No, he never carried any light or heavy weapons with him. At least the police did not make any such allegation against him. He did not have to force to seize large sums of money from anyone. He could speak five languages fluently. His primary weapon is to speak very nicely.
Apart from that, the movement was neat; the clothes were very fashionable; the perfect impression of aristocracy was everywhere. Black hair neatly brushed back, dressed like movie heroes, he had an attractive look like being mesmerized. All in all, his description will match with the prince of imagination.
He could quickly gain the confidence of his potential victims. He exploited the greed of the newly rich. He used to defeat people who were greedy for money with the magic of words and hypnotic personality. He used to take huge money from time to time.
Although he did not get a reputation, he did not lack fame, so he has taken place in the pages of history as one of the best forgers. At the age of 46, he won the title of the most dangerous conman in America.
The name of this deceiver is Victor Lustig, height 5 feet 6 inches. He used to add the title 'Count,' a symbol of nobility, before the name. However, he introduced himself with 47 different names. His name was Robert V. Miller in prison. He used a dozen fake passports.
In the early 1900s, Victor Lustig did everything from begging to pickpocketing, stealing, and fighting.
For this, he had to go to jail several times for petty crimes. At that time, he introduced himself as the son of the mayor of the city. But he was actually a child of a poor peasant family.
In 1920, Victor Lustig immigrated to the United States. Going there, he easily formed friendships with many of the upper castes of the society. And the most successful scam at that time was the 'Romanian Money Box.'
Victor was able to convince several greedy rich people that it was possible to print another counterfeit note in six hours by inserting a banknote inside this strange device. Many people buy each machine for 30 thousand dollars. In a short time, he became a millionaire. Al Capone, Mafia leader of the USA, was the victim of a scam by him.
Victor Lustig then moved to Paris in 1925 and stayed in an elite hotel in the center of the city, the Plus de La Concorde. He claimed to be a representative of the French government. One day his eyes were suddenly caught in the news of a newspaper.
After the First World War, the economic situation of the French government was very shaky. Carrying the Eiffel Tower's maintenance cost has become a massive burden for the government like a pet. After reading the news, Lustig came up with a fancy plan to cheat, and he took advantage of it.
He copied the letterhead of a French minister and wrote a letter to some influential people in the French metallurgical industry. Invite them to a luxurious hotel room. Earlier, he had obtained all the details about the Eiffel Tower. The traders said the work should be done in secret, as there would be trouble if people found out.
He also visited the Eiffel Tower, a marvelous 1,063-foot (324-meter) high, 10,100-ton steel installation with six traders in a limousine to gain trust and confidence. Andre Payson, one of the six traders, stepped into the trap. But his wife was skeptical. To allay his suspicions, Lustig played another trick, assuring him that the tower would be given to him, and demanded a bribe from Payson.
Andre Payson had previous experience working with money laundering government officials. He did not want to miss out on such an opportunity to become much richer.
In a hurry, he handed over 70,000 dollars in cash to the fake government official Victor Lustig. Victor Lustig fled to Vienna with his accomplice Robert Arthur with stolen money. Meanwhile, Andre Paison was so devastated that he lost a tremendous amount of money in vain. To compensate for his stupidity and did not even complain with the police.
Not only this, but he also has a record of selling the Eiffel Tower to a rich man for only 18 thousand dollars! But about 100 years ago today, $18000 is a lot of money.
He was later arrested in the United States for various frauds, including making counterfeit banknotes. However, Lustig managed to escape from the Federal Detention Center in Manhattan by twisting the bed sheets like a rope, cutting the window grille.
Twenty-eight days later, he was arrested again from Petersburg. There were cases in his name in all categories except murder, rape, and kidnapping. Many speculate that Lustig would have sold the Egyptian pyramids or the Taj Mahal in Agra if he had the chance.
He was sentenced to 15 years in prison on December 5, 1935, and transferred to Alcatraz Island. Although his true identity was unknown, his new name in prison was '300', which was his numerical identity as a prisoner.
Lustig died of pneumonia shortly after, at 8:30 pm on March 11, 1947. His death certificate read 'Apprentice Salesman.'
But it would not be an exaggeration to say that Victor Lustig turned cheating into art.
Original Content by @pitboy