impostor – News Stories About impostor - Page 1

'One of the Most Elaborate
Scams to Ever Hit Hollywood'

'One of the Most Elaborate Scams to Ever Hit Hollywood'

Con artists impersonate female execs and dupe victims into turning over money

(Newser) - It's a con job that sounds straight out of Hollywood—and this time, that is literally true. Scott Johnson of the Hollywood Reporter reveals a bizarre international scheme in which a very talented con artist impersonates some of the film industry's top female executives and dupes people out...

Swindler Posing as Prince
Made One Dumb Move

Swindler Posing as Prince Made One Dumb Move

'Miami Herald': He posed as Saudi royalty, raised suspicions by eating bacon and pork

(Newser) - The Miami Herald has an interesting tale of an international swindler now locked up and awaiting sentencing for posing as Saudi royalty. The craziest part of the story is that Anthony Gignac, who was born in Colombia, might still be free if he hadn't made his intended target suspicious...

For 4 Years, This Ukrainian Man Posed as a US High Schooler

The Amazing Hoax
of a High School Fraud

The Amazing Hoax of a High School Fraud

Ukrainian adult Artur Samarin passed himself off as a US student for 4 years

(Newser) - It was, as the headline at GQ puts it, "one of the boldest hoaxes of our time." Hard to argue: In 2016, police in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, arrested a star high school student who went by the name of Asher Potts. As it turned out, however, Asher Potts was...

Hitler Impersonator Is Hanging Around Dictator's Hometown

Authorities Investigating Hitler
Sightings in His Hometown

Feb 11, 2017 2:29 PM CST

Authorities Investigating Hitler Sightings in His Hometown

The impersonator has been spotted at a bookstore and bar

(Newser) - It appears Hitler has made an improbable return to the place of his birth. Reuters reports the former Nazi dictator has been spotted around Braunau am Inn in Austria reading magazines about WWII in a bookstore, giving the name "Harald Hitler" at a bar, and standing outside the home...

Famous Impostor Charged With Being an Impostor

Jun 6, 2015 12:00 PM CDT

Famous Impostor Charged With Being an Impostor

Man who inspired movie accused of identity theft again

(Newser) - Police investigating bad checks say they found much more: A Detroit-area impostor who inspired a 1989 award-winning film was posing like someone else—again. William Street Jr., 64, was charged in federal court with fraud and identity theft after he was found with documents and a white doctor's coat...

Man Arrested in Highway Deaths Didn't Pose as Cop

May 18, 2012 6:27 AM CDT

Man Arrested in Highway Deaths Didn't Pose as Cop

James Willie had gun used in murders in his possession: Mississippi police

(Newser) - Last night, word was police had detained a suspected police impostor following two murders on Mississippi highways; he hadn't been charged. Now they're holding another man on kidnapping, assault, and rape charges, with capital murder charges forthcoming in the case, the AP reports. Authorities say James Willie, 28,...

Mississippi Police Hold Suspected Impersonator

May 17, 2012 7:21 PM CDT

Mississippi Police Hold Suspected Impersonator

He has not been charged

(Newser) - Police in Mississippi have taken into a custody a man suspected of posing as a police officer in the wake of two fatal shootings , report WLBT3 and WJTV12 of Jackson. Police detained a 45-year-old Yazoo City man after two more motorists reported being pulled over last night. Both drivers got...

Miss. Cops to Drivers: Don't Pull Over for Flashing Lights

May 16, 2012 2:16 AM CDT

Miss. Cops to Drivers: Don't Pull Over for Flashing Lights

It may be fake cop behind highway murders

(Newser) - If you're in Mississippi and a car with flashing lights tries to pull you over, just keep driving, police say. Two people were shot dead near their cars in the space of a few days, and investigators suspect somebody impersonating a police officer could be to blame . "If...

Fake Cop
Blamed in
Mississippi
Murders

May 15, 2012 5:26 PM CDT

Fake Cop Blamed in Mississippi Murders

Coroner: This stuff is TV-worthy

(Newser) - Police are stumped as to who's behind a pair of Mississippi highway murders, but they have some ideas: The killer could be a police impostor, they say. Over the course of three days, two people were separately found dead in their cars—both on the sides of highways, Reuters...

Cops: Imposter Posed as Soldier for Seat Upgrade

Jun 27, 2011 10:17 AM CDT

Cops: Imposter Posed as Soldier for Seat Upgrade

Long Island man arrested after flight to Dominican Republic

(Newser) - A Long Island man was arrested after he allegedly posed as a soldier and scored a bump-up to a first-class plane seat from New York to the Dominican Republic. Rock Diaz, 22, had the basic look—he was wearing a standard Army uniform—but he flubbed the details, the New ...

Fake Rockefeller Charged With 1985 Murder

Mar 16, 2011 3:22 AM CDT

Fake Rockefeller Charged With 1985 Murder

Calif. authorities seeking to extradite con man Christian Gerhartsreiter

(Newser) - A German immigrant who conned his way into American high society by pretending to be a member of the Rockefeller clan has been charged with the murder of a California man. Christian Gerhartsreiter—currently serving time in Massachusetts for kidnapping his daughter and assaulting a social worker—was renting a...

Taliban Snickers at US
Over Impostor's Ruse

Nov 27, 2010 12:45 PM CST

Taliban Snickers at US Over Impostor's Ruse

It also shows reports of peace talks were false, says commander

(Newser) - News that an impostor posing as a high-ranking Taliban official fooled US, UK, and Afghan officials—and made a tidy profit to boot—is going over well among the real Taliban. One commander tells the Daily Beast : “Imagine if a shopkeeper from Quetta can make a fool of them...