Charlatans: How Grifters, Swindlers, and Hucksters Bamboozle the Media, the Markets, and the Masses

By Moisés Naím, Quico Toro

In Charlatans (2025), Moisés Naím, a former Venezuelan trade minister, and Quico Toro study how grifters, swindlers and hucksters exploit trust in the media, markets and politics. The authors examine con artists from financial fraudsters to political demagogues and the techniques they share, such as appeals to emotion, false credentials and the manipulation of information. They argue that new technologies and polarised societies have made deception easier, and suggest how people and institutions can defend themselves.

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Fareed Zakaria: “He has a new book out that is terrific, "Charlatans."”