The Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower

In 1925 Paris, Victor Lustig spotted a perfect opening: a famous landmark seen by some as an expensive nuisance. This episode unpacks how he used forged authority, urgency, and human vanity to pull off one of history’s boldest scams — and why the real lesson is as psychological as it is criminal.

This episode unpacks the 1925 Paris con that convinced scrap dealers the Eiffel Tower was being sold off, and why the scam worked so well on pride, secrecy, and the look of authority.

It also explores Victor Lustig’s social-engineering brilliance and the postwar tensions that made an absurd lie feel strangely believable.