Victor Lustig Analysis

Victor Lustig, a man who was able to talk his way in and out of anything. Even selling one of the most famous landmarks in the world, the Eiffel Tower, twice. He was a smooth talking man who understood the importance of “looks.” Knowing this, and with his charm, he was able to swindle money out of anyone from the common man to the governments of empires. Throughout his career, he pulled off some of the greatest scams known to con man kind(Maysh). Anybody today who attempted to live this type of lifestyle would have been caught and imprisoned immediately. So how did Victor Lustig get so many people to trust him so he could pull off cons like the sale of the Eiffel Tower, and still not have the world catch on to his acts? In order to understand …show more content…
Just add one of his many disguises, a new identity, and background and he was able to fit into any crowd he needed to pull off a job(Maysh). “Lustig traveled with a trunk of disguises and could transform easily into a rabbi, a priest, a bellhop or a porter” (Maysh). To be able to pull off a disguise switch so swiftly, a man has to be skilled, confident, and quick. He even spoke five different languages which gave him a new level of versatility that was unheard of in the world of cons. The ability to change his appearance and personality at the drop of dime proved fruitful in his evasions from different police officials and tricking new …show more content…
With the common knowledge of the state of the tower, he was able to set up a meeting with potential buyers and sell to the highest bidder. This deal would never have worked if Lustig approached these men as a contractor of the Eiffel Tower. He portrays false authority but the ability to play it so well so that most people would not even second guess the validity of his identity. This idea also applies to Lustig’s ability to con money from law enforcement agents. Using his money box, he printed and paid a Texas sheriff in counterfeit hundred dollar bills which then put him on the radar for the U. S. Secret Service(Maysh). Lustig was living proof that trust is not always earned, but sometimes awarded because of one’s ability to stay