Top 10 Worst Cheats and Fraudsters to Have Ever Lived

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most infamous deceivers, fraudsters, and plunderers of all time.

#10: Han van Meegeren

Imagine recreating artwork at a level where the original cannot be discerned from the recreation. Now imagine selling the forged copy to a Nazi leader. That is exactly what Han van Meegeren did. The Dutch painter created fake works in the style of 17th-century master Johannes Vermeer. His forgeries were so convincing that even top art critics authenticated them. His most infamous con was selling a fake “Vermeer” to Nazi leader Hermann Göring during World War II. After the war ended, Van Meegeren was accused of collaborating with the Nazis by selling them Dutch cultural treasures. Van Meegeren confessed to the forgeries and was found guilty of fraud. Ironically, he also became a folk hero for having swindled a Nazi.

#9: Dennis Kozlowski

What’s the best birthday gift you can give your wife? Well, for Dennis Kozlowski, the CEO of Tyco International, it was an ice sculpture of Michelangelo’s David peeing vodka. Except Kozlowski didn’t purchase the sculpture using his own money, but rather money funded by his company. The man who lived an extravagant lifestyle, much like a corporate king, soon found himself accused of stealing over $150 million through unauthorized bonuses and fraudulent stock sales. Convicted of grand larceny, conspiracy, and securities fraud, Kozlowski’s trial was a media circus. Befitting a man of his insatiable greed, Kozlowski was sent to prison, where he stayed for over six years. His story is now a corporate case study for how power can be abused for personal gain.

#8: Ferdinand Marcos & Imelda Marcos

Being a president means being of service to the people of a nation. That wasn’t the case for Ferdinand Marcos, President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. Alongside his wife Imelda, the duo built a regime defined by corruption, kleptocracy, and repression. They siphoned billions from the country’s coffers, stashing their wealth in Swiss bank accounts and real estate. Imelda even had an infamous collection of over 3,000 pairs of luxury shoes. To avoid trouble, Marcos invoked his executive powers to declare martial law, suppress political dissent, and maintain his power. Throughout all of this, citizens of the Philippines suffered in poverty. This power couple’s dastardly reign ended in 1986 when the People Power Revolution forced them into exile.

#7: George C. Parker

His specialty was a love for selling things that weren’t his. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, George C. Parker conned unsuspecting immigrants and tourists into buying the Brooklyn Bridge. You heard that right. Parker was selling the Brooklyn Bridge, complete with forged deeds and official-looking documents. He also sold a few other landmarks in New York, like the Statue of Liberty and Madison Square Garden. He was so convincing that some of his victims even set up toll booths on the bridge before being stopped by the police. Parker was eventually convicted and sentenced to life in prison. He died behind bars in 1937, but his legacy lasts to this day in the legendary idiom, “I’ve got a bridge to sell you.”

#6: Robert Ripley

The founder of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! loved collecting things. What may have seemed interesting to Robert Ripley would often seem quirky or odd to others. Ripley shared that eccentricity with the public by discussing bizarre and fascinating facts. Sadly, his “facts” were sometimes further from the truth than expected. Ripley was accused of exploiting cultures, sensationalizing artifacts, and discussing myths as reality for viewership. He blurred the lines between entertainment, knowledge, and deception. Ripley’s museums became treasure troves of curiosities. While not a criminal in the traditional sense, his legacy raised serious questions on the presentation of truth in the media long before today’s “fake news.”

#5: Robert Mugabe

This is the story of a cheat who went from beloved hero to despicable villain. Robert Mugabe started as a liberation hero in Zimbabwe. He played a pivotal role in leading the country to independence in 1980. However, over the next 37 years, Mugabe fell prey to the corruption that comes with power. His presidency devolved into authoritarian rule and massive corruption. Zimbabwe’s economy collapsed as Mugabe’s government razed the country’s resources. He seized land from white farmers in a violent campaign that led to food shortages and international sanctions. With no food or national revenue, and skyrocketing inflation, Zimbabwe once issued a 100 trillion-dollar bill. Mugabe’s betrayal of his people made him an enduring symbol of political greed and self-enrichment.

#4: Gregor MacGregor

Once upon a time, there was an infamous scam related to the invention of an entirely made-up country. Sounds too crazy to be true. It isn’t. In the 1820s, Scottish conman Gregor MacGregor claimed to be the “Cacique” or Prince of Poyais, a lush Central American paradise ripe for settlement and investment. Prospective investors and settlers bought land and supplies—all that effort only to arrive in a mosquito-infested jungle with no infrastructure. More than half of the settlers died. MacGregor pocketed the money and fled. His “Poyais” scheme shows how easily hope and greed can blind people to glaring red flags.

#3: Bernie Madoff

For decades, he built a reputation as a financial genius. At one point, Bernie Madoff was even the chairman of the Nasdaq Stock Exchange. His reputation as a highly capable financier attracted clients from celebrities to charitable organizations. Reality was far less pretty. Madoff sustained an illusion of success. Using investor money to pay returns to earlier ones, he defrauded investors out of an estimated $65 billion. When the 2008 financial crisis hit, Madoff got exposed. His scheme collapsed, wiping out life savings and charitable endowments in the process. He was sentenced to the maximum possible sentence of 150 years in prison, where he died in 2021.

#2: Elizabeth Holmes

When it comes to making revolutionary claims that are all fluff and no substance, Elizabeth Holmes stands at the top. Holmes founded Theranos with the promise of revolutionizing blood testing. She claimed that with just a few drops of blood, her company could run hundreds of tests. Her proposal attracted massive investments from major shareholders and a $9 billion valuation. Theranos became the long-sought “unicorn” of Silicon Valley, and Holmes was poised to be the next Steve Jobs. Except the technology didn’t work. Theranos secretly relied on traditional lab machines. Once the truth was out, Holmes was convicted of fraud in a case that’s a modern reminder that when you talk the talk, you better be able to walk the walk.

#1: Charles Ponzi

Imagine a scam so good that it's named after you. That is the Ponzi scheme. Charles Ponzi didn’t invent the pyramid scheme, but he perfected it. In the early 1920s, Ponzi promised his investors a 50% return in just 45 days. He achieved this claim by exploiting international postal reply coupons. In reality, he was paying old investors with new investors’ money. Sound familiar? Well, Ponzi was Madoff’s inspiration. At his peak, Ponzi raked in millions of dollars. The collapse was inevitable, and when it happened, it left thousands bankrupt. Ponzi was arrested and deported. His name is now immortalized as the gold standard of financial fraud and a warning for all investors against get-rich-quick schemes that sound too good to be true.

Which of these infamous cheats do you think pulled off the most outrageous scam? Let us know in the comments, and subscribe to WatchMojo for more jaw-dropping tales of deception.