A new documentary gives an interesting insight into the mind of con artist Samantha Azzopardi. You might recognise her better by the name ‘GPO girl’.
Con Girl is a four-part series streaming on Paramount+. The documentary explores the many lives and lies of the woman who became known as ‘GPO girl’.
She became known back in 2013 when she was found at the GPO on O’Connell Street in Dublin. The girl appeared to be afraid and in distress, and she couldn’t, or wouldn’t, speak English.
What police officers initially believed to be a possible case of sex trafficking turned out to be something completely different altogether.
New true-crime documentary exposes the many lies and lives of ‘GPO girl’ – a shocking tale
While police attempted to identify the girl, she spent a month in Temple Street Children’s Hospital in Dublin. At the time, they believed she was 14 years old.
However, when a photo covertly taken by gardai was posted to the public, it transpired that she wasn’t a child at all. Rather, she was 25-year-old Australian con artist Samantha Azzopardi.
Sunday Independent journalist Ali Bracken, who features in the documentary, said, “I think it was the fact that she managed to fool gardaí that was almost the biggest thing.
“Gardaí, by the nature of their job, have to be sceptical of everybody because they see so many things, I suppose. But it’s almost a testament to Samantha that she managed to convince everybody.
“That shows how good she is at manipulating people, and at creating these false personas”.
Who is Samantha Azzopardi? – a trail of deception
It turned out that her deception in Ireland was just the tip of the iceberg. The documentary outlines the web of lies and deception that she left around the world. And, most importantly, the impact left behind with the victims.
Her false identities include Emily Sciberras, a 16-year-old Russian gymnast. With this persona, she forged her way into the lives of one of her victims, Hope.
She concocted an elaborate story about how her family was murdered to the point where Hope’s family agreed to adopt her.
She also posed as Annika Dekker, a Swedish teenager. Here, she befriended a Californian backpacker and led her down a dark, dangerous path that ended up with them both on the run with false identities.
Layla Evans and Harper Hernandez are just a couple of more identities she acquired to deceive and manipulate.
Con artists – calculated and dangerous
In recent years, we have seen a number of famous shows and movies about con artists around the world. Leonardo DiCaprio portrayed the life of fraudster Frank Abagnale Jr. in Catch Me If You Can (2002).
More recently, Julie Garner starred as Anna Delvey, the social-media heiress who stole, manipulated and lied her way into living an elitist lifestyle in Inventing Anna (2022).
The Tinder Swindler (2022), The Imposter (2012), Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened (2019), and Bad Vegan (2022) are just a number of fraud-related remakes and documentaries that detail the destruction left behind by real-life fraudsters.
While Con Girl doesn’t feature Azzopardi herself, it features interviews with a number of people connected, including victims, experts, and eyewitnesses. To watch it, head over to Paramount+.
