A True Con Artist

Hence, so began a life of trouble and tribulation where Bourdin would cause endless issues and problems in school. When he was 12, he was sent away to an institution for ‘young troublemakers,’ which he eventually ran away from at 16. He then found his way to Paris and thus began his first impersonation of a ‘lost British teenager,’ which is what he had told police. He shared, “I dreamt they would send me to England where I always imagined life was more beautiful.” But since he hardly spoke English, authorities knew that he wasn’t telling the truth, and he was sent back to the French orphanage.

Becoming Believable

Bourdin knew then and there that he needed to figure out the best way for him to make up a story and make people believe it. He began to figure out ways to best impersonate others, and try to make his stories impenetrable. It would seem that he was quite a clever conman. According to a French police officer, “When he [Bourdin] talked in Spanish, he became a Spaniard. When he talked in English, he was English.”