Illusions of Grandeur: 17 Astonishing Scams That Duped the Masses

In 2014, two brothers from Girona, Spain sold a fake Francisco de Goya painting to a purported Sheikh for €1.5 million. The con artists realized they had been tricked when they tried to deposit 1.7 million Swiss francs (€1.5 million) in a Geneva bank and were told that the banknotes were mere photocopies.

The "teacup pig" fad was just a scam that sold baby piglets to unsuspecting buyers. Paris Hilton bought one off the internet and now owns a massive mama hog.

Albania's economy was wrecked in the 1990s when 2/3rds of the population was lured into government-backed pyramid schemes which then failed. It is estimated that close to $1.5 billion was invested in companies offering monthly interest rates ranging from 10%-25%, while the average monthly income was around $80. A significant number of Albanians sold their homes to invest, and immigrants working in Greece and Italy transferred additional resources to the schemes. After the schemes fell through, the country was in chaos which led to 6 months of anarchy with disgruntled citizens, army deserters, and even mafia syndicates seizing control of much of the country.

Billionaire Boys Club was a Ponzi scheme started in 1983 by young boys from rich families. Money contributed by investors was spent supporting lavish lifestyles. When funds ran short in 1984, club members turned to murder & at least two people were killed as they tried to raise more money.

In the most extensive case of health care billing fraud in US Department of Justice history, 243 people were busted for fraudulent billing to the tune of $712 million. One Doctor alone had billed for 205 hours in a single day.

Ren Xiaofeng, a manager of The Agricultural Bank of China, stole $26,000 from the bank with the intention of buying lottery tickets, winning, and repaying the initial theft. Against all odds, he won enough to repay the $26,000, so he tried this again with $6.7 million. He lost all but $95,000 and was sentenced to death.

In 2014, a woman named Tarshema Brice was arrested for printing $20,000 fake bills at home. She took $5 bill with specific watermark, soaked them in degreaser, used a toothbrush to scrub off the ink and then printed scanned images of $50 or $100 bills over them.