“Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” (1988) – Lawrence Jamieson and Freddy Benson (played by Michael Caine and Steve Martin)   Seductive swindler Lawrence Jamieson is threatened by another con artist named "The Jackal" moving in on his territory. When Lawrence suspects small-time hustler Freddy Benson to be his competition, hilarity ensues.   "A poacher who shoots at rabbits may scare big game away." -Lawrence Jamieson

The most memorable movie scam artists of all time

Lindsay Thomas Apr 24, 2013
“Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” (1988) – Lawrence Jamieson and Freddy Benson (played by Michael Caine and Steve Martin)   Seductive swindler Lawrence Jamieson is threatened by another con artist named "The Jackal" moving in on his territory. When Lawrence suspects small-time hustler Freddy Benson to be his competition, hilarity ensues.   "A poacher who shoots at rabbits may scare big game away." -Lawrence Jamieson

This weekend on Marketplace Money, we are speaking with a few brave souls about the times when they were scammed out of some money. In a few cases, quite a lot of money. Guest host David Lazarus, consumer columnist at the L.A. Times, will be discussing the scams we fall for — from robocalls to Ponzi schemes.

Whether it’s the hustler on the street or the fake emails we receive from abroad, all of us have had an encounter with a con artist — and while they make terrible people to know in real life, they are fascinating to watch on film.

In movies, many scammers are portrayed as seductive sociopaths with hearts of gold. But as you’ll hear on Marketplace Money this weekend, most victims of scams never see the cash they were conned out of again. We chose a sampling of some of our favorite schemers — including the mother-daughter duo of con artists in the film “Heartbreakers” and the streetwise slickster Johnny in “Mo’ Money,” to feature in our slideshow.

Hold onto your wallets and click through to see some of our favorite swindlers from the big screen. Then, take our poll and tell us who you think the most memorable movie scam artist is. If you don’t see your favorite con artist on the list, leave a comment and add your own.

Stay safe out there, folks.

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