Famous Scams, Frauds & Impostors Quiz – Printable Version
20 multiple-choice questions with an explained answer key, ready to print.
Print the sheet (or save it as a PDF from the print window), hand it out, then mark it together using the answer page: every answer is explained. Perfect for a party, a birthday, a classroom, a care home or a team activity.
Name: ………………………………Score: ……… / 20
- Cassie Chadwick obtained huge loans in the early 20th century by letting people believe she was the illegitimate daughter of which industrialist?
- A. Andrew Carnegie
- B. Henry Ford
- C. John D. Rockefeller
- D. J. P. Morgan
- In 1906, Wilhelm Voigt managed to command German soldiers and seize a municipal treasury thanks to what?
- A. A Prussian captain's uniform
- B. A fake imperial medal
- C. A coded telegram
- D. An official car
- Who forged the fake 'Hitler Diaries' bought by the German magazine Stern in 1983?
- A. Konrad Kujau
- B. Han van Meegeren
- C. Clifford Irving
- D. Elmyr de Hory
- In the 1970s, Clifford Irving claimed that which reclusive billionaire had authorized him to publish his autobiography?
- A. Howard Hughes
- B. J. Paul Getty
- C. Aristotle Onassis
- D. H. L. Hunt
- Which 19th-century Scotsman sold land and bonds in a largely fictitious Central American country called Poyais?
- A. Gregor MacGregor
- B. Robert Owen
- C. Thomas Cochrane
- D. James Brooke
- The 'Cardiff Giant', exhibited in the United States from 1869, was actually what?
- A. A gypsum statue deliberately buried
- B. An enlarged human skeleton
- C. A misidentified dinosaur fossil
- D. A plaster-covered mummy
- Piltdown Man, presented in 1912 as a possible human ancestor, turned out to combine a human skull with what?
- A. An orangutan jaw
- B. A horse jaw
- C. A chimpanzee skull
- D. A mammoth tooth
- Ferdinand Waldo Demara, nicknamed 'The Great Impostor', performed which job aboard a military ship without genuine qualifications?
- A. Surgeon
- B. Pilot
- C. Chaplain
- D. Nuclear engineer
- 'Vishing' mainly uses which channel to deceive victims?
- A. Voice and phone calls
- B. Road signs
- C. Video games
- D. Printed QR codes
- What is the safest response if a supposed bank adviser asks for a code received by SMS?
- A. Never give them the code
- B. Give only the first two digits
- C. Call back on the same number
- D. Send a photo of the SMS
- In an invoice bank-details scam, what does the fraudster change?
- A. The beneficiary's bank details
- B. The official VAT rate
- C. A computer serial number
- D. A passport expiry date
- What is the danger of installing remote-access software at a stranger's request?
- A. They can control the computer as if sitting in front of it
- B. It only increases the volume
- C. It automatically deletes Wi-Fi
- D. It only blocks ads
- What does 'quishing' mean?
- A. Phishing using a QR code
- B. Phishing using an encrypted USB key
- C. Phishing using a video call
- D. Phishing using a magnetic card
- What does 'catfishing' mainly involve?
- A. Creating a false online identity
- B. Stealing fish from a farm
- C. Copying a Wi-Fi password
- D. Changing a receipt
- Why should a lottery you never entered raise suspicion?
- A. You normally cannot win a draw you never entered
- B. Lotteries never contact winners
- C. All prizes must be paid in cash
- D. Online lotteries are illegal
- In an investment scam, which claim should be especially worrying?
- A. High returns guaranteed with no risk
- B. Detailed risk documentation
- C. Clearly disclosed fees
- D. The possibility of losing capital
- In a crypto 'rug pull', what generally happens?
- A. Promoters withdraw funds or abruptly abandon the project
- B. The blockchain deletes old transactions
- C. Investors automatically receive shares
- D. The token becomes official currency
- Why can a web address such as 'my-bank-security.example' be deceptive?
- A. It can imitate a brand without being its real domain
- B. Browsers replace bank domains
- C. A hyphen makes a site official
- D. The word 'security' is reserved for government
- Which principle is exploited when a fraudulent offer says 'only 2 places left'?
- A. Scarcity
- B. Gravity
- C. Symmetry
- D. Neutrality
- In a 'fake relative' scam, what has become especially dangerous with AI-generated voices?
- A. A convincing imitation of a family member's voice
- B. Automatic SMS translation
- C. Spell checking
- D. Unknown-call filtering
Answer key — Famous Scams, Frauds & Impostors Quiz
- A. Andrew CarnegieShe used forged promissory notes and Andrew Carnegie's reputation to persuade bankers that she had a vast fortune.
- A. A Prussian captain's uniformVoigt put on a second-hand captain's uniform. Soldiers obeyed him, and he then had Köpenick officials detained and took the treasury.
- A. Konrad KujauKonrad Kujau produced the notebooks sold as Hitler's diaries.
- A. Howard HughesIrving sold a publisher a supposedly authorized autobiography of Howard Hughes.
- A. Gregor MacGregorGregor MacGregor presented himself as ruler of Poyais and attracted investors and settlers.
- A. A gypsum statue deliberately buriedThe Cardiff Giant was a manufactured sculpture that was buried so it could later be 'discovered'.
- A. An orangutan jawPiltdown Man was a composite fake. In 1953, tests showed that it included a human skull and an artificially aged orangutan jaw.
- A. SurgeonDemara assumed many identities. During the Korean War he posed as a doctor and even performed surgery aboard a Canadian naval vessel.
- A. Voice and phone callsVishing means voice phishing. The scammer impersonates a bank, government office, technician or another credible caller.
- A. Never give them the codeA validation code exists to authorize an operation. Someone asking for it may be trying to approve a transaction in your name.
- A. The beneficiary's bank detailsThe attacker intercepts or imitates an invoice and replaces the IBAN so the payment goes to the attacker's account.
- A. They can control the computer as if sitting in front of itWith remote access, a scammer can see the screen, move the mouse, open websites and sometimes guide the victim all the way into online banking.
- A. Phishing using a QR codeA QR code visually hides the destination address. A code stuck onto a poster, parking meter or letter can therefore lead to a fake website.
- A. Creating a false online identityCatfishing uses a fictional or stolen identity, often with stolen photos, to deceive someone on social networks or dating sites.
- A. You normally cannot win a draw you never enteredThe fake prize often exists only to obtain fees, bank details or identity documents.
- A. High returns guaranteed with no riskIn finance, high returns and no risk do not naturally go together.
- A. Promoters withdraw funds or abruptly abandon the projectAfter attracting investors, creators disappear with liquidity or make the token nearly impossible to sell — pulling the rug from under buyers.
- A. It can imitate a brand without being its real domainFraudsters register lookalike domains, add reassuring words or replace letters.
- A. ScarcitySomething presented as scarce seems more desirable and encourages quick decisions.
- A. A convincing imitation of a family member's voiceA small amount of audio can sometimes be enough to create a convincing imitation.