Shell games
The shell game (Thimblerig, Three Shell and a Pea, or Old Army Game) is considered a gambling game, but is purely a swindle game used to perpetrate fraud. It is played on a flat surface, and requires three shells (or … Read More
The shell game (Thimblerig, Three Shell and a Pea, or Old Army Game) is considered a gambling game, but is purely a swindle game used to perpetrate fraud. It is played on a flat surface, and requires three shells (or … Read More
Frank Abagnale, masqueraded as a pilot, doctor and professor Howard Berg, with the same con as Kevin Trudeau (see below) Lou Blonger, organized massive bunco ring in Denver in early 1900’s Tony & Sharon Bonicci, a.k.a. Christie & McLean, Australian … Read More
Many con men employ extra tricks to keep the victim from going to the police: Illegal money. A common ploy of investment scammers is to encourage the victim to use money that has been concealed from the tax authorities. The … Read More
Three Card Monte, The Three-Card Trick, Follow The Lady or Find the Lady, which is (except for the props) essentially the same as the probably centuries-older shell game or thimblerig. The trickster shows three playing cards to the audience, one … Read More
Though dishonesty for financial gain had existed long before, the specific term “confidence man” was first coined in 1849 by the New York Herald to describe the deceptions of William Thompson. Thompson, dressed in genteel fashion, would approach wealthy New … Read More
A confidence trick, confidence game, also known as a con, scam, grift or flim flam, is an attempt to intentionally mislead a person or persons (known as the “mark”) usually with the goal of financial or other gain.The confidence trickster, … Read More