He Sold the Eiffel Tower Twice: The Incredible Story of Conman Victor Lustig

Everyone dreams of seeing the Eiffel Tower in Paris, right? But what if we told you a super-smart conman actually 'sold' this iconic monument not once, but twice? Here's his unbelievable story.

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The fraudster who sold the Eiffel Tower

Victor Lustig, a smooth-talking conman, got his brilliant idea in 1925 from a newspaper article. The article said the French government was struggling with the Eiffel Tower's high maintenance costs and might sell it for scrap. Lustig saw his chance. He posed as a government official, created fake documents, and invited top scrap dealers for a secret meeting to 'sell' them the tower. His convincing words and official-looking papers made the dealers believe he was the real deal.

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A master of persuasion

Lustig smartly met each dealer separately. He found his target in André Poisson, a scrap dealer who desperately wanted the high-profile contract. To seal the deal, Lustig convinced him to pay a hefty 'commission' or bribe. Poisson paid up a large amount. With the money in his pocket, Lustig immediately fled Paris. The scam was discovered later, but Poisson was too embarrassed about paying a bribe to report the crime. This allowed Lustig to get away clean.

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He failed the second time

Feeling bold after his first success, Lustig returned to Paris to try the exact same scam on a new group of dealers. This time, however, his targets grew suspicious and went straight to the police. Sensing trouble, Lustig escaped to America just in time. So, while he didn't actually get paid twice, he famously attempted to sell the Eiffel Tower two times. Tricking a businessman into paying for a world-famous monument is no small feat, and his scam has gone down in history.