Heists & Hoaxes
The greatest robberies, cons, forgeries, and impostors in history
Han van Meegeren, the Forger Who Fooled the Nazis
Han van Meegeren sold a fake Vermeer to Hermann Goering, then had to confess to forgery and paint a new one in custody to avoid a treason charge.
The Piltdown Man Hoax: How a Fake Fossil Fooled Science for 40 Years
Charles Dawson unveiled a fake 'missing link' fossil in 1912. It took fluorine tests and a microscope to expose it as an orangutan jaw and human skull, in 1953.
The Theft of the Mona Lisa: How a House Painter Made Her Famous
In 1911 a Louvre handyman hid overnight, walked out with the Mona Lisa under his smock, and turned an admired painting into the most famous artwork on Earth.
The Hatton Garden Heist: How a Gang of Pensioners Pulled It Off (and Got Caught)
In 2015, a gang of burglars averaging 60 pulled off the Hatton Garden heist, breaking into a London vault over a bank holiday weekend, and were later caught.
The Antwerp Diamond Heist: How the School of Turin Cracked an 'Impossible' Vault
In 2003 a gang pulled off the Antwerp diamond heist, cracking ten layers of vault security, then got caught over a discarded sandwich.
Anna Delvey: The Fake Heiress Who Conned New York
Netflix made Anna Delvey 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
The Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme ran for decades, faked $65 billion in returns, and collapsed within a single confession, the largest fraud in US history.
Billy McFarland and the Fyre Festival Fraud
How a viral orange square, forged financial documents, and a cheese sandwich exposed the Fyre Festival fraud, a $26 million scheme behind the festival's 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
In the Great Train Robbery 1963, a gang stole millions from a Royal Mail train. Ronnie Biggs's escape and years 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.