EvilMog, a glider pilot and former military cadet, shares gripping stories from troubleshooting networks in Afghanistan, including a heartwarming moment connecting a soldier with his newborn. Joe Sarkisian, a penetration tester, recounts valuable lessons learned during ethical hacking engagements, discussing challenges that arise in network assessments. Both guests illustrate the emotional and technical complexities of their work, highlighting the crucial role of communication and storytelling in high-stakes environments.
Victor Lustig's audacious scams, including selling the Eiffel Tower for scrap, highlight the extremes of human deception and manipulation.
Lustig's charming persona and ability to read people enabled him to exploit vulnerabilities, illustrating the psychology of successful con artists.
Even after high-profile scams, Lustig's eventual arrest for counterfeiting underscores the perilous nature of a life steeped in crime.
Deep dives
The Deceptive Art of Victor Lustig
Victor Lustig, known for his remarkable scamming abilities in the early 1900s, pulled off extraordinary heists through clever deception. One notable scam involved trading $32,000 in Liberty bonds for cash and farmland at a bank, where he skillfully switched the envelopes just before leaving, making off with both the money and the bonds. After being apprehended, he persuaded the authorities not to press charges by fear-mongering about the bank's reputation, successfully receiving a payout to keep the incident quiet. Lustig's brazen tactics exemplified the lengths to which he would go to outsmart his victims.
Selling the Eiffel Tower
Lustig's most audacious scam transpired in Paris, where he convinced scrap metal companies that the Eiffel Tower was to be dismantled for repairs. Posing as a French government official, he used pretentious stationery to lure five companies into a secret deal to tear down the iconic structure for scrap. One gullible company paid him a hefty sum for the supposed contract, and he fled the country immediately after receiving the funds. Shockingly, after watching the news and realizing the scam had gone unnoticed, Lustig returned to Paris to attempt the same deception again.
Victor Lustig's Close Calls with Law Enforcement
After attempting the Eiffel Tower scam for a second time, Lustig found himself narrowly escaping capture when one company alerted the police to his fraudulent activities. He fled to the United States but was eventually arrested for counterfeiting, showcasing his continued descent into crime even after his high-profile scams. Lustig's knack for manipulation and charm, which once allowed him to evade the law, ultimately caught up with him as he found himself behind bars alongside notorious criminals like Al Capone. His storied life as a con artist serves as a vivid reminder of the criminal underworld's fascinating and oftentimes perilous nature.
A Reflection on Lustig's Legacy
Victor Lustig's life as a master scam artist highlights the intrigue and complexity of human deception. His ability to weave elaborate tales and establish a facade of legitimacy enabled him to execute some of the most infamous scams in history. Despite his eventual downfall, Lustig's audacity and creativity have made him a legendary figure in the world of con artists, inspiring both fascination and caution. His story encapsulates the fine line between charm and deceit, emphasizing the risks associated with both victims and perpetrators in the realm of scams.
An Insight into the Mind of a Con Artist
Understanding the psychology behind Lustig's scams reveals a deeper complexity to his character as a con artist. His innate ability to read people, paired with a manipulative charm, allowed him to exploit vulnerabilities in his victims. Lustig's confidence and theatricality play a crucial role in his success, showcasing how a well-crafted persona can convince others to accept improbable claims. These traits not only define Lustig's approach to deception but also serve as lessons on the importance of skepticism in encounters with individuals promising extraordinary deals.
In this episode we hear EvilMog (https://x.com/Evil_Mog) tell us a story about when he had to troubleshoot networks in Afghanistan. We also get Joe (http://x.com/gonzosec) to tell us a penetration test story.
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Support for this show comes from Axonius. The Axonius solution correlates asset data from your existing IT and security solutions to provide an always up-to-date inventory of all devices, users, cloud instances, and SaaS apps, so you can easily identify coverage gaps and automate response actions. Axonius gives IT and security teams the confidence to control complexity by mitigating threats, navigating risk, decreasing incidents, and informing business-level strategy — all while eliminating manual, repetitive tasks. Visit axonius.com/darknet to learn more and try it free.
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