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Con Man Victor Lustig Sold The Eiffel Tower For Scrap Metal- Twice
Some scam artists are as cool as the other side of the pillow when it comes to tricking their victims
Con men and con women have plied their devious trade since the dawn of time, seeking naivety and vulnerability to make their living. While some schemes are outlandish and evil, others are admittedly quite brazen and perhaps even humorous. A great example of this is Victor Lustig, a notorious scam artist, who sold the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris for scrap metal not once but twice.
Born in 1890 in Austria-Hungary, Lustig was a career criminal. He began as a simple panhandler and pickpocket before ascending the ranks of deviancy, finally landing on running cons.
He became a master of cards, cheating at games and tricking onlookers with his underhanded ability. True Detective Mysteries later wrote that he could make a card deck “do everything but talk.” The schemes during his career ran the gamut, including the “Rumanian money box.” He sold small boxes that were adorned with various dials and rollers, none of which that did much of anything. He claimed the device could print money with the help of radium, and found a steady stream of suckers willing to fork over cash for what they believed was a future fortune. Part…
