This is
the story of one of the great scams of the 20th Century. Perpetrated in 1925
by Count Victor Lustig a famous confidence trickster from Bohemia. The idea
was inspired by a newspaper article that Lustig read around that time which
discussed how expensive it was to maintain the Eiffel Tower. It cost a great
deal of money to paint it and keep it in good condition. From this he devised
his extraordinary plan
Count Victor Lustig
Lustig forged a number of documents using fake government stationary which
purported to show that he was an official of the French state given a special
task
Although today the Eiffel Tower is Paris's greatest icon and one of the most
popular monuments in the world, it is worth bearing in mind that it hasn't
always been that way. When it was built for the 1889 Paris exhibition many
prominent people hated it. Indeed, it was only envisaged to remain in Paris
for 20 years so when Lustig offered the Tower for sale in 1925 it wasn't as
far fetched as it seems today.
Lustig invited 6 prominent scrap metal dealers to the Hotel Crillon, one of
the most luxurious hotels in Paris at that time. His invitation was deliberately
vague simply stating that there was an opportunity to bid on an important
government contract. He introduced himself as the deputy director general
of the Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs. Then Lustig flattered his guests
telling them that they had been invited on the basis of their reputations
as sound business men. Then he dropped his bombshell that the upkeep of the
Eiffel Tower had become prohibitively high for the government so they were
looking for a quick sale. One of these lucky six men would walk away with
all that scrap iron at a knock-down price. Lustig also stressed the utmost
importance of keeping the sale a secret.
He drove his guests in a rented limousine to the tower where he gave them
a tour. The whole time Lustig was was carefully gauging his invitees to find
out who would be the most likely to fall for his scam.
Within a few days all the dealers had submitted their bids but the amount
didn't matter to Lustig. He had already chosen his victim. That unfortunate
man was André Poisson not only did he seem the most gullible but he also played
on Poisson's insecurity as an outsider in the Paris business community.
The Count informed Poisson of his successful bid. However, his wife quickly
became suspicous of the whole affair. It was then that Lustig produced his
masterstroke. He organised another meeting with Poisson during which he explained
that he was but a poor government official trying to live on a meagre salary.
Poisson understood that Lustig was asking for a bribe. By acting as a corrupt
bureaucrat Lustig become more credible. Poisson was convinced. The deal was clinched. Soon after
Count Lustig and his accomplice left for Vienna with a suitcase filled with
a consderable amount of cash provided by Poisson
Poisson in fact never reported the crime to the police his embarrassment being
too great.
Interesting, very intersting
The Eiffel Tower going cheap for scrap - any offers?
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