This is hidden brain.
I'm Shankar Vedantam.
Today on the show, we're looking at things that are not what they seem.
Authenticity is a trait we all prize.
We all want the real thing, whether that's a designer purse or a loving relationship.
But the two stories you'll hear today raise profound questions about authenticity and the nature of human belief.
If you believe something is real, if you can fall in love with someone or stand in awe of a painting, is it possible that it doesnt actually matter whether the object of your affection is fake?
In the second half of our show, well explore the art of forgery with the tale of a painter who tricks the worlds greatest art experts into believing they are looking at masterpieces.
First, though, the story of a balding, middle aged man who impersonates women and cons thousands of other men to fall in love with his creations.
It's a con that unfolded very slowly over the course of two decades.
I first reported this story for an episode of this american life called the heart wants what it wants.
The thing that fascinated me most about the story is that when the con was finally exposed, many of the victims were heartbroken.
They wanted it to go on.
They wanted to keep believing.
So heres how the con worked.
Guys around the country signed up for a pen pal service.
It would put them in touch with women they could befriend and correspond with.
And then theyd start to receive letters.
They come from Hillsdale, Illinois, and some of them are white, pink, green.
Jesse is a sweet, soft spoken man with thick plastic aviator glasses.