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Scams and Cons: A True Crime Collection

Manipulative Masterminds, Serial Swindlers, and Crafty Con Artists (Including Anna Sorokin, Elizabeth Holmes, Simon Leveiv, Issei Sagawa, John Edward Robinson, and more)

Published by Ulysses Press
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

About The Book

Take a deep dive into the manipulative, messy world of con artists, embezzlers, fraudsters, swindlers, and grifters in this collection of true crime stories about scams and cons.

From mystifying cons to shocking scams, Scams and Cons: A True Crime Collection features case file facts, fascinating details, and true testimonies of the world’s most famous scammers and con artists. This book includes the most salacious cases as well as lesser-known ones, with each chapter delving deep into the facts of the case and chronicling first-hand accounts from journalists and police. Plus, a bonus trivia chapter at the end includes a variety of extra-fascinating tidbits. From cults of personality to murderers, cases include:
  • Simon Leviev
  • Anna Sorokin
  • Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos
  • Robert Hendy-Freegard
  • Issei Sagawa, the Japanese cannibal who conned his way out of French prison
  • John Edward Robinson, one of the internet’s first serial killers and a dedicated con man
  • James Hogue, whose multiple false and stolen identities saw him gain a scholarship to Princeton
  • Alicia Esteve Head, whose accounts of survival and loss in 9/11 were as fictional as the suicide she doctored to escape the repercussions
  • And more!


A perfect gift for fans of shows, films, and documentaries like Inventing Anna, Bad Vegan, The Tinder Swindler, The Dropout, Dirty John, and more.

About The Author

Madison Jayne Salters is a journalist, writer, editor, and translator who has lived all over the globe, only to settle back at her starting line: New York City. She works in publishing as a content leader for works in translation from Japanese for the US and European markets. She loves a good investigative deep dive, drinking too much coffee, her two little epileptic sausage dogs, and her partner—not necessarily in that order. Highly awarded for her work, she was once even named “Top 30 Under 30” by Westchester Magazine, which her family found hilarious. This is her third book.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Ulysses Press (September 5, 2023)
  • Length: 192 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781646044627

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