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It’s me, Ned Neuron— just your slightly suspicious cousin who’s been googling “how to fake an ID” for research purposes.
Now grab your croissant, clutch your wallet, and buckle up, because today we’re going back to 1925…
To the time a guy tried to sell the Eiffel Tower.
And it actually worked. Twice.
Chapter 1: Who Needs Permission When You’ve Got Confidence?
Meet Victor Lustig.
A man with the face of a fancy waiter and the moral compass of a used car dealership built on a sinkhole.
He didn’t just fake being rich—he fake-faked it. He made a full-time career out of pretending to pretend to be important.
And one day in Paris, while sipping a drink and reading the newspaper like any evil genius, he saw a headline:
"The Eiffel Tower is Rusting and Becoming a Maintenance Nightmare."
And Victor said:
“What if I told people I’m in charge of tearing it down... and selling it for scrap?”
Chapter 2: The Scam Blueprint That Deserves a Trophy
Lustig forged official government documents and called himself a "Deputy Director of the Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs."
(A title that sounds very real and also completely boring, which is the perfect camouflage.)
Then he invited five top metal dealers in Paris to a secret meeting at a fancy hotel.
The pitch?
“The government is embarrassed. The Eiffel Tower’s falling apart. It’s too expensive to maintain. We’re selling it off—quietly—and you five are in the running.”
Now if someone told you they were secretly selling the Eiffel Tower, you’d call the cops, right?
But this was 1925.
No Google. No fact-checking. Just vibes and mustaches.
Chapter 3: Meet the Winner (And Loser) of the Eiffel Sweepstakes
Of the five businessmen, one stood out: André Poisson.
New to the metal game. Eager. Desperate to prove himself.
He saw Victor Lustig’s official papers, watched him arrive in a government limo (rented), and believed every word.
So André paid Lustig—in cash—for the “contract” to own the Eiffel Tower.
Bonus: Lustig even charged him a bribe fee to "guarantee the deal."
André paid that too. Because if you're getting scammed, you might as well go VIP.
By the time André realized what happened, Victor Lustig was in Vienna, sipping champagne and polishing his mustache.
Chapter 4: The Boldest Encore in Scam History
Now you’d think that was the end.
But no. Lustig came back to Paris…
and tried to do it again.
He ran the same scam—with new businessmen, new forged documents, same rusty tower.
This time, one guy got suspicious and alerted the police.
So Victor did what every good scammer does:
Vanished.
No jail. No trial. No Eiffel Tower-shaped handcuffs.
He walked away clean.
Chapter 5: A Man Too Smooth for Reality
Victor Lustig went on to scam Al Capone (yes, that one),
fake a machine that printed money,
and made it onto the FBI’s Most Wanted list before finally being caught.
When they arrested him, he was still wearing a tailored suit.
Because scams fade, but style is forever.
So What Did We Learn Today?
Confidence can sell anything—including national landmarks.
Always fact-check before buying real estate made of iron.
And if a guy named Victor offers you a bridge, run.
Quote to End It All:
“In a world full of buyers and sellers, be the Eiffel Tower—too big to move, too expensive to fix, and full of tourists.” – Ned Neuron
Next time on GiiggleGuru
The President Who Got Stuck in a Bathtub
Yes, it’s gross. Yes, it’s real. Yes, you should read it.
Loved this ridiculous real story?
Subscribe, forward it to someone gullible, or sell it to your friends like it’s an NFT.
I won’t stop you.
Until next time, stay curious—and slightly suspicious.
– Ned from GiiggleGuru
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