From the very first recorded conthe Elizabethan-era "Spanish Prisoner
Scam"to today's hi-tech online swindles, grifters have become ever-more
inventive in their scope, scale, and ambition.This enthralling
collection surveys the men and women who invented the most extraordinary
scams of all time. Their stories are remarkable, including the tale of
Gregor McGregor, the man who invented a fictional South American
country, raised international loans on its behalf, and sold much of its
nonexistent land to would-be settlers in the 1820s. Also included are
the tales of Eric Hebborn, the master forger who conned the art world
into buying thousands of his fakes; Arthur Ferguson, who sold Big Ben,
Buckingham Palace, and the White House to gullible American investors;
and Frank Abagnale Jr., the real-life "Catch Me If You Can" con man who
successfully impersonated a pilot, a teacher, a lawyer, and a
pediatrician while swindling $5 million across 26 countries. This
insightful guide unveils how these professional swindlers fooled
countless individuals into handing over their cash, and reveals the
techniques developed by the police to bring them to justice."
