"The Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower — Victor Lustig’s Life of Lies, Legends, and Unbreakable Confidence"

In this episode of Heists, Hustles, and Homicide, Steve takes you deep into the unbelievable true story of Victor Lustig - one of the most creative, charming, and dangerous con men in history.

We explore how a short, unassuming man from Hostinné turned himself into a globe-trotting illusionist of identity. From card-table secrets to aristocratic aliases, Lustig mastered human psychology long before the term “social engineering” existed.

Then comes his masterpiece: selling the Eiffel Tower. Not once, but twice.

In Paris, Lustig forged government documents, bribed hotel staff, impersonated a deputy director, and lured ambitious businessmen into believing the French government was scrapping its iconic monument. The sheer audacity of his plan still baffles historians.

But Lustig didn’t stop there. After leaving Europe, he ran one of the most successful counterfeiting operations in the U.S., tricked Al Capone without getting himself killed, and invented the legendary “Rumanian Money Box.”

Ultimately caught by the Secret Service thanks to a jealous mistress, Lustig landed in Alcatraz - where rumors swirled that he was plotting one last escape disguised as the prison chaplain.

This episode explores the twists, illusions, psychology, and sheer confidence of a man who understood one timeless truth:

People will always believe what they most want to hear.

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