Devin Jacobs
History remembers its heroes, but its master manipulators are just as unforgettable. A select few have earned infamy not by their achievements, but by the fabrications behind them. Their lies shaped fortunes and headlines, sometimes with shocking consequences. Today, we’re here to shine some light on the 10 greatest deceivers ever recorded. Scroll through and witness how far a well-told lie can travel.
Frank Abagnale Jr.
Before turning 21, he posed as a Pan Am pilot and a Harvard-trained lawyer, all fabricated. He was able to deceive banks with counterfeit checks totaling $2.5 million across 26 countries. Interestingly, after serving prison time, the FBI recruited him to help identify fraud tactics, leveraging his expertise to catch con artists like himself.
Elizabeth Holmes
Holmes launched Theranos at the age of 19 and claimed it could revolutionize medicine with a single drop of blood. Her device, supposedly capable of running hundreds of tests from a finger stick, never worked. Investors lost nearly $1 billion while she appeared on magazine covers and hosted high-level summits with global leaders.
Anna Sorokin (Aka Anna Delvey)
Unpaid bills exposed her scheme, which landed her behind bars and on global headlines. Sorokin conned her way into luxury hotels and art parties, while posing as a German heiress. She convinced financiers and friends to cover expenses, racking up over $200,000 in fraudulent gains.
Charles Ponzi
Ponzi lured thousands with promises of high returns through international postal coupons. But instead of giving out real investment profits, he was just recycling money from new participants to pay old ones. His scheme eventually collapsed, but not before he defrauded millions and had his name permanently linked to financial deception.
Cassie Chadwick
This is a story that embarrassed financial institutions and revealed how easily reputation could override due diligence. By claiming to be steel tycoon Andrew Carnegie’s secret daughter, she tricked banks into issuing massive loans. Her supposed inheritance gave lenders false confidence, which resulted in millions of dollars in credit.
Victor Lustig
Not once but twice, he managed to “sell” the Eiffel Tower for scrap using forged government papers and smooth persuasion. One of Lustig’s boldest moves involved scamming Al Capone, where he convinced the gangster to invest in a fake deal. Afterward, he returned the money to build trust, but then used that credibility to swindle others.
Clifford Irving
With the submission of a fake autobiography of Howard Hughes, Irving tricked a major publisher by claiming he had the billionaire’s full cooperation. He forged documents and interviews to support the fraud. The deception unraveled when Hughes held a phone press conference denying any involvement with Irving.
Rachel Dolezal
Born to White parents in Montana, Dolezal presented herself as a Black woman for years, and even altered her appearance. She built a career in African-American advocacy, eventually leading the Spokane chapter of the NAACP. After her parents revealed her true background in 2015, public backlash ended her leadership roles and ignited a national debate on race, identity, and cultural appropriation.
Milli Vanilli
The Pop Duo That Lip-Synced Their Way to Fame Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus skyrocketed to stardom in the late ’80s with chart-topping hits — until it was revealed that they hadn’t sung a single note on their recordings. Their Grammy Award was revoked in a rare move, turning their rise into a cautionary tale about the music industry’s obsession with image.
Carlos Kaiser
The Soccer Star Who Never Played a Real Match Brazilian “player” Carlos Henrique Raposo built a decade-long career by faking injuries, forging contracts, and leaning on personal charm. He collected salaries, gave interviews, and celebrated victories — all without ever setting foot on the pitch. His story became a darkly comic symbol of ambition built on thin air.