Fantastic Frauds

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. Frank Abagnale, Jr., became (in)famous for impersonating one of these. Which was it? Research scientist Airline pilot Heir to a European throne Movie producer

2. Arthur Ferguson once convinced an Australian tourist that the Statue of Liberty was up for sale for $100,000. The "sale" fell through when the tourist tried to arrange for financing and the bank became suspicious. Ferguson was arrested and sentenced to five years for his fraud. But this was not the first time he had tried to sell landmarks to gullible tourists. Which of the following was NOT one of the items Ferguson "sold"? Big Ben Buckingham Palace Westminster Abbey Lord Nelson's Column

3. The bust of Queen Nefertiti is one of the most famous examples of Ancient Egyptian art. It was found in the workshop of royal sculptor Thutmose, together with a bust of her husband King Akhenaton. Interestingly the king's bust is in such poor condition it is barely recognizable, while the head of Nefertiti is almost perfectly preserved, including its coloration. This has led to some speculation that its discoverer has not been entirely honest about his find. There have been accusations that he commissioned the bust from a local sculptor, that he refreshed the paint from some of the original pigment powders also found in the workshop, or at the very least that he used some underhanded trickery to get the bust out of Egypt. What was this archeologists name? Ludwig Borchardt Max Uhle Heinrich Schliemann Hermann A. J. Kees

4. During the 1920s and 30s, Oscar Hartzell conducted an elaborate fraud concerning the estate of which British personality? Sir Isaac Newton Sir Francis Drake William Shakespeare Mary Queen of Scots

5. By what nickname did people call Glenn Turner, the founder of Koscot Interplanetary, Inc? Prince of Thieves The Duke of Deception The Pharaoh of Pyramids King Con

6. Joshua Norton, the Emperor of America, may have been insane rather than a fraud, but he did manage to make a living from collecting Imperial Taxes and issuing Imperial Treasury Bonds. People went along with his delusion and paid him willingly as he had become quite famous over the 20 years of his "reign". True or false: in his later years he fell out of favour with his public and died in poverty. True False

7. The policies of the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages were based on a forged document. True False

8. The Internet has made perpetration of certain frauds a lot easier. One famous fraud consists of a letter, supposedly written by an official or the relative of an official in some wartorn country, soliciting the reader's help in smuggling millions of dollars out of the country. For his help, the reader will be rewarded with anywhere between ten and thirty percent of the booty. This fraud is so well known that it has its own name in law enforcement circles, named for the country of origin of the first one of these letters. What is the name of the country? Ghana Nigeria Somalia Angola

9. The "Hokes Archives" are a project by artist Beauvais Lyons. In addition to "lost civilizations" such as the Apasht and the Arenot they also claim ownership of fossil evidence of which mythical creature? Centaur Griffin Mermaid Sphinx

10. Finally, what is the name of the Israel-born, spoon-bending "psychic" who gained fame and fortune during the 1970s and 80s? Answer: (Two Words, 3 letters and 6 letters)