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The imposters

Ozark actress Julia Garner stars as fake-it-til-you-make-it New York ‘heiress’ Anna Delvey (aka Sorokin) in Netflix’s jaw-dropping tale about a real-life Russian-born con who swindled hotels, banks and beautiful people out of $275,000 - and she’s not apologizing! Join SPYSCAPE as we unmask outrageous chameleons, from faux royals to fake pilots and military spies.

SECRET LIVES

American Hustle: the glossary

From American Hustle to The Grifters and White Collar, con artists use a coded language that helps confuse the mark (victim) and the FBI. SPYSCAPE has created a glossary - from the tat to the fix - for those looking to get into the game.

ROPING THE MARKS

You only die twice...

Gone Girl is a stylish con (spoiler alert!), but the deadly plot twist isn’t just in films. Some people fake their death to avoid debts or prison. Agatha Christie vanished for 11 days to avenge her cheating husband. Journalist Arkady Babchenko ‘died’ in a sting set up by Ukrainian spies. Guess which country is now turning fake deaths into a business? 

LIVE AND LET DIE

The real sting

Tricksters play the long game, setting elaborate traps before the ‘hurrah’ - the sudden moment that forces their mark into action. Long cons are as old as the ‘doctor’ who invented oxygenized air and the New York entrepreneur who sold the Eiffel Tower. Twice. SPYSCAPE shares the best of the big cons. 

TOP CONS

The female touch

Rachel Weisz stuns as Lily in the neo-noir caper Confidence, but what about history’s authentic female cons? Women have proven to be astute confidence queens, brilliant schemers who play their mark with the arch of a well-manicured eyebrow. Meet 10 of the best at the top of their games. 

WOMEN HUSTLERS

Must-watch con artist movies

David Mamet is the king of con from The Spanish Prisoner to House of Games, but acclaimed directors from Steven Spielberg to Steven Soderbergh and David O. Russell have helped elevate the sub-genre to an art form. What are the all-time best con-trick movies?

TOP 25 CON ARTIST FILMS

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