Fantastic Frauds Quiz | Specialized History

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Frank Abagnale, Jr., became (in)famous for impersonating one of these. Which was it?

Answer: Airline pilot

It is estimated that he bilked Pan Am out of over $2 million. He also assumed the identity of a doctor and a lawyer, among other frauds. His fake documents were amazing, considering that his escapades took place in the 1960s - without a PC, laser printer or any other of the high tech gear of modern forgers.

These days he runs a financial fraud consultancy company to help businesses and individuals to protect themselves from people like him!

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"?

Answer: Westminster Abbey

After his release he went to Los Angeles where he purchased a luxury home. Who says crime doesn't pay?

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?

Answer: Ludwig Borchardt

These are all speculations that don't detract from the beauty of the statue. Recent examinations have shown that it was made in the specific style of the period it has been ascribed to. The paint may have been "touched up", but since the original paints were found in the same dig it is impossible to say when they were applied. One thing is for certain: various Egyptian governments have accused Borchardt of smuggling the bust, and have demanded it back from Germany.

4. During the 1920s and 30s, Oscar Hartzell conducted an elaborate fraud concerning the estate of which British personality?

Answer: Sir Francis Drake

His claim was based on the supposed existence of an illegitimate son of Sir Francis Drake and Queen Elizabeth I. The "Sir Francis Drake Association" approached selected individuals and convinced them, for a donation, to participate in a lawsuit against the British government over the inheritance which was reported to be about $4 trillion, give or take a few. Hartzell was a masterful manipulator who managed to string his "donators" along for almost two decades, with promises of a lawsuit and/or settlement with the British government.

He even took credit for the 1929 stockmarket crash, claiming it was a result of his "pushing too hard" on behalf of his clients. He netted about $77 million. Amazingly, even after he was tried, convicted and jailed, the society continued to operate and pulled another $12 million out of the pockets of the gullible and the greedy.

5. By what nickname did people call Glenn Turner, the founder of Koscot Interplanetary, Inc?

Answer: The Pharaoh of Pyramids

Although Glenn Turner did not invent pyramid schemes, he developed them to a new art form. He promised his "investors" a return of $250,000; ten times the amount of their "investment". The Pennsylvania Consumer Protection Bureau found that 78% of his victims had made no money at all, 13% had made some money but not enough to break even, 9% had modest earnings, and only the top investor made $98,500 - quite a way off from $250,000.

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.

Answer: False

Joshua Norton died from a heart attack on January 8, 1880, on his way to an evening performance at the Academy of Natural Sciences. He was publicly mourned, lay in state for three days and was buried with full military honours, attended by about 10,000 mourners.

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

Answer: True

The document was known as the "Donation of Constantine" and gave the Roman Church supremacy over all others, as well as conferring privileges and treasure on the Pope and the Church. It was supposedly written by Emperor Constantine to Pope Sylvester I. By the 1500s it was known to be a forgery, likely from the 8th or 9th century.

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?

Answer: Nigeria

Anybody gullible enough to fall for the "Nigerian Letter Sham" will receive more and more requests for funds for "bribes", "bank charges", "travel" and other assorted expenses. Needless to say, the treasure never materializes since it was never there in the first place. If you get such a letter in your e-mail, forward it to your local Internet Fraud authorities or delete it. Don't reply to it, because that just tells the fraudsters that there is a possible "mark".

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?

Answer: Centaur

Lyons is the author of "The Centaur Excavations at Volos". The name of the founder of the archives is Everitt Ormsby Hokes. In case you think there is any serious science involved, just read his last name out loud.

10. Finally, what is the name of the Israel-born, spoon-bending "psychic" who gained fame and fortune during the 1970s and 80s?

Answer: Uri Geller

In spite of being debunked by a number of researchers, including stage magicians and people using hidden cameras, Geller continues to claim that his "powers are real".

Source: Author catamount

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Fantastic Frauds Trivia Quiz

Since the dawn of recorded history people have been trying to take advantage of one another's gullibility. Can you be fooled?

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