Anna Vadimovna Sorokina’s extraordinary story reads like of fanciful work of fiction. A tale of a small-town girl, building a brand new life for herself when she moved to a new country. In fast-paced New York, Anna gave herself a new name and fabricated massive wealth by taking advantage of the generosity and pride of other well-off New Yorkers. After swindling as much as $275,000 from friends and acquaintances, Anna has spent less than four years behind bars and her crimes will earn her yet more money when Netflix and HBO bring her story to millions of screens. This story first appeared on FirstRand Perspectives. – Melani Nathan