Impersonator that Scammed a Town (Captain of Kopenick)

Friedrich Wilhelm Voigt, also known as The Captain of Köpenick, was a German con artist who became famous for an audacious impersonation of a Prussian military officer in 1906.

After being released from prison, Voigt traveled to Berlin and obtained a German Army officer's uniform and dressed up as someone of authority.

Voigt led unsuspecting soldiers to Köpenick town hall, posing as a military officer on a mission from the Kaiser. He ordered the arrest of the mayor and officials, then stole around 4,000 marks from the cash box. He escaped while the soldiers delivered the mayor to the police in Berlin still unaware of the hoax.

Hours later, high-ranking officials of the German army were infuriated at being made fools of, and launched a massive search to catch Voigt. Despite Kaiser Wilhelm II finding the story amusing, Voigt was caught in Berlin just a few days later and sentenced to four years in prison.