The Eiffel Tower is a national treasure of France and will never be sold or demolished. But did you know that there was a man who once sold this tower to ignorant buyers and made a huge profit? He was Victor Rastig, a master of fraud from Austria-Hungary.
Born in 1890, Victor Lustig was smart from an early age, but also fond of trouble. While studying in Paris, he was addicted to gambling and scratched the left side of his face for hooking up with someone else's girlfriend. After leaving school, he used his education and multilingual abilities to start a lifelong criminal career, specializing in various scams and scams, becoming a professional con artist.
Many of Rastig's initial scams were carried out on Atlantic steamers that went back and forth between France and the United States. He would pose as a music producer, seeking investment in a non-existent Broadway show from wealthy travelers. During World War I, transatlantic steamship service was suspended, and Rastig looked for a new place to continue his scam and chose to go to the United States. By this time, he had gained notoriety among various law enforcement agencies for his fraud, including the 1922 fraud he used to swindle some bonds and money from a bank.
Rastig would persuade transatlantic travelers to invest in non-existent Broadway shows and disappear with the money.
In 1925, Rastig returned to France. After settling in Paris, he came across a newspaper article discussing the problems faced in maintaining the Eiffel Tower, which gave him a new inspiration for the scam. At that time, the monument had begun to become dilapidated, and the city was finding it increasingly difficult to maintain and repaint it. There is a passing mention in the article that public opinion may be inclined to demand the demolition of the tower, which is the key to convincing Rastig of using it as the next scam.
After thorough planning, Rastig began to prepare for the scam. In his capacity as a French government minister, he sent an invitation letter to five scrap metal merchants inviting them to a secret meeting. At the meeting, Rastig told them that the government had decided to demolish the Eiffel Tower and sell it as scrap due to the high maintenance costs of the Eiffel Tower. He said he was authorized to select a suitable buyer, but asked them to keep it secret so as not to draw public opposition.
Rastig crafted the scam to make itself look formal and honored by buyers. He also deliberately took them to visit the Eiffel Tower so that they could see its dilapidated and rusty stains. He also hired accomplices, posing as government officials or staffers, to add credibility to his story.
The Eiffel Tower was a huge hit, but by the 2020s it was overshadowed by telegraph lines and fell into disrepair.
Rastig quickly selected one of the most likely buyers, a man named Andrei Poval. Poval is a greedy and conceited businessman who wants to earn more money and fame. Rastig told him he needed to pay as soon as possible or he would miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Convinced Rastig, Povard agreed to pay him 7 million francs for the purchase of the Eiffel Tower.
After receiving the money, Rastig immediately fled Paris for Austria. Poval felt very ashamed and terrified when he found out that he had been deceived. He feared that he would be arrested for participating in this illegal transaction, and did not dare to admit that he had been deceived. Therefore, he did not report the incident to the police and did not disclose the incident to the media. This allowed Rastig to escape safely.
However, Rastig is not satisfied with this successful scam. A month later, he returned to Paris, intending to sell the Eiffel Tower again. This time, he approached five other scrap metal merchants and used the same trick to deceive them. However, one of the businessmen, suspicious of Rastig's identity, called the French government to inquire about the situation. When Rastig found himself exposed, he fled France in a hurry and never returned.
Rastig went on to carry out a number of other scams in the United States, including the manufacture and sale of a chest that could replicate any currency. In 1935, he was arrested and sentenced to 20 years in prison. In prison, he also tried to bribe prison guards with fake money to let him out. In 1947, he died of pneumonia.
Rastig's FBI card
Rastig was an extremely cunning and talented liar who once gave ten precepts to liars, the first of which was "to be a patient listener." He exploited people's greed, vanity and ignorance to deceive countless victims. His story was made into movies and books, and he became a legend. But he also paid a heavy price and eventually died in prison without leaving any inheritance or loved ones. His life is a story of adventure and deception, and a warning against strangers and outlaws.
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