- 11 months ago
From fake masterpieces to imaginary countries, these scammers redefined deception! Join us as we count down our picks for history's most notorious fraudsters and con artists. Our list features cunning swindlers who cheated their way into fortunes while leaving devastation in their wake.
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00:00Ripley's personal life was as unconventional as his chosen career, and the
00:05eccentric artists pursued both with gusto. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today
00:11we're counting down our picks for the most infamous deceivers, fraudsters, and
00:15plunderers of all time. If you can perpetrate a fraud, smile about it, go to
00:20White House debtors, that to me is just no conscience. Number 10, Han Von Meegren.
00:29Imagine recreating an artwork at a level where the original cannot be discerned
00:33from the recreation. Now imagine selling the forgery copy to a Nazi leader. That
00:39is exactly what Han Von Meegren did. The Dutch painter created fake works in the
00:44style of 17th century master Johannes Vermeer. His forgeries were so
00:56convincing that even top art critics authenticated them. His most famous
01:00con was selling a fake Vermeer to Nazi leader Hermann Göring during World War
01:05Two. After the war, Von Meegren was accused of collaborating with the Nazis by
01:10selling them Dutch cultural treasures. Von Meegren confessed to the forgeries and was
01:15found guilty of fraud. Ironically, he also became a folk hero for having swindled the
01:20Nazi. What did they pay for it? They paid for it 1,168,000 Dutch guilders, which would
01:27be today something like 12 million pounds. Hard to believe. That was such an ugly painting.
01:32Donner's in the mountain. Yeah. Number 9, Dennis Kozlowski. The former granite stater says
01:38he was overpaid, but everything he took was on the books and paid back.
01:50What's the best birthday gift you can give your wife? Well, for Dennis Kozlowski, the CEO
01:55of Tyco International, it was an ice sculpture of Michelangelo's David peeing vodka. Except,
02:01Kozlowski didn't purchase the sculpture using his own money, but rather money funded by his company.
02:06The man who lived an extravagant lifestyle, much like a corporate king, soon found himself accused
02:11of stealing over 150 million dollars through unauthorized bonuses and fraudulent stock sales.
02:18We had a pay for performance culture at Tyco, so most of the money I earned was in the appreciation
02:23of Tyco stock. One year you made, I think, 170 million dollars. Not sure 170, but I made over 100
02:28million. Convicted of grand larceny, conspiracy, and securities fraud, Kozlowski's trial was a media
02:35circus. Befitting a man of his insatiable greed, Kozlowski was sent to prison, where he stayed
02:40for over six years. His story is now a corporate case study for how power can be abused for personal
02:46gain. Donald Trump called your behavior tacky. Tacky? Tacky from Donald Trump? From Donald Trump.
02:53Well, he would know. Number eight, Ferdinand Marcos and Imelda Marcos.
03:01Of course not. Of course not. I am president. I was proclaimed by the only constitutional body
03:09that can converse and proclaim the winner in the presidential election. Being a president means being
03:16of service to the people of a nation. That wasn't the case for Ferdinand Marcos, president of the
03:21Philippines, from 1965 to 1986. Along with his wife Imelda, the duo built a regime defined by
03:28corruption, kleptocracy, and repression. They siphoned billions from the country's coffers,
03:33stashing their wealth in Swiss bank accounts and real estate. Imelda even had an infamous collection
03:38of over 3,000 pairs of luxury shoes. To avoid trouble, Marcos invoked his executive powers to
03:45declare martial law, suppress political dissent, and maintain his power. Throughout all of this,
03:50citizens of the Philippines suffered in poverty. The power couple's dastardly reign ended in 1986,
03:56when the People Power Revolution forced them into exile.
04:11Number seven, George C. Parker. His specialty was a love for selling things that weren't his.
04:17In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, George C. Parker conned unsuspecting immigrants and tourists
04:23into buying the Brooklyn Bridge. You heard that right. Parker was selling the Brooklyn Bridge,
04:29complete with forged deeds and official-looking documents. He also sold a few other landmarks in
04:34New York, like the Statue of Liberty and Madison Square Garden. He was so convincing that some of his
04:39victims even set up tollbooths on the bridge, before being stopped by the police. Parker was eventually
04:44convicted and sentenced to life in prison. He died behind bars in 1937. But his legacy lasts to this
04:51day in the legendary idiom, I've got a bridge to sell you. Roebling designed a two-level bridge.
04:57The lower level was for vehicles. The top level was for pedestrians. Even today, no other bridge in the
05:06world has anything like it. Number six, Robert Ripley. Even his imperfect smile was famous. When he
05:14finally had surgery to tame his unruly teeth, Ripley instructed the dentist not to straighten them all
05:20the way. By now, they had become his trademark. The founder of Ripley's Believe It or Not,
05:26loved collecting things. What may have seemed interesting to Robert Ripley would often seem
05:31quirky or odd to others. Ripley shared that eccentricity with the public by discussing
05:36bizarre and fascinating facts. Sadly, his facts were sometimes further from the truth than expected.
05:43Ripley was accused of exploiting cultures, sensationalizing artifacts, and discussing
05:48myths as reality for viewership. Ripley actually had the gall to challenge Charles Lindbergh,
05:55America's number one hero. His first solo flight across the Atlantic was cheered the world over as
06:01a feat of unsurpassed courage. To question this achievement was pure sacrilege. He blurred the
06:08lines between entertainment, knowledge, and deception. Ripley's museums became treasure troves of curiosities.
06:16While not a criminal in the traditional sense, his legacy raised serious questions on the presentation
06:21of truth in the media long before today's fake news. You know, every time I see something unbelievable,
06:28different, awesome, I'll think of you. And you'll believe? Truth is stranger than fiction. Number five,
06:37Robert Mugabe. If dogs and pigs know their mates, can human beings remain human beings if they do worse
06:50than pigs? This is the story of a cheat who went from beloved hero to despicable villain. Robert
06:55Mugabe started as a liberation hero in Zimbabwe. He played a pivotal role in leading the country to
07:01independence in 1980. However, over the next 37 years, Mugabe fell prey to the corruption that comes
07:08with power. His presidency devolved into authoritarian rule and massive corruption. You see, to tell us who
07:14to give land and who not, whether those who are given are members of my, uh, my, my party is irrelevant to
07:22Britain. Zimbabwe's economy collapsed as Mugabe's government raised the country's resources. He seized land
07:29from white farmers in a violent campaign that led to food shortages and international sanctions.
07:35With no food or national revenue and skyrocketing inflation, Zimbabwe once issued a 100 trillion
07:42dollar bill. Mugabe's betrayal of his people made him an enduring symbol of political greed and
07:47self-enrichment. But within his own party, discontent was rising. Many believed he had overstayed
07:52and needed to hand over power. Number four, Gregor McGregor. He paid his way up the ranks of the British
07:59army, which was common practice at the time. And whilst he enjoyed the titles, he wasn't so keen
08:06on the responsibilities that came with them. Once upon a time, there was an infamous scam related to
08:12the invention of an entirely made up country. Sounds too crazy to be true. It isn't. In the 1820s,
08:19Scottish conman Gregor McGregor claimed to be the cacique or prince of Poyer, a lush Central American
08:26paradise ripe for settlement and investment. Prospective investors and settlers bought land
08:31and supplies. All that effort, only to arrive in a mosquito-infested jungle with no infrastructure.
08:38More than half of the settlers died. McGregor pocketed the money and fled. His Poyer scheme
08:44shows how easily hope and greed can blind people to glaring red flags.
08:49They explain there is nothing here. It's all been a lie. The passengers resolve to set up camp
08:57whilst they wait for rescue. Number three, Bernie Madoff.
09:01Why does he tell people not to tell anyone he has a hedge fund? Why does he give up all this money in fees?
09:09I knew in my gut that there was something not right. For decades, he built a reputation as a financial
09:18genius. At one point, Bernie Madoff was even the chairman of the Nasdaq Stock Exchange. His reputation
09:24as a highly capable financier attracted clients from celebrities to charitable organizations.
09:37Reality was far less pretty. Madoff sustained an illusion of success. Using investor money to pay
09:43returns to earlier ones, he defrauded investors out of an estimated $65 billion. When the 2008
09:51crisis hit, Madoff got exposed. His scheme collapsed, wiping out life savings and charitable
09:57endowments in the process. He was sentenced to the maximum possible sentence of 150 years in prison,
10:04where he died in 2021. He ruled with an iron fist, but kept everyone happy with money. Steady returns for
10:12investors and for family, an endless stream of cash. Number two, Elizabeth Holmes. Then vice president,
10:20Joe Biden was invited to inspect. This is sort of the laboratory of the future. Unaware the devices
10:26didn't work and that he, along with the world, was being conned. When it comes to making revolutionary
10:33claims that are all fluff and no substance, Elizabeth Holmes stands at the top. Holmes founded Theranos
10:39with the promise of revolutionizing blood testing. She claimed that with just a few drops of blood,
10:45her company could run hundreds of tests. Her proposal attracted massive investments from major
10:50shareholders and a $9 billion valuation. We've designed it to allow for the same operations that
10:57a technologist could do in a laboratory. Holmes believes that a finger stick instead of a needle
11:03will make people more likely to get their blood tested. Theranos became the long sought unicorn of
11:08Silicon Valley and Holmes was poised to be the next Steve Jobs, except the technology didn't work.
11:15Theranos secretly relied on traditional lab machines. Once the truth was out, Holmes was convicted of fraud,
11:21in a case that's a modern reminder that when you talk the talk, you better be able to walk the walk.
11:26What I know is that I've put the best people in place to be able to investigate every aspect of
11:33this and ensure that we meet the quality standards that we hold ourselves to and I know they're doing
11:38that. Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about
11:43our latest videos. You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
11:48If you're on your phone, make sure you go into settings and switch on your notifications.
11:52Number one, Charles Ponzi. It wasn't until after the First World War that Ponzi hatched his
12:01get-rich-quick scheme. The gimmick? Something called international reply coupons. A way to prepay
12:10foreign postage for mail. Imagine a scam so good that it's named after you. That is the Ponzi scheme.
12:17Charles Ponzi didn't invent the pyramid scheme, but he perfected it. In the early 1920s, Ponzi promised
12:23his investors a 50% return in just 45 days. He achieved this claim by exploiting international
12:30postal reply coupons. In reality, he was paying old investors with new investors' money.
12:36Sound familiar? Well, Ponzi was Madoff's inspiration. At his peak, Ponzi raked in millions of dollars.
12:42The collapse was inevitable, and when it happened, it left thousands bankrupt. Ponzi was arrested
12:48and deported. His name is now immortalized as the gold standard of financial fraud,
12:53and a warning for all investors against get-rich-quick schemes that sounds too good to be true.
12:59On the one hand, you can say he was a swindler and he knew all along he was taking people. On the other
13:04hand, perhaps he just was optimistic that if he was given a chance, he could find eight million dollars
13:10that he owed people. Which of these infamous cheats do you think pulled off the most outrageous scam?
13:17Let us know in the comments and subscribe to WatchMojo for more jaw-dropping tales of deception.
13:22Ponzi would think that his legendary stature today is exactly what he deserves.
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