Heists & Hoaxes
The greatest robberies, cons, forgeries, and impostors in history
Anna Sorokin: The Fake Heiress Who Conned New York
Netflix made her famous. Here's how a Russian-born nobody talked her way into Manhattan high society, and nearly walked off with millions.
The Bernie Madoff Ponzi Scheme
How Bernie Madoff ran the largest Ponzi scheme in US history for decades, faked $65 billion in returns, and collapsed in a single confession.
Billy McFarland and the Fyre Festival Fraud
How a viral orange square, forged financial documents, and a cheese sandwich exposed a $26 million fraud behind the Fyre Festival collapse.
Elizabeth Holmes and the Theranos Fraud
Elizabeth Holmes turned a blood-testing device that barely worked into a $9 billion company, then went to federal prison for the fraud behind it.
The Great Train Robbery of 1963
A gang stole millions from a Royal Mail train in 1963. Ronnie Biggs's prison escape and decades hiding in Brazil made it Britain's most famous heist.
How Victor Lustig Sold the Eiffel Tower Twice
The true story of Victor Lustig, the con man who convinced Paris scrap dealers to buy the Eiffel Tower for salvage, not once but twice, in 1925.