

The Great Greek Swimming Pool Scandal: When Satellites Exposed a Tax Evasion Wave
In the late 2000s, Greece was facing a financial crisis, and the government was desperate to collect more taxes. But there was a problem: in the wealthy suburbs of Athens, only 324 residents had reported owning a swimming pool on their tax returns. That number seemed suspiciously low, especially in neighborhoods where luxury was everywhere you looked.
The Investigation: Eyes in the Sky
Greek tax authorities decided to get creative. Instead of taking people at their word, they turned to technology-specifically, satellite imagery and Google Earth. By analyzing aerial photos of these affluent neighborhoods, officials made a jaw-dropping discovery: there weren’t just a few hundred pools, but a staggering 16,974!
Trivia: That means fewer than 2% of pool owners had actually admitted to having one!
How Did People Hide Their Pools?
It turns out, many wealthy Greeks had gone to great lengths to keep their pools off the books. Some built them under retractable roofs, others camouflaged them with trees or even painted them to blend in with the surroundings. Pool builders reported that clients were more interested in hiding their pools than building new ones!
Why Lie About a Pool?
Owning a pool in Greece isn’t just a status symbol-it’s also a tax liability. Pools are considered luxury items and are heavily taxed. By not declaring them, owners could avoid paying thousands of euros in taxes each year.
The Bigger Picture: Tax Evasion Culture
This wasn’t just about swimming pools. The investigation revealed a much larger problem: widespread tax evasion among Greece’s wealthy. In the same neighborhoods, doctors, lawyers, and business owners were reporting incomes so low they barely covered rent-while driving luxury cars and living in mansions. In one case, 150 doctors in a posh district claimed annual incomes of less than $40,000, with some declaring less than $13,300-enough to exempt them from taxes altogether.
Fun Fact: In a country of 11 million, only a few thousand people declared incomes over $132,000, despite obvious signs of wealth everywhere.
What Happened Next?
The Greek government ramped up its efforts to catch tax evaders, using not just satellite images but also helicopter flyovers and undercover investigations at nightclubs and parking lots. The crackdown led to billions in back taxes being collected and became a symbol of the country’s struggle with corruption and fiscal responsibility.
Did You Know?
- Tax authorities even used Excel spreadsheets to track down fraud, and the number of documented tax fraud cases skyrocketed from 506 in June 2009 to 4,340 in June 2010.
- The scandal became so famous that “swimming pool” is now a byword for hidden wealth in Greece.
The Takeaway
The Athens swimming pool scandal is a classic case of how technology can outsmart even the most creative tax dodgers. It also highlights the importance of transparency and accountability-because sometimes, the truth really is visible from space!

A man faked his death in 2016 after his Mexican wife plotted to kill him by paying a hitman $2,000
In 2016, a guy faked his death after his Mexican wife plotted to murder him by hiring a hitman $2,000. He cooperated with the FBI to create fake murder images, which landed his wife in jail for 20 years.

A woman accidentally tipped $7,723 for coffee and some cake and never get the money back
In 2018, a woman accidentally paid $7732 for a cup of coffee and a cake at a Swiss café after accidentally entering her PIN code as a tip. She never received a refund.

Blanche Monnier: Imprisoned For 25 Years For Falling in Love
Blanche Monnier, she was a French woman noted for her beauty, she wished to marry an old lawyer that her mother disapproved of, so she locked her in a small dark room in her attic for 25 years.

True Story: Russian Pilots Held by Taliban Fought Back and Flew to Freedom
A Russian cargo plane was captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan with Seven crew members aboard. After being held captive in Kandahar for over a year, the crewmen were able to overpower their captors, retake their plane and fly it out of Afghanistan to safety.

Japanese man accidentally switched at birth grew up in poverty while other baby lived life on privilege
In 2013, a 60-year-old Japanese man found out that he had been accidentally switched at birth. His biological parents were wealthy, but he was given to a struggling, single mother. While the infant who took his place grew up with all the luxuries and became the president of a real estate company, he grew up poor and became a truck driver. He later sued the San Ikukai Hospital in Tokyo that made this awful mistake in 1953.

Man dressed up as his dead mother to keep home, benefits
A 51-year-old man in Brooklyn named Thomas Parkin dressed up as his dead mother Irene for six long years since 2013 and collected her social security checks. He did other real estate frauds too that totaled up to $115,000.

A woman finds her ex-boyfriend living in her attic 12 years after they broke up
Most people have heard of "things that go bump in the night," but for one South Carolina lady, that "thing" was her ex-boyfriend, whom she discovered living in her attic more than 12 years after they broke up.

The youngest person executed, George Stinney Jr was proven innocent
In 1944, George Stinney Jr. was 14 years old when he was executed in South Carolina. It took only ten minutes to convict him — and 70 years to exonerate him.

Chinese Couple Sell Their Three Children to Play Video Games
A young Chinese couple has sold all their three children in exchange for money to play online games at internet cafes.

'Super obedient' lookout parrot trained by Brazilian drug dealers is seized by police
In 2019, police in Brazil seized a 'super obedient' lookout parrot trained by drug dealers. According to reports, the bird had been taught to alert criminals to police operations by shouting: "Mum, the police!" As soon as the police got close, he started shouting.

Quaker Oats Fed Children with Radioactive Oatmeal
In the 1940s and 1950s, Quaker Oats and MIT conducted experiments on radioactive iron and calcium-containing cereal. The diet was part of a study to see if the nutrients in Quaker oatmeal traveled throughout the body. In January 1998, a $1.85 million settlement was reached for 30 victims who came forward.

Moondyne Joe: The story of Australia's most notorious prison escapee
A man named Joseph Bolitho Johns (A.K.A Moondyne Joe) broke out of Australian prisons so many times that the police were compelled to build a special cell just for him. He escaped from that as well.

How a Pizza Delivery Saved a Hostage in 2015
A pizza delivery once helped end a hostage situation! In 2015, a pizza order placed by a woman being held hostage included a hidden message for help. The pizzeria staff alerted the police, leading to her rescue..!

The Heartbreaking Story Of Robert Turner, The Boy Whose Mother Died Because 911 Failed Him
Five-year-old Robert Turner of Detroit witnessed his mother Sherrill die from a heart condition in February 2006, all because two 911 operators mistook his desperate calls for help for a prank.

Recipient of suicide victim's heart kills himself 12 years later
In 1995, Sonny Graham received a transplanted heart from a suicide victim. He then committed suicide in the very same manner as the donor.

Scientists separated triplets at birth for a controversial experiment and had no idea what they were doing
As part of an experiment, a set of triplets was intentionally separated at birth and given to three sets of parents from different socioeconomic backgrounds. It was discovered in 1980, when two of the triplets attended the same college.

The Horrific story of Ariel Castro and the Cleveland abduction
Cleveland abduction victims Gina DeJesus, Michelle Knight, and Amanda Berry were forced to live in Ariel Castro's house of horrors for 10 years. He raped and beat them until they escaped in 2013.

Story of Dennis Lynn Rader, the BTK Killer
Dennis Lynn Rader is an American serial killer known as BTK who worked for a home security company and installed systems in the homes of numerous citizens who were concerned about the murders he himself had committed.

During the 1996 Olympic bombing, Richard Jewell falsely accused of committing the crime after saving dozens of people
Richard Jewell, an American security guard, discovered a bomb during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and assisted in the evacuation, but was later wrongfully accused and faced public scrutiny. He was cleared, but it had a lasting impact on him until his death in 2007 at the age of 44.

The Bizarre Courtroom Act of Serial Killer Rodney Alcala: When a Killer Played Lawyer
Serial killer Rodney Alcala acted as his own attorney in his trial. For five hours he interrogated himself on the witness stand, asking questions addressed to "Mr. Alcala" in a deep voice and answering them in his normal voice.

Andre Stander: The Police Officer Who Became a Bank Robber
Like scenes from a blockbuster movie, Andre Stander robbed Banks during his lunch breaks and returned to the scene as the lead investigating officer

Michael Crowe Found 'Factually Innocent' In Sister's Murder
In 1998, 14-year-old Michael Crowe was charged with the murder of his sister. The police started targeting him after he seemed “distant and preoccupied” when his sister’s body was discovered, and during interrogation, police coercion led him to make a false confession. He was later declared factually innocent and the family won a lawsuit of $7.25 million in 2011.

Woman found guilty of murdering her husband after a parrot repeated the victim's 'last words'
In 2017, a woman named Glenna Duram shot her husband five times before attempting suicide. Soon after, the couple’s pet African Grey parrot, the only witness to the crime, started repeating the words “don’t f*****g shoot!” It is thought to have been the pair’s last exchange. Duram survived and was found guilty of first-degree murder.

The truth behind the murder of Cara Knott
After the murder of Cara Knott in 1986, a local news station filmed a ride-along segment with a highway patrol officer named Craig Allen Peyer who talked about women’s safety and gave tips on what to do when stranded on the road. That same officer later turned out to be the “Knotts killer.” He was convicted of the crime in 1988.

The 2007 Mauritanian Flight Hijacking That Passengers Turned Into Victory
In 2007, a tense hijacking aboard an Air Mauritania flight turned into an extraordinary story of quick thinking and passenger bravery. When a gunman took control mid-flight, the pilot covertly warned passengers in French—a language the hijacker didn’t understand—that a sudden bumpy landing was imminent and urged them to use the moment to overpower the attacker. The passengers bravely followed the plan, dousing the hijacker with boiling water and subduing him, transforming fear into triumph. This article relives the harrowing incident and highlights the courage that saved lives on board.