Frauds, Cons and Scams
The Great Cheiro
The late part of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century were filled with occult types, most famously Aleister Crowley. But I had not previously encountered Cheiro.His Wikipedia page is here.
You can read his palmistry book here.
And luckily, in 1979, Cheiro (died 1936) conducted a long conversation with another medium. Read it here.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Jul 27, 2023 -
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Category: Frauds, Cons and Scams, New Age, Supernatural, Occult, Paranormal, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century
Electrical Frauds of 1916
Rather than try to reproduce the text that accompanies these illos as an illegible thumbnail here, I direct you to the source, where you can enlarge the image for readability.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Mar 07, 2023 -
Comments (6)
Category: Frauds, Cons and Scams, Technology, 1910s
The Barrett Eye Normalizer
Perfect vision through eyeball massage. At least, that was the claim.
Hearst's International-Cosmopolitan - Oct 1926
Source: American Artifacts
Boston Sunday Globe - Oct 8, 2017
Posted By: Alex - Wed Nov 23, 2022 -
Comments (1)
Category: Frauds, Cons and Scams, Eyes and Vision
The Cures of Albert Abrams
As his Wikipedia page tells us:Albert Abrams (December 8, 1863 – January 13, 1924) was a controversial American physician, well known during his life for inventing machines, such as the "Oscilloclast" and the "Radioclast", which he falsely claimed could diagnose and cure almost any disease.[1] These claims were challenged from the outset. Towards the end of his life, and again shortly after his death, many of his machines and conclusions were demonstrated to be intentionally deceptive or false.[2]
He actually published a whole periodical devoted to his theories. Read an issue here.
Hugo Gernsback, the father of modern science fiction, was having none of this, running the expose below in a 1923 issue of his magazine SCIENCE AND INVENTION.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Oct 14, 2022 -
Comments (3)
Category: Frauds, Cons and Scams, Hoaxes and Imposters and Imitators, Medicine, Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, 1920s
Fake Violin Scam
Police are describing people pretending to play the violin for money as a "nationwide issue."More info: The CW7
Posted By: Alex - Tue Aug 02, 2022 -
Comments (3)
Category: Frauds, Cons and Scams, Music
Balenciaga Destroyed Crewneck Sweater
Get yours here! Cheap!
Posted By: Paul - Fri Apr 29, 2022 -
Comments (3)
Category: Antisocial Activities, Design and Designers, Excess, Overkill, Hyperbole and Too Much Is Not Enough, Fashion, Frauds, Cons and Scams, More Money Than Brains
Bebe Stanton, Telepathic Flapper
Source: The Courier (Waterloo, Iowa) 11 Apr 1929, Thu Page 13
Posted By: Paul - Fri Apr 22, 2022 -
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Category: Crime, Frauds, Cons and Scams, Human Marvels, 1920s
Head-Ticking Scam
Robert Sanders of Loogootee, Indiana would get a job with a railroad, fake an injury, and then claim that, as a result of the injury, he had developed a ticking noise in his head.Doctors who examined him would confirm that he did, indeed, have a "peculiar ticking" like a "great big alarm clock" coming from inside his head. Sanders would then collect insurance money.
Sanders repeated this scam multiple times, collecting around $28,000 over the course of 12 years, until finally the Union Pacific Railroad charged him with fraud.
He was found guilty and sentenced to Wyoming's state penitentiary.
What I can't figure out is how Sanders managed to produce the ticking noise in his head, because the doctors who examined him seemed to hear something.
Billings Gazette - Feb 12, 1952
Posted By: Alex - Fri Dec 17, 2021 -
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Category: Frauds, Cons and Scams, Noises and Other Public Disturbances of the Peace, 1950s
Banvard’s Folly
I am halfway thru reading this book and can testify to its greatness, and to its allure for all WU-vies. I have already learned about so many hoaxes, weirdos and charlatans I never knew about before.Here's how the book opens:
Posted By: Paul - Thu Jul 01, 2021 -
Comments (8)
Category: Frauds, Cons and Scams, History, Historical Figure, Hoaxes and Imposters and Imitators, Inventions, New Age, Supernatural, Occult, Paranormal, Books, Goofs and Screw-ups
The Talking Fish Lure
Ads for the "Talking Fish Lure" began to appear in papers in 1959. They promised that, thanks to this new talking lure, fishermen would be guaranteed to catch fish:
The Vancouver Province - May 30, 1959
Eight years later, the promoter of the lure was indicted on 60 counts of mail fraud. From the New York Daily News (May 12, 1967):
Named in the indictment was Monroe Caine, 38, of 222 Daisy Farms Drive, Scarsdale, described as an advertising man and mail order promoter whose ads for a "remarkable European talking fish lure" ran July 19, 1964, in newspapers across the country.
The jurors, who were shown the ads, found the whole thing somewhat fishy, especially after being told that fishermen who sent in $1.98 or $2.49 for the lure got either a worthless gadget or nothing in return.
Posted By: Alex - Wed Jun 16, 2021 -
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Category: Frauds, Cons and Scams, Sports, Fish, 1950s, 1960s
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |