Fraud

The con artist was either a very unlucky man or a trickster who got away with it all.

In the 19th century, Scottish scammer Gregor MacGregor made a fortune selling land in Poyais.

Was it an elaborate scam or a highbrow battle of wits?

Yet the homes are still in high demand.

In the heart of New York City, a centuries-long hunt for Revolutionary War–Era gold.

Without this now-obscure land investment scheme, the Yazoo Land Affair, Georgia might have been a "super state."

The devil's in the details of this disturbing Norwegian church mural.

A respected conservator restoring a centuries-old church mural saw the devil in the details—and created a wholly imagined, diabolical scene.

The cat burglar and fake countess swindled and stole her way through La Belle Époque.

An idea imported from Australia, they helped enable the "secret" part of secret ballots.

How a war over cure-all pills convinced Americans to eat tomatoes.

Dr. Lucas McGeorge and Dr. Annette Kin are now published scientists.

Instead of emails, there was the Morey letter.

Gold-plated nickels were all the rage.

The congressional hearings on the supernatural were very theatrical.

Artificial intelligence might thwart art forgers once and for all.

How roving "cooping" gangs got voters drunk and disturbed the democratic process.

Three men will be held to account for the crime of mystery meat.