CANADIAN CON ARTISTS

CANADIAN CON ARTISTS Description

William ''Canada Bill'' Jones once proclaimed that it was ''immoral to let a sucker keep his money.'' As a result, confidence men and women looking to make a quick buck find it easy to exploit the trusting and compassionate Canadian nature. Many have misrepresented, misguided and lied their way through some of the most convincing schemes ever pulled in Canada: * In 2002, bank manager Nick Lysyk helped himself to $16 million in fake loans from the Bank of Montreal, and by the time he was arrested, he had amassed 17 homes and 40 vehicles * Richard Minard, the ''Con man for Christ,'' claimed to be an ordained minister, and he convinced his trusting clients to invest money in time share condos that he did not own * Christophe Rocancourt was such a charismatic man that he managed to con many rich and powerful Hamptonites into believing he was really Christopher Rockefeller * Ferdinand Waldo Demara, ''The Great Imposter,'' conducted medical procedures while serving in the Canadian Navy, including major chest surgery, even though he wasn't actually a surgeon. * And more.