" one of the businessmen and took a train to Vienna with a suitcase filled with cash. The buyer was sohumiliated by fraud, that he was ashamed to even complain to the police.


Later, convinced lusting known mobster Al Capone, to invest 40thousand dollars a job. He kept Capone's money in a cash depositfor two months and then returned it, saying that business had failed.


Capone's was impressed correctness of lusting, so gave him fivethousand dollars. For lusting, this was what was expected. In 1907,lusting arrived in the United States and there did some yçkla, but the fate of him. He was arrested for forgery of money and was taken to the famous Alcatraz prison

Christopher Rocancourt, "French Rockefelleri"

Christophe Thierry Rocancourt was an imposter who removed as an artist, who had as his object of the rich, being posed as a French member of the Rockefeller family, one of the most powerful in theworld. His mother, in fact, had worked as a prostitute and his fatherwas an alcoholic man, who sent Christopher into an orphanagewhen he was five years old. He escaped from the orphanage andwent to Paris, where his deceit stisi look great: I pretended it was a property owner, and then "sold" it to 1.4 million dollars. Then hewent to the United States, where at least dozens of nicknamesused. In Los Angeles he was feigning a film producer, boxingchampion and capitalist entrepreneurs. He said that his mother wasSophia Loren, or that his uncles were Oscar de la Renta and Dinode Laurentiis, and had blood ties with people of different celebrities.He was married to the model of Playboy's, Pia Reyes, with whom he had a son who was named Zeus. He lived for some time with Mickey Rourke. In Canada, Rocancourt wrote an autobiography in which ridiculed his victims. In May 2002, he was extradited to NewYork. He pleaded guilty to 3 from 11 different charges involving theft, smuggling, bribery and giving false evidence. His tricks "were considered" at least 40 million dollars

Frank Abagnale, forger of the movie "catch me if you can"

Frank William Abagnale spread "activity" of his fraud for five yearsin the 60s. He was born on April 27, 1948 and his first fraud wassigning the checks on his account, but extremely exaggerated. Thenhe printoi itself, almost perfect copies of checks. He garnered over40 thousand dollars, the account number printed on a plate emptybank deposit, and they added to their herd with real asbestos platesin the bank. For two years, Abagnale was disguised as a pilot"Frank Williams" free to do laps around the world. Later he wasfeigning pediatrician for 11 months in Georgia's hospital, under the name "Frank Williams". He also forged diploma from HarvardUniversity's lawyer, the lawyer took the exam in Lousiana and took a job in the office of Prosecutor General of Lousianës Sthetit. For 5years he worked with 8 different identities, although using morecash than checks, he spent over $ 2.5 million fraudulent checks in 26 countries. The money spent to be associated with the stewardess, to dinner at expensive restaurants, to firmato dressedand prepare for the next fraud. The film "cathc me if you can" "if you can catch me" is based on his experience. Abagnale, currently leads "Abagnale Society", a financial advisory company against fraud.

DEMAR Ferdinand, The Great Imposter

Ferdinand Waldo DEMAR known by the nickname "The GreatImposter." He lived in the years 1921-1982, were posed as many people, from the monk to the surgeon of the prison director. Hejoined the U.S. Army in 1941 and began the "lives" his new,borrowed the name of his friend to the army, Anthony Ignolia andmoving away. Then invented his suicide, decided a new name,Robert Linton French, and became a religiously orientedpsychologist. But there was more fortunate, he was captured by the army and sentenced to 18 months in prison for desertion. Then,changed many pseudo-academic careers. He was, among other things, an engineer, zëvendëssherif, assistant director of the prisonpsychologist, surgeon, lawyer, expert on child care, benediktianmonk, editor, researcher and teacher of the cancer disease. A job like this last, drove in six months. He did not seek to recoup the money what he was doing, but simply respect the interim. The act ofhis most famous was when pretending as surgeon Joseph Cyr on aCanadian ship during the Korean War. He managed to conductsuccessful operations and reduced the number of infections, usinglarge amounts of penicillin. This worked until the mother of JosephCyr doctor really understood and reported to. DEMAR returned to the U.S., he became the inspiration of the 1960 film "The GreatImposter" and died in 1982 as a Baptist minister.

David Hampton, "son" of Sidney Concierge

Artist David Hampton was an impostor. He was born in 1964 anddied in 2003. Since there was no chance to win a place in "Studio54", he was removed as the son of famous black actor, SidneyPoitier, and suddenly proclaimed celebrity. Hampton used the"David Poitier" to defraud in free meals in restaurants. Later he wasat least a dozen sew people to leave him to stay with them in their homes or to give him money, including the famous actress MelanieGriffith, Gary Sinisa and Calvin Klein. Some of them, he said hewas the companion of kids, some that had just missed a flight toLos Angeles and had all the baggage with him, and some said they had stolen everything. In 1983, Hampton was arrested and sentenced for his fraud and was ordered to return the $ 4,490 he had received some of his victims. His story became part of the theater and later movie, titled "The six division titles." DavidHampton died from AIDS in 2003.

Milli Vanilli, the duo that could s'këndonte

You can be famous singer to sing even though I do not know. This time not referring to the Albanian experience, but the world. MilliVanilli was a pop group consisting of Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus,who were formed in Germany in the mid-80s. Group increased its audience and in 1988, won the award "Grammy" for "Young artistsbest" 90s. But in the same year, during a performance "Live"broadcast by MTV has, in the park "Lake Compounce inConnencticut" while they sang the song "Girl you know it's true",their voices seemed as if out of a throat rusty, thus fully tuned and marking one of the most embarrassing moments andunprofessional in the history of music. So the truth was discovered:Milli Vanilli is actually created by Frank Farian, the talented voices of other singers, and Morvan and Pilatus did not sing at all in disks.After the event, the price "Grammy" was removed immediately bothperformers and at least 26 different lawsuits were filled on chargesof fraud and consumer protection law against Pilatus, Morvan andArista Records.

Cassie Chadwick, the illegitimate daughter of Andrew Carnegie

Cassie Chadwick (1857-1907), is the most famous name of aCanadian woman named Elizabeth Bigley. At the age of 22, shewas arrested in Woodstock, Ontario, for forgery, but was left free because of her mental condition, which was consideredproblematic. In 1882 she married Wallace Springsteen inCleveland, Ohio. Her husband drove 11 days later because she knew of her past. In Cleveland, she married Dr. Chadwick. In 1897,Cassie began her game most of the more successful, itvetëshpalljes as the daughter of industrialist, businessman,philanthropist known skocezo-American, Andrew Carnegie. Sheinvented a note where the promised $ 2 million, where Carnegieforged the signature. Information spread in financial markets innorthern Ohio and n banks started to offer their services. For eightyears she used this game to get loans, which were from 10 to 20million dollars. When Carnegie was later asked about it, he deniedto have ever known. The scheme collapsed when she was arrestedand the trial was a media circus. She died in prison.
Mary Baker, from the Island Princess Caraboo Javasu

In 1817, a shoemaker in England he met a young woman whoseemed very confused, exotic clothes, who spoke a language that no one can understand him. People brought many foreigners whotried to communicate with and discover what strange languagespeaking ladies, until a Portuguese sailor "translated" her story:She was the princess Javasu Caraboo from the island in the Indian Ocean. It was captured by pirates, then was put on a ship and cameashore. For the next ten weeks, this representative of exotickingdom was one of the most prominent people of the countrypreferred. She used a bow and arrow, swim naked and prayedGod, Allah addressed in Tallah. She wanted exotic clothes and herportrait appeared in local newspapers. But the truth came out: It wasa shoemaker girl named Mary Baker, from Devon's. It had been a servant in different countries of England, but had not found a place to stay. She had invented a language outside of gypsy words andimagination had created an exotic character. She continued her rolein the U.S., France and Spain, but without the same success. Her story became a movie in 1994 with the title "Princess Caraboo",whose script was written by John Wells.

Wilhelm Voigt, the captain of Köpenick Regulation

Wilhelm Voigt (1849-1922) was a German impostor who wasfeigning a Prussian military officer in 1906 and became famous ascaptain of Köpenick Regulation. In 1906 he bought part of the captain's uniform and, once in Kopenciks, he went to the local military barracks, stopped four grenadier and a surgeon andreturned to barracks, and told them to go with it. Indoctrinated to obey officers without question, they followed. He arrested the secretary Rosenkranz and Major Georg Langerhans suspicion ofstealing books were confiscated and those 4 thousand brands and70 penny, with the bill of course. Later he commanded thecoachman, and said two grenadirëve which led Major and Wiltbergin Berlin, that they could be questioned by General Moltke. He told the guards that were left, to remain in their seats for half an hour and then left the train station. There wear civilian clothes and escapedunnoticed. Voigt was arrested and sentenced to four years in prisonfor forgery, fraud and unjustly imprisoning an officer. However,public opinion was on his side. German Kaiser Wilhelm II pardonedhim in 1908.

George Psalmanazar, who found Europe Formosiani

George Psalmanazar (1679-1763) claimed the first-Formosianvisiting Europe. He appeared in Northern Europe around the year1700. He saw the Europeans and said he had come fromFormosës Islands (Taiwan), pursuing a foreign calendar andpraying to the sun and moon. Psalmanazar published a book "The geographical and historical description Formosës", whose subjectwas a Japanese emperor, who discovered a large number of strange habits. Formosa was a prosperous island with his wealth and capital was called Xternetsa. People walk there naked exceptprivate part, which was covered with a silver or gold plate. Their food was a serpent, which they must hunt with branches. Formosawere polygyny and the husband had the right to eat his wife if shecheated. They executed murderers by hanging upside down andshooting them with arrows throughout the body. Year to year theydid sacrifice the hearts of 18 thousand young boys and priestswesterners eat their bodies. They also used horses and camels formass transportation. Formosian alphabet book also described. The book was very successful. He taught for formosiane culture andremoved as religious literature in the language translatedformosiane. Bishop of London and supported it. He told the RoyalSociety. But apparently, was tired of deceiving and in 1706 he confessed, first to his friends, then to the public.