Eiffel Tower Scam: How a Person Sold the Tower Twice

While the Eiffel Tower remains one of the most iconic (and one of the most visited) landmarks to this day, there is way more to the history of the tower than you might think. And no, we definitely are not talking about how it was built or how it became so iconic. Instead, we present to you the biggest Eiffel Tower scam to date, where a man was able to fool the same person, not once, but twice to fake sell them the Eiffel Tower. Are you not convinced this could have actually happened? Keep on reading to find out more!

Who Is The Man Behind the Eiffel Tower Scam?

Victor Lustig was a skilled and infamous con artist who led a life of deceit and opulence. He earned the moniker “Man who sold the Eiffel Tower” for successfully deceiving wealthy people and governments with elaborate schemes. Lustig’s global travels saw him using his charm and charisma to manipulate his victims, leaving behind a legacy of deception.

At 19, Lustig was a student in Paris, combining his studies with gambling and romancing local French girls, which led to a scar on his face from a jealous boyfriend. After leaving school, he turned to a life of crime, leveraging his education and multilingual skills to orchestrate various scams, rapidly amassing wealth and establishing himself as a professional con man.

The Dip Into Conlife

His early cons primarily targeted affluent passengers on ocean liners traveling between France and New York, where he posed as a music producer seeking investment for a fictitious Broadway production. This scheme allowed him to exploit a captive audience, leaving them realizing they had been swindled only after the cruise ended, and Lustig had vanished.

During World War I, when ocean liners were suspended, Lustig shifted his focus to different cons, relocating to the United States and targeting larger markets, including banks. His activities earned him notoriety among American law enforcement agencies.

How Did He Achieve the Eiffel Tower Scam?

In 1925, with increasing scrutiny in America, Victor Lustig returned to France, where he found his next scam idea. He read about the Eiffel Tower’s deteriorating condition and the public debate about its future. This inspired him to act.

Lustig engaged a forger to create counterfeit government documents. Afterward, he organized a meeting with a group of scrap metal dealers at a luxury hotel. Posing as the Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs, he explained the Eiffel Tower’s issues and informed them of the government’s intention to sell it, tasking himself with brokering the deal. To maintain secrecy due to public opinion risks, he selected the dealers based on their reputations for trustworthiness.

Lustig was observant during the meeting, and he identified Andre Poisson as an ideal target. Poisson, an insecure man seeking social status in Paris’s business community, proved susceptible to Lustig’s offer of owning the iconic landmark.

Not Once, But Twice?

After receiving bids from the scrap metal dealers, Victor Lustig honed in on Andre Poisson. In a private meeting, Lustig insinuated corruption, expressing dissatisfaction with his government salary. He offered Poisson the Eiffel Tower, enticing him with an added incentive.

Poisson, driven by his desire to gain recognition, fell for Lustig’s scheme completely. He not only paid a substantial bribe but also agreed to purchase the Eiffel Tower for 70,000 Francs. Remarkably, Lustig managed to make Poisson pay twice for something he didn’t even own. Once he had the money, Lustig fled to Austria, where he remained low-profile while monitoring the news.

Lustig correctly anticipated that Poisson would be too embarrassed to report the con to the authorities. As time passed, it became clear that Lustig had successfully executed one of his most audacious cons, escaping with his ill-gotten gains.

Do you think you would have fallen for the scam, or is this completely ridiculous nowadays?

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