Humans, like all primates, evolved in the wilderness. Survival was crucial at the time, and humans developed numerous defence mechanisms to get by. One such defence mechanism was deception, and it’s still widely employed.
Other animals too use deception to ward off attacks or to lure prey, but they lack the ability to communicate. The act of using deception in communication is called lying, and it goes back thousands of years.
People frequently lie to get their way, make a sale, crack an interview, or influence other people, as politicians and cults do. However, some individuals are cut above the rest when it comes to deception.
There have been people in history who sold monuments like the Eiffel Tower and the Taj Mahal; created fake companies and became insanely rich, or impersonated someone famous and lived their life. These con artists’ tales range from downright improbable to why-didn’t-I-think-of-that. On that note, take a look at the 9 most notorious con artists of all time.
9 Most Notorious Con Artists in History and Their Famous Scams
1. Charles Ponzi
Charles Ponzi was an Italian businessman and swindler who was responsible for duping thousands of investors in the early 20th century. Ponzi cheated investors out of an estimated $32 million, which would be valued at nearly half a billion dollars today. Although Ponzi wasn’t the first to attempt it, the con he pulled off was so humongous and out of this world that it was named after him: the Ponzi…
