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This project is for working on the genealogies of historical figures who scammed, swindled, or stretched the truth in ways that garnered lots of attention.
This is not the place for listing your scheming ex-boss, your brother-in-law who hits you up for cash, or the travelling salesperson who sold you a broken hoover. We're looking for major, historical examples -- people like...
- Frank Abagnale, Jr., the (reformed) check-forging con artist whose autobiography was made into the movie Catch Me If You Can
- P. T. Barnum, the serial hoaxer who coined the adage "There's a sucker born every minute"
- Mary Willcocks Baker, the Englishwoman who posed as "Princess Caraboo" from a faraway island
Plenty of convicted criminals can be included, including...
- Cassie Chadwick, who made a killing posing as Andrew Carnegie's daughter
- Bernard Madoff, runner of the largest Ponzi scheme in history
- Charles Ponzi, the namesake of a whole genre of get-rich-quick operations
But some people might be included for more lighthearted reasons, like...
- Ray Santilli, who "filmed" an "alien autopsy"
- William Henry Ireland, who "found" lost Shakespeare works
- Barry Bremen, who claimed to be everything from a baseball umpire to a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader
Important Note
This isn't a place for making political or religious arguments. You may think a particular politician is a big phony or that a certain religious leader made things up, but that's not what we're trying to do here. Please use your best judgment when adding profiles.
Generally speaking: if the subject would become fodder for a Christmas dinner argument, don't include them. :)
Resources
These Wikipedia lists may help find genealogies to build: