VICE Talks Pretending To Be 500 Children In “Fakes, Frauds, Scammers”

From being a kidnapped child in Texas to a missing person in France to the son of a victim of the Madrid Bombings, Frédéric Bourdin has lived many different lives. Nicknamed “the Chameleon” by the press, he wasn’t any of these people.

Instead, he assumed their identities “for the love and affection” he never received as a child. VICE heard his story.

In a series of candid interviews titled “Fakes, Frauds, Scammers,” VICE relives some of the most audacious scams and fraudulent stunts of our time from the mouths of the perpetrators themselves. Whether it’s money, fame or simply an addiction to lying, we find out what motivated these tricksters and whether the highs, lows and ramifications were worth it in the end.