Six scrap dealers responded to Lustig’s invitation, and, using his infamous charisma, he convinced them to bid on the Eiffel Tower. Out of the bunch, Lustig had picked the true mark of the con, Andre Poisson. The conman received the equivalent of $70,000 from Poisson, more than $1,000,000 in today’s money when adjusted for inflation, and then Lustig left for Austria.
In Austria, Lustig waited out the storm, keeping his eyes on newspapers in case Poisson reported the scam. Of course, Lustig accurately suspected that this wouldn’t happen. He believed that Poisson would be too embarrassed by what had happened to go to authorities, and this seems to be the case. After six months, Lustig, seriously, went back to Paris to try the scam again.
It almost worked, too. Except, this time, the mark was quick to report what had happened, so Lustig got away while he could.
Page from a 1935 Philadelphia newspaper, Public domain/Wiki Commons
Victor Lustig’s remaining years of crime were spent in the United States. One of the most notorious schemes he took around the U.S. was the Rumanian money box. This was a box that Lustig claimed could copy money. Lustig would ask for a $100 bill from a mark. He would put it in the machine, and it would soon give two bills in return. These were counterfeits, and Lustig would keep the real money.
The Grifter Who (Twice) Sold The Eiffel Tower, Then Scammed Al Capone
Source: Pinoy Daily News
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