If a restaurant is ranked as being the best in London, it has to be good, right?
In April 2017, Oobah Butler, a writer for Vice who had previously been bribed by restaurants to give good reviews, set out to test the system, to prove a point.
In April 2017, Oobah Butler, a writer for Vice who had previously been bribed by restaurants to give good reviews, set out to test the system, to prove a point.
(Oobah Butler) 
He decided to fake an entire restaurant.
Named "The Shed at Dulwich,” after well, Butler’s own shed at Dulwich, he quickly begin to set up the fake dinner place.
Named "The Shed at Dulwich,” after well, Butler’s own shed at Dulwich, he quickly begin to set up the fake dinner place.
A $13 burner phone was all he needed to verify it on Yelp.
He set up a website, completed with ever so very hipster mood inspired dishes and delicious photos of food.
He set up a website, completed with ever so very hipster mood inspired dishes and delicious photos of food.
...or was it really food?
Initially, the restaurant was ranked #18,149.
The worst in London.
Butler contacted friends and asked them to write fake reviews, and within the first couple of weeks, he had broken 10,000.
The worst in London.
Butler contacted friends and asked them to write fake reviews, and within the first couple of weeks, he had broken 10,000.
Requests for reservations began to flood in.
Butler responds by saying "Sorry, but we're fully booked for the next six weeks."
The Shed at Dulwich soars in the rankings, reaching #1,456.
Butler responds by saying "Sorry, but we're fully booked for the next six weeks."
The Shed at Dulwich soars in the rankings, reaching #1,456.
By the end of August, it is in the top 200. Butler’s burner phone is ringing for reservations more and more.
Companies track the location and begin to mail free samples.
Companies track the location and begin to mail free samples.
On November 1st, 2017, The Shed at Dulwich becomes London’s top rated restaurant, despite literally no one ever having dined there.
Incedible!
Incedible!
2. The Mars Project
Mars One was a small private Dutch organization that received money from investors by claiming it would use it to land the first humans on Mars and leave them there to establish a permanent human colony.
From their announcement in 2012 to early 2019 they accumulated tens of millions of dollars.
They seemed like an innovative and world-changing organization (literally world-changing).
They seemed like an innovative and world-changing organization (literally world-changing).
The truth?
The organization only had four employees.
They were not an aerospace company and did not manufacture hardware.
The entire concept was regarded as a suicide mission by many notable scientists.
The organization only had four employees.
They were not an aerospace company and did not manufacture hardware.
The entire concept was regarded as a suicide mission by many notable scientists.
But still these four guys managed to convince the world, that they could send us to Mars. And we believed them.
Thousands of people signed up.
Thousands paid them money, despite never seeing any evidence of their Aerospace facility.
And thousands were disappointed.
A court decision on the 15th of January 2019 resulted in the liquidation and bankruptcy of the organization.
Thousands paid them money, despite never seeing any evidence of their Aerospace facility.
And thousands were disappointed.
A court decision on the 15th of January 2019 resulted in the liquidation and bankruptcy of the organization.
Living on Mars could've been so awesome. Just imagine it. Driving Mars Rovers, jumping really high and having a little potato farm.
But alas, it was all a scam.
Moral of the story: If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
But alas, it was all a scam.
Moral of the story: If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
3. With Lies From Paris
By 1977, people had nearly stopped drinking bottled water in much of the developed world.
This was because water treatment technology had advanced far enough that everyday tap water was safe and healthy, even if taste was not always great. Society's future seemed bright.
This was because water treatment technology had advanced far enough that everyday tap water was safe and healthy, even if taste was not always great. Society's future seemed bright.
Then, French bottled water company, Perrier, decided that this was a bad thing.
It started an ad campaign to "educate" consumers into believing that their tap water was dangerous, scaring them enough to buy bottled water.
It started an ad campaign to "educate" consumers into believing that their tap water was dangerous, scaring them enough to buy bottled water.
It worked. Bottled water is now a 13 billion dollar industry, a close second only to soft drinks.
And what are the ingredients of bottled water you may wonder? Purified tap water.
And what are the ingredients of bottled water you may wonder? Purified tap water.
Yes, despite all the claims that bottled water comes from holy springs deep in a secluded wilderness populated only by prancing deer and wizened monks, it comes from the same unsexy sources as municipal tap water.
For a few hundred times the cost.
For a few hundred times the cost.
4. Lizzy Liar Pants on Fire
You saw the lady in the picture above, right?
She is Elizabeth Holmes, she was once labelled the world’s youngest self-made billionaire female category.
Holmes founded a company called Theranos.
She is Elizabeth Holmes, she was once labelled the world’s youngest self-made billionaire female category.
Holmes founded a company called Theranos.
If you had been to the hospital, you would know how painful it is to get blood samples to run investigations.
To run laboratory investigations you need a reasonable amount of blood and some laboratory investigations are very expensive.
To run laboratory investigations you need a reasonable amount of blood and some laboratory investigations are very expensive.
Theranos promised to solve these problems using a device they called the Edison.
These are what she claimed her Theranos was doing:
These are what she claimed her Theranos was doing:
Run more than 200 laboratory investigations using a drop of blood gotten through a finger prick and the results would be ready within hours.
Reduced the prices of investigations to almost half the conventional prices.
Reduced the prices of investigations to almost half the conventional prices.
In 2014 the company was valued at $9 Billion.
Elizabeth Holmes owned fifty percent of the company, her net worth was $4.5 billion in 2014.
Well, Elizabeth Holmes’ Edison never carried out any laboratory investigations.
All her claims were lies.
Well, Elizabeth Holmes’ Edison never carried out any laboratory investigations.
All her claims were lies.
The laboratory investigations they were conducting were done with contemporary machines until she was exposed. She conned her investors.
She faces her trial this year, if convicted she will serve up to 20 years jail term.
She faces her trial this year, if convicted she will serve up to 20 years jail term.
5. Bernie Madoff
Bernard Madoff which committed the worlds biggest Ponzi scheme in 2009, with an almost 65$ billion dollars worth of fraud.
Bernard Madoff was a very appreciated and successful business man, stockbroker, financial strategist and head of one of Wall streets biggest market makers.
It is claimed that his Ponzi scheme started out somewhere in the mid of the 1980’s, although Madoff said he only began scamming in the early 1990’s.
In the 2008 financial crises, many investors claimed their money back from the Madoff fund, and he couldn’t pay it all off, which led to the empires collapse.
A Ponzi scheme is a fraud where investors are being promised high revenue investments (high invested returns) in a short period of time, without risk factors and basically the money they are getting back later on, is money that was invested by new people.
So, there aren't any actual funds and investments, just money rolling.
Bernard Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in jail.
His sons were the ones that turned him in after they discovered their father stole all this money for years and couldn’t pay any one of his clients.
Bernard Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in jail.
His sons were the ones that turned him in after they discovered their father stole all this money for years and couldn’t pay any one of his clients.
His Son Mark killed himself two years after his fathers conviction,
...and his son Andrew, died of cancer in 2014.
6. The Story of Emmanuel( Fraud With Us)
The story of Emmanuel Nwude who committed the largest fraud in Nigeria by selling a non-existent airport to a Brazilian for $242 million between 1995 and 1998 became the biggest banking fraud in the world till date.
The crime also became one of the phenomena that gave rise to internet fraud commonly known as 419.
Before internet fraud became a global issue, Emmanuel Nwude had committed one of the biggest scams in the world.
Before internet fraud became a global issue, Emmanuel Nwude had committed one of the biggest scams in the world.
He successfully swindled the Director at Brazil’s Banco Noroeste based in São Paulo, of $242 million.
Specifically, his fraud was the third largest banking scam in the world after the Nick Leeson's trading losses at Barings Bank, and the looting of the Iraqi Central Bank by Qusay Hussein, Son of Saddam Hussein.
As Banker and former director of Union Bank of Nigeria, his position made him privy to some links, information and documents.
Hence, Emmanuel Nwude impersonated Paul Ogwuma, then Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and persuaded
Hence, Emmanuel Nwude impersonated Paul Ogwuma, then Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and persuaded
...Sakaguchi, a Japanese company
...to invest in a new airport in FCT, Abuja, in exchange for a $10 million commission.
The attractive commission was enough for Sakaguchi to agree to pay $191 million in cash and the remainder in the form of outstanding interest.
The fraud was not discovered until close to three years, in August 1997, when Spanish Banco Santander wanted to take
The fraud was not discovered until close to three years, in August 1997, when Spanish Banco Santander wanted to take
...over the Banco Noroeste Brazil.
During a joint board meeting, an official from Santander inquired about why a large sum of money, two-fifths of Noroeste’s total value and half of their capital, was sitting in the Cayman Islands unmonitored.
During a joint board meeting, an official from Santander inquired about why a large sum of money, two-fifths of Noroeste’s total value and half of their capital, was sitting in the Cayman Islands unmonitored.
A criminal investigation was carried out in Brazil, Britain, Nigeria, Switzerland, and the United States.
While the sale of the Bank proceeded, the owners of Banco Noroeste bank paid $242 million bills before its collapse in 2001.
While the sale of the Bank proceeded, the owners of Banco Noroeste bank paid $242 million bills before its collapse in 2001.
As investigation over the international scam continued, former President Olusegun Obasanjo created the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC in 2002.
In February 2004, Emmanuel Nwude and his gang were arrested and charged in the Abuja High Court with 86 counts of “fraudulently seeking advance fees” and 15 counts of bribery related to the case.
Emmanuel Nwude pleaded guilty after testimony from Sakaguchi in hopes of a more lenient sentence, and was sentenced to 29 years in prison collectively, with Nwude receiving five concurrent sentences of five years, totaling 25.
The entirety of Nwude's assets were confiscated to be returned to the victim and a $10 million fine was imposed to be paid to the Nigerian federal government.
It was the first major conviction for the EFCC. He was released from prison in 2006.
It was the first major conviction for the EFCC. He was released from prison in 2006.
7. James Mccormick
James McCormick perpetrated one of the biggest scams of modern history with the invention of a bomb detection apparatus named ADE 651 (supposedly a shorthand for Advanced Detection Equipment).
He claimed that this apparatus worked on a principle similar to
He claimed that this apparatus worked on a principle similar to
...that of water divining - a method by which some people claim to be able to find water by walking over an area until they find a response with an apparatus such as a forked stick or pendulum.
This is what the device looked like
According to McCormick, the device was meant to work in the following manner:
Small quantities of the substance that the user wished to detect were to be introduced into the device along with a card that would absorb the vapours of the substance.
Small quantities of the substance that the user wished to detect were to be introduced into the device along with a card that would absorb the vapours of the substance.
The user would then hold the device as shown in the picture above, following which the swivelling antenna was meant to point towards the direction of the substance to be detected.
The gadget started its life in the United States where it was marketed as a tool to detect golf balls, selling for approximately $20.
Soon the device found its way to the United Kingdom where James McCormick, a businessman based in Somerset decided to repackage the device as a bomb-detector, seeking markets overseas where he could obtain lucrative deals with fewer questions asked.
Iraq, meanwhile continued to suffer from severe losses to human life owing to frequent car bombs.
Noticing a niche market where bribing government officials could oil the wheels to a lucrative deal James McCormick decided to export his “bomb detectors” to Iraq.
Noticing a niche market where bribing government officials could oil the wheels to a lucrative deal James McCormick decided to export his “bomb detectors” to Iraq.
The sale of the device to Iraq is said to have been aided by huge sums in kick-backs to Iraqi officials.
James McCormick charged $40,000 to $60,000 per unit when the production cost was a little over $15. McCormick is said to have made over
James McCormick charged $40,000 to $60,000 per unit when the production cost was a little over $15. McCormick is said to have made over
$75 million in the deal with Iraq and continued to dupe several other countries over the world (including Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia) by selling a device that worked on the same principle as a Ouija board.
The fraudster is said to have sold close to 6,000 units to Iraq alone, earning enough money to buy a mansion in Bath, previously owned by actor Nicolas Cage, a holiday home in Cyprus and a Sunseeker yacht.
James McCormick was ultimately jailed for fraud in May 2013. He was ordered to pay the Iraqi government $2.5 million in compensation.
The revelations of James McCormick’s outrageous actions by BBC in January 2010 caused public outrage in Iraq.
The revelations of James McCormick’s outrageous actions by BBC in January 2010 caused public outrage in Iraq.
8. Anna Sorokin
Anna Delvey a.k.a real name, Anna Sorokin - a Russian born red haired girl who scammed New York socialite scene in the summer of 2016.
Anna first burst into the scene claiming she’s a wealthy European heiress.
Anna’s aspiration was to buy a warehouse-type building in one of the wealthiest locations in the city to turn in into a hip art gallery/ nightclub/ restaurant & bar/ juice bar.
Anna’s aspiration was to buy a warehouse-type building in one of the wealthiest locations in the city to turn in into a hip art gallery/ nightclub/ restaurant & bar/ juice bar.
In short - a place to be seen by the who’s who.
It was said Anna once applied USD 22million from a bank claiming she has GBP 650 million in assets.
It was said Anna once applied USD 22million from a bank claiming she has GBP 650 million in assets.
She went into the meeting carrying a folder set with a list of her “properties” and was told to come up with USD 100,000 to cover the processing fee for the loan.
Not one to be deterred, Anna went to another bank to get a loan by saying - “I have a USD 22 million loan coming up; I need a loan of a hundred thousand to cover the fee. Once the loan is approved, I’ll pay you back immediately”.
The second bank apparently granted Delvey the exact amount of money.
However, she pulled out from the loan when the first bank started looking into her credit records. By that time, USD 55,000 has been spend for the processing.
However, she pulled out from the loan when the first bank started looking into her credit records. By that time, USD 55,000 has been spend for the processing.
With remaining balance from her second bank’s loan, Anna continued staying at a luxury hotel after the other on a running tab without a credit card.
It was said that Ms Delvey was considered as annoying guest to most hotel staffs
It was said that Ms Delvey was considered as annoying guest to most hotel staffs
...but known as a generous tipper; constantly handing out hundred dollar bills as tips.
She racked up huge bills that when the hotel started asking her to pay, she would throw tantrum fits.
She racked up huge bills that when the hotel started asking her to pay, she would throw tantrum fits.
Anna continued to live her life extravagantly, being seen with the glitters of the socialites scene.
She reportedly has an overflowing of shopping bags in her hotel room from obsessive spending.
She reportedly has an overflowing of shopping bags in her hotel room from obsessive spending.
Finally, in February 2017, Anna flew on a USD 35,000 private jet from New York to Omaha, Nebraska to attend an investors meeting.
When she came back, the first luxury hotel she stayed at had locked her out and kept her stuffs.
When she came back, the first luxury hotel she stayed at had locked her out and kept her stuffs.
Anna went to another luxury hotel just to be thrown out again.
By end of 2017, many were made aware of Anna’s scam and started withdrawing from her social circle.
Delvey was eventually caught by the law and went to face trial in early 2019 before she was found guilty
By end of 2017, many were made aware of Anna’s scam and started withdrawing from her social circle.
Delvey was eventually caught by the law and went to face trial in early 2019 before she was found guilty
...of multiple fraud charges and thrown to jail for 12 years.
Asked if she has any regrets before she was send to prison, Anna said she had none and would do it again if she could.
But the United States customs and immigration has declared that she would be deported immediately once she finish her sentences - in another 12 years.
But the United States customs and immigration has declared that she would be deported immediately once she finish her sentences - in another 12 years.
