30 Items Tagged

Fraud

The author's mother found the letters of a missing man.

Letters Hidden in My Family’s Attic Reveal a 1910s Bank Con in Key West

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

Asia London Palomba January 3, 2025

This map of Poyais from the 1820s fooled hundreds of people.

objects of intrigue

This Map Shows a Fictional Country Created by a Con Man

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

Diana Hubbell October 31, 2024

Bill G.B. Pallot, pictured here in his Paris home in 2017, has been at the center of a storm over counterfeit antique furniture.

The Furniture Fraud That Threw the French Antiques World Into a Furor

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

Nina Strochlic January 8, 2024

Many of the California home owners still don't know about the con artist.

Many Popular Houses in L.A. Were Part of a Scam by a Con Artist Who Disappeared

Yet the homes are still in high demand.

laurakaiser November 9, 2023

Hell Gate, as seen from over Queens, connects New York Harbor to Long Island Sound, resulting in chaotic currents.

Is There Sunken Treasure Beneath the Treacherous Currents of Hell Gate?

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

Joaquim Salles September 27, 2023

If not for the Yazoo Land Scandal, Greater Georgia might have encompassed most or all of the current states of Mississippi and Alabama.

The Little-Known Land Fraud That Changed American History

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

Frank Jacobs August 25, 2023

Podcast: Demon Wall

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

The Podcast Team August 17, 2023

In a small village in southern Norway, a church wall is filled with thousands of tiny demons—and that's not the oddest thing about the mural.

The Curious Case of Norway’s Disturbing Demon Wall

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

Gemma Tarlach October 13, 2021

The Comtesse de Monteil, born Amélie Condemine, in an undated photo published shortly after her arrest in 1908.

How the 'Queen of Thieves' Conned French Riviera Wealthy

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

Caroline Elenowitz-Hess May 4, 2021

Eleanor Roosevelt voting in 1936.

Voting Booths Were a Radical 19th-Century Reform to Stop Election Fraud

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

Sarah Laskow November 5, 2018

Salesmen promised that tomato pills could cure headaches, diarrhea, and cholera.

The Tomato Pill Craze

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

Adee Braun October 16, 2017

George Lucas with Steven Spielberg, who did uncredited work on <i>Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith</i>.

'Scientific' Journals Caught in 'Star Wars' Sting Operation

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

Erik Shilling July 25, 2017

The envelope of the Morey letter.

The Enduring Mystery of James A. Garfield's Immigration Scandal

Instead of emails, there was the Morey letter.

Sarah Laskow March 13, 2017

Deadwood's 1883 Racketeer Nickel.

In Deadwood, Men Wore Fake Five Dollar Coins on Their Wrists to Show Off

Gold-plated nickels were all the rage.

Sarah Laskow November 2, 2016

31 days of halloween

In 1926, Houdini Spent 4 Days Shaming Congress for Being in Thrall to Fortune-Tellers

The congressional hearings on the supernatural were very theatrical.

Atlas Obscura October 11, 2016

Human Eyes Might Not Notice a Good Forgery, But Computers Could

Artificial intelligence might thwart art forgers once and for all.

Natalie Zarrelli October 5, 2016

Election Fraud in the 1800s Involved Kidnapping and Forced Drinking

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

Natalie Zarrelli September 7, 2016

Charges Filed After Horsemeat Was Sold in Britain as Ground Beef

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

Erik Shilling August 26, 2016