These Fraudsters Put The "Art" In "Con Artist"

There are those who earned their place in history through noble acts, bravery, and innovative thinking, and then there are those who lied, cheated, and stole their way to infamy. Although they don't all deserve to be remembered, our fascination with the sheer guts, immorality, and slyness these people possessed makes it inevitable. From femme fatales who seduced their way into elite circles to Robin Hood types who are the stuff of storybooks, here are the 20 most notorious con artists of all time. 

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1. Princess Caraboo

In 1817, a mysterious woman was found wandering around Almondsbury, England, speaking an unknown language. A Portuguese sailor "translated" for her, revealing she was a princess called Caraboo from a faraway island who'd escaped a kidnapping attempt. The townspeople gave her VIP treatment for a few months until a landlady from nearby Bristol recognized her as Mary Willcocks from Devon.

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2. Bernard Madoff

Bernie Madoff was the orchestrator of the largest Ponzi scheme in history, worth $65 million. He had an asset management business promising high, consistent returns, but using new investment money to pay off old ones until 2008, when the scheme collapsed after he couldn't meet withdrawal demands. 

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3. Charles Ponzi

The man who put the Ponzi in Ponzi scheme, Charles Ponzi, was an Italian immigrant to the US who lured investors by promising returns of 50 percent in 45 days. In reality, he used new investors' money to pay the older ones, and his scheme collapsed in 1920, costing investors millions.

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4. Natwarlal

India's most prolific con artist, Natwarlal, is best known for selling the Taj Mahal, the Red Fort, and the Rashtrapati Bhavan. He was regarded as a Robin Hood figure because his scams were targeted towards the rich, and he often shared his loot with the poor people in his village. He spent around 20 years in prison before escaping at the age of 84.

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5. Sylvia Browne

Sylvia Browne was a radio and television personality and "psychic" who claimed she could talk to God. She performed seances on TV and manipulated grieving people, scamming her supporters and committing investment fraud. 

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6. False Dmitry

False Dmitry is a moniker used to represent the many imposters claiming to be Dmitry Ivanovich, the youngest son of Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible. Of all the False Dmitrys, three almost succeeded in seizing the throne. 

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7. Gregor MacGregor

After moving to Venezuela and marrying a rich woman, Gregor MacGregor returned to Britain claiming to be the prince of an island with rivers of gold. He made fake currency, maps, land grants, and documents, convincing people to buy land on his island, but when they arrived on said island, it ended up being a desolate wilderness, and many of them perished from disease. Meanwhile, MacGregor returned to Venezuela and retired comfortably.

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8. George C. Parker

George C. Parker was a notorious con man best known for "selling" NYC landmarks like the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, and Madison Square Garden. He targeted newly arrived immigrants, offering forged documents, and was eventually sentenced to life in prison in 1928. 

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9. Frank Abagnale Jr.

Immortalized in Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can, Frank Abagnale committed cheque fraud in 12 countries, stealing millions of dollars. He also impersonated a pilot, a lawyer, and a doctor, clocking over 2 million miles of flying and even passing the bar exam. He was arrested at age 21 and worked as a consultant for the FBI after completing his prison sentence. 

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10. William Thompson

William Thompson was a 19th century scam artist whose deceptions are credited with the term "confidence man" (con man) being coined. He operated in Upstate New York tricking weathy New Yorkers to lend him their watch or other valuables, posing as an old acquaintance. 

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11. Amy Bock

Amy Bock was a Tasmanian-born con artist who operated in New Zealand, doing mostly petty crimes like taking a watch of an acquaintance to get it "fixed," only to "lose" it or making purchases in her employer's name. Her most audacious crime, however, was posing as a man called Percy Redwood to marry the daughter of a wealthy family. Her con succeeded, but she was arrested for fraud only three days later. 

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12. Elizabeth Holmes

Elizabeth Holmes was a Stanford dropout who founded Theranos, a company that claimed to have revolutionized blood testing. She attracted investors with exaggerated and fraudulent claims about the company's technology. Theranos was valued at $9 billion until the claims were found to be lies, dropping it to zero. 

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13. Elizabeth Bigley

After being imprisoned for three and a half years for forging checks, Elizabeth Bigley moved to Cleveland and married a rich widower, lavishly spending his money. She eventually got bored and spread the rumor that she was the illegitimate daughter of a steel tycoon, securing loans and cash advances until she failed to repay a loan, unravelling her web of lies. 

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14. Mary Carleton

English socialite and fraudster Mary Carleton posed as a German princess, seducing and robbing men. Her scheme was uncovered when she married a man claiming to be noble, but when she was taken to court, she managed to turn the accusations back onto him, and she was acquitted. She continued marrying wealthy men to steal from them until she was eventually caught and hanged at age 30. 

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15. Count Alessandro di Cagliostro

Count Alessandro di Cagliostro, born Giuseppe Balsamo, was an Italian fraudster who traveled around Europe selling magic potions, holding séances, and performing magic shows. He was involved in several schemes, most famously the Affair of the Diamond Necklace which was a scandal tarnishing Marie Antoinette's reputation and partially sparking the French Revolution.

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16. Comte de Saint-Germain

Comte de Saint-Germain was a charismatic French adventurer and alchemist who claimed to be able to turn base medals into gold and possess the ability to create the elixir of youth. He hung around in elite circles, impressing nobles with his charm and knowledge, though no one knew where he or his wealth came from. He embraced his air of mystery, claiming to be immortal. 

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17. Baron Münchhausen

Baron Münchhausen became a folklore legend, famous for the exaggerated tales he would tell of his adventures. He claimed to have ridden cannonballs, pulled himself out of a swamp by his hair, and traveled to the moon. Writers immortalized his stories in The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen.

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18. Dr. Sebi

Dr. Sebi was a Honduran herbalist and healer whose roster of clients reportedly included Michael Jackson and John Travolta. He claimed to have developed natural cures for diseases like AIDS and cancer. His medical claims were widely discredited by doctors, and he was sued for practicing medicine without a license and eventually arrested for money laundering.

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19. Victor Lustig

Victor Lustig managed to sell the EiffelTowerr twice in 1925. He forged papers proving that he was a government official and convinced dealers that the tower was being torn down and that whoever had the best bid (plus a little bribe money for his trouble) could claim it. Bribe in hand, he left the country, waiting for the news of the scam to spread but when it didn't, he simply returned and did the same thing again.

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20. David Stein

Perhaps the greatest art forger of all time, David Stein would pose as an art dealer, sell a painting by one of the modern greats, and promptly go home and paint it himself in mere hours. Even Picasso couldn't tell Stein's apart from his own. He was caught when Marc Chagall happened to come to the gallery and spot Stein's fake Chagalls. 

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