This is Hidden Brain, I'm Shankar Vidantam.

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 doesn't actually matter whether the object of your affection is fake?

In the second half of our show, we'll explore the art of forgery

with the tale of a painter who tricks the world's greatest art experts

into believing they are looking at masterpieces.

First though, the story of a bald-ing, middle-aged man

who impersonates women and caunts 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 the 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.

...