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id="toc-Get-rich-quick_schemes-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-The_"Money-Box_Scheme"" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#The_"Money-Box_Scheme""> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.1</span> <span>The "Money-Box Scheme"</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-The_"Money-Box_Scheme"-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Salting" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Salting"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.2</span> <span>Salting</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Salting-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Spanish_Prisoner" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Spanish_Prisoner"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.3</span> <span>Spanish Prisoner</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Spanish_Prisoner-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Persuasion_tricks" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Persuasion_tricks"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2</span> <span>Persuasion tricks</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Persuasion_tricks-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Persuasion tricks subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Persuasion_tricks-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Grandparent_scam" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Grandparent_scam"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.1</span> <span>Grandparent scam</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Grandparent_scam-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Romance_scam" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Romance_scam"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.2</span> <span>Romance scam</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Romance_scam-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Fortune-telling_fraud" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Fortune-telling_fraud"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.3</span> <span>Fortune-telling fraud</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Fortune-telling_fraud-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Gold_brick_scams" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Gold_brick_scams"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3</span> <span>Gold brick scams</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Gold_brick_scams-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Gold brick scams subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Gold_brick_scams-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Green_goods" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Green_goods"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.1</span> <span>Green goods</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Green_goods-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Pig_in_a_poke_(cat_in_a_bag)" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Pig_in_a_poke_(cat_in_a_bag)"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.2</span> <span>Pig in a poke (cat in a bag)</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Pig_in_a_poke_(cat_in_a_bag)-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Thai_gems" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Thai_gems"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.3</span> <span>Thai gems</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Thai_gems-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Financial_Condition_Scam" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Financial_Condition_Scam"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.4</span> <span>Financial Condition Scam</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Financial_Condition_Scam-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-White-van_speakers" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#White-van_speakers"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.5</span> <span>White-van speakers</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-White-van_speakers-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Iraqi_Dinar" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Iraqi_Dinar"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.6</span> <span>Iraqi Dinar</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Iraqi_Dinar-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Noorseekee" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Noorseekee"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.7</span> <span>Noorseekee</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Noorseekee-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Extortion_or_false-injury_tricks" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Extortion_or_false-injury_tricks"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>Extortion or false-injury tricks</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Extortion_or_false-injury_tricks-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Extortion or false-injury tricks subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Extortion_or_false-injury_tricks-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Badger_game" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Badger_game"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.1</span> <span>Badger game</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Badger_game-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Bogus_dry-cleaning_bill_scam" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Bogus_dry-cleaning_bill_scam"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.2</span> <span>Bogus dry-cleaning bill scam</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Bogus_dry-cleaning_bill_scam-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Clip_joint" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Clip_joint"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.3</span> <span>Clip joint</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Clip_joint-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Coin-matching_game" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Coin-matching_game"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.4</span> <span>Coin-matching game</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Coin-matching_game-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Fraudulent_collection_agencies" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Fraudulent_collection_agencies"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.5</span> <span>Fraudulent collection agencies</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Fraudulent_collection_agencies-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Fraudulent_law_firms" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Fraudulent_law_firms"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.6</span> <span>Fraudulent law firms</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Fraudulent_law_firms-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Insurance_fraud" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Insurance_fraud"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.7</span> <span>Insurance fraud</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Insurance_fraud-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Melon_drop" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Melon_drop"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.8</span> <span>Melon drop</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Melon_drop-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Gambling_tricks" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Gambling_tricks"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5</span> <span>Gambling tricks</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Gambling_tricks-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Gambling tricks subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Gambling_tricks-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Baltimore_Stockbroker_/_Psychic_Sports_Picks" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Baltimore_Stockbroker_/_Psychic_Sports_Picks"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5.1</span> <span>Baltimore Stockbroker / Psychic Sports Picks</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Baltimore_Stockbroker_/_Psychic_Sports_Picks-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Fiddle_game" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Fiddle_game"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5.2</span> <span>Fiddle game</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Fiddle_game-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Lottery_fraud_by_proxy" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Lottery_fraud_by_proxy"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5.3</span> <span>Lottery fraud by proxy</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Lottery_fraud_by_proxy-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Three-card_Monte" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Three-card_Monte"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5.4</span> <span>Three-card Monte</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Three-card_Monte-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Spurious_qualifications_or_endorsements" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Spurious_qualifications_or_endorsements"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6</span> <span>Spurious qualifications or endorsements</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Spurious_qualifications_or_endorsements-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Spurious qualifications or endorsements subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Spurious_qualifications_or_endorsements-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Diploma_mill" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Diploma_mill"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6.1</span> <span>Diploma mill</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Diploma_mill-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Vanity_publications_and_awards" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Vanity_publications_and_awards"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6.2</span> <span>Vanity publications and awards</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Vanity_publications_and_awards-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Who's_Who_scam" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Who's_Who_scam"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6.2.1</span> <span>Who's Who scam</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Who's_Who_scam-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-World_Luxury_Association" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#World_Luxury_Association"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6.2.2</span> <span>World Luxury Association</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-World_Luxury_Association-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Online_scams" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Online_scams"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7</span> <span>Online scams</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Online_scams-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Online scams subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Online_scams-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Fake_antivirus" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Fake_antivirus"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7.1</span> <span>Fake antivirus</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Fake_antivirus-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Phishing" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Phishing"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7.2</span> <span>Phishing</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Phishing-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Fake_support_call" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Fake_support_call"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7.3</span> <span>Fake support call</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Fake_support_call-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Call_Forwarding_Scam" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Call_Forwarding_Scam"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7.4</span> <span>Call Forwarding Scam</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Call_Forwarding_Scam-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Bank_login_scam" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Bank_login_scam"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7.5</span> <span>Bank login scam</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Bank_login_scam-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Religion-based_schemes" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Religion-based_schemes"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">8</span> <span>Religion-based schemes</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Religion-based_schemes-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Religion-based schemes subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Religion-based_schemes-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-The_Affinity_Church_scam" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#The_Affinity_Church_scam"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">8.1</span> <span>The Affinity Church scam</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-The_Affinity_Church_scam-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Other_confidence_tricks_and_scams" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Other_confidence_tricks_and_scams"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9</span> <span>Other confidence tricks and scams</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Other_confidence_tricks_and_scams-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Other confidence tricks and scams subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Other_confidence_tricks_and_scams-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Bar_bill_scam" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Bar_bill_scam"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9.1</span> <span>Bar bill scam</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Bar_bill_scam-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Beijing_tea" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Beijing_tea"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9.2</span> <span>Beijing tea</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Beijing_tea-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Big_Store" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Big_Store"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9.3</span> <span>Big Store</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Big_Store-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Blessing_scam" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Blessing_scam"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9.4</span> <span>Blessing scam</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Blessing_scam-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Change_raising" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Change_raising"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9.5</span> <span>Change raising</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Change_raising-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Dropped_wallet_scam" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Dropped_wallet_scam"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9.6</span> <span>Dropped wallet scam</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Dropped_wallet_scam-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Fake_casting_agent_scam" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Fake_casting_agent_scam"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9.7</span> <span>Fake casting agent scam</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Fake_casting_agent_scam-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Phony_job_offer_scam" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Phony_job_offer_scam"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9.8</span> <span>Phony job offer scam</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Phony_job_offer_scam-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Fraudulent_directory_solicitations" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Fraudulent_directory_solicitations"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9.9</span> <span>Fraudulent directory solicitations</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Fraudulent_directory_solicitations-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Jam_auction" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Jam_auction"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9.10</span> <span>Jam auction</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Jam_auction-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Money_exchange" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Money_exchange"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9.11</span> <span>Money exchange</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Money_exchange-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Mystery_shopping" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Mystery_shopping"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9.12</span> <span>Mystery shopping</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Mystery_shopping-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Pay_up_or_be_arrested_scam" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Pay_up_or_be_arrested_scam"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9.13</span> <span>Pay up or be arrested scam</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Pay_up_or_be_arrested_scam-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Pigeon_drop" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Pigeon_drop"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9.14</span> <span>Pigeon drop</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Pigeon_drop-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Pizza_delivery_scam" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Pizza_delivery_scam"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9.15</span> <span>Pizza delivery scam</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Pizza_delivery_scam-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Predatory_journals" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Predatory_journals"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9.16</span> <span>Predatory journals</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Predatory_journals-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Promotional_cheque" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Promotional_cheque"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9.17</span> <span>Promotional cheque</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Promotional_cheque-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Psychic_surgery" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Psychic_surgery"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9.18</span> <span>Psychic surgery</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Psychic_surgery-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Public_transport_ticket_control_scam" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Public_transport_ticket_control_scam"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9.19</span> <span>Public transport ticket control scam</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Public_transport_ticket_control_scam-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Rain_making" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Rain_making"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9.20</span> <span>Rain making</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Rain_making-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Recovery_room" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Recovery_room"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9.21</span> <span>Recovery room</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Recovery_room-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Rental_scams" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Rental_scams"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9.22</span> <span>Rental scams</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Rental_scams-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Rip_deal" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Rip_deal"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9.23</span> <span>Rip deal</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Rip_deal-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Unsolicited_goods" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Unsolicited_goods"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9.24</span> <span>Unsolicited goods</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Unsolicited_goods-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Wedding_planner_scam" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Wedding_planner_scam"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9.25</span> <span>Wedding planner scam</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Wedding_planner_scam-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-See_also" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#See_also"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">10</span> <span>See also</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-See_also-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">11</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="mw-content-container"> <main id="content" class="mw-body"> <header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar"> <nav aria-label="Contents" class="vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown vector-page-titlebar-toc vector-button-flush-left" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Toggle the table of contents" > <label id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-label" for="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-listBullet mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-listBullet"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Toggle the table of contents</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading mw-first-heading"><span class="mw-page-title-main">List of scams</span></h1> <div id="p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown mw-portlet mw-portlet-lang" > <input type="checkbox" id="p-lang-btn-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox mw-interlanguage-selector" aria-label="This article exist only in this language. Add the article for other languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-0" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Add languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> </ul> <div class="after-portlet after-portlet-lang"><span class="uls-after-portlet-link"></span><span class="wb-langlinks-add wb-langlinks-link"><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityPage/Q19649967#sitelinks-wikipedia" title="Add interlanguage links" class="wbc-editpage">Add links</a></span></div> </div> </div> </div> </header> <div class="vector-page-toolbar"> <div class="vector-page-toolbar-container"> <div id="left-navigation"> <nav aria-label="Namespaces"> <div id="p-associated-pages" class="vector-menu vector-menu-tabs mw-portlet mw-portlet-associated-pages" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="ca-nstab-main" class="selected vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/List_of_scams" title="View the content page [c]" accesskey="c"><span>Article</span></a></li><li id="ca-talk" class="vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Talk:List_of_scams" rel="discussion" title="Discuss improvements to the content page [t]" accesskey="t"><span>Talk</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="vector-variants-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown emptyPortlet" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-variants-dropdown-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-variants-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Change language variant" > <label id="vector-variants-dropdown-label" for="vector-variants-dropdown-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">English</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="p-variants" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-variants emptyPortlet" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </nav> </div> <div id="right-navigation" class="vector-collapsible"> <nav aria-label="Views"> <div id="p-views" class="vector-menu vector-menu-tabs mw-portlet mw-portlet-views" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="ca-view" class="selected vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/List_of_scams"><span>Read</span></a></li><li id="ca-edit" class="vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit" title="Edit this page [e]" accesskey="e"><span>Edit</span></a></li><li id="ca-history" class="vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=history" title="Past revisions of this page [h]" accesskey="h"><span>View history</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> <nav class="vector-page-tools-landmark" aria-label="Page tools"> <div id="vector-page-tools-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown vector-page-tools-dropdown" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-page-tools-dropdown-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-page-tools-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Tools" > <label id="vector-page-tools-dropdown-label" for="vector-page-tools-dropdown-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Tools</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-page-tools-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> <div id="vector-page-tools" class="vector-page-tools vector-pinnable-element"> <div class="vector-pinnable-header vector-page-tools-pinnable-header vector-pinnable-header-unpinned" data-feature-name="page-tools-pinned" data-pinnable-element-id="vector-page-tools" data-pinned-container-id="vector-page-tools-pinned-container" data-unpinned-container-id="vector-page-tools-unpinned-container" > <div class="vector-pinnable-header-label">Tools</div> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-pin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-page-tools.pin">move to sidebar</button> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-unpin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-page-tools.unpin">hide</button> </div> <div id="p-cactions" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-cactions emptyPortlet vector-has-collapsible-items" title="More options" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> Actions </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="ca-more-view" class="selected vector-more-collapsible-item mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/List_of_scams"><span>Read</span></a></li><li id="ca-more-edit" class="vector-more-collapsible-item mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit" title="Edit this page [e]" accesskey="e"><span>Edit</span></a></li><li id="ca-more-history" class="vector-more-collapsible-item mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=history"><span>View history</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-tb" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-tb" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> General </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="t-whatlinkshere" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:WhatLinksHere/List_of_scams" title="List of all English Wikipedia pages containing links to this page [j]" accesskey="j"><span>What links here</span></a></li><li id="t-recentchangeslinked" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:RecentChangesLinked/List_of_scams" rel="nofollow" title="Recent changes in pages linked from this page [k]" accesskey="k"><span>Related changes</span></a></li><li id="t-upload" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:File_Upload_Wizard" title="Upload files [u]" accesskey="u"><span>Upload file</span></a></li><li id="t-specialpages" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:SpecialPages" title="A list of all special pages [q]" accesskey="q"><span>Special pages</span></a></li><li id="t-permalink" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&oldid=1257018509" title="Permanent link to this revision of this page"><span>Permanent link</span></a></li><li id="t-info" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=info" title="More information about this page"><span>Page information</span></a></li><li id="t-cite" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:CiteThisPage&page=List_of_scams&id=1257018509&wpFormIdentifier=titleform" title="Information on how to cite this page"><span>Cite this page</span></a></li><li id="t-urlshortener" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:UrlShortener&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FList_of_scams%23Fiddle_game"><span>Get shortened URL</span></a></li><li id="t-urlshortener-qrcode" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:QrCode&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FList_of_scams%23Fiddle_game"><span>Download QR code</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-coll-print_export" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-coll-print_export" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> Print/export </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="coll-download-as-rl" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:DownloadAsPdf&page=List_of_scams&action=show-download-screen" title="Download this page as a PDF file"><span>Download as PDF</span></a></li><li id="t-print" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&printable=yes" title="Printable version of this page [p]" accesskey="p"><span>Printable version</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-wikibase-otherprojects" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-wikibase-otherprojects" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> In other projects </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="wb-otherproject-link wb-otherproject-wikivoyage badge-Q17559452 badge-recommendedarticle mw-list-item" title="recommended article"><a href="https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Common_scams" hreflang="en"><span>Wikivoyage</span></a></li><li id="t-wikibase" class="wb-otherproject-link wb-otherproject-wikibase-dataitem mw-list-item"><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityPage/Q19649967" title="Structured data on this page hosted by Wikidata [g]" accesskey="g"><span>Wikidata item</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> </div> <div class="vector-column-end"> <div class="vector-sticky-pinned-container"> <nav class="vector-page-tools-landmark" aria-label="Page tools"> <div id="vector-page-tools-pinned-container" class="vector-pinned-container"> </div> </nav> <nav class="vector-appearance-landmark" aria-label="Appearance"> <div id="vector-appearance-pinned-container" class="vector-pinned-container"> <div id="vector-appearance" class="vector-appearance vector-pinnable-element"> <div class="vector-pinnable-header vector-appearance-pinnable-header vector-pinnable-header-pinned" data-feature-name="appearance-pinned" data-pinnable-element-id="vector-appearance" data-pinned-container-id="vector-appearance-pinned-container" data-unpinned-container-id="vector-appearance-unpinned-container" > <div class="vector-pinnable-header-label">Appearance</div> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-pin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-appearance.pin">move to sidebar</button> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-unpin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-appearance.unpin">hide</button> </div> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div id="bodyContent" class="vector-body" aria-labelledby="firstHeading" data-mw-ve-target-container> <div class="vector-body-before-content"> <div class="mw-indicators"> </div> <div id="siteSub" class="noprint">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</div> </div> <div id="contentSub"><div id="mw-content-subtitle"><span class="mw-redirectedfrom">(Redirected from <a href="/w/index.php?title=Fiddle_game&redirect=no" class="mw-redirect" title="Fiddle game">Fiddle game</a>)</span></div></div> <div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><p class="mw-empty-elt"> </p> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1251242444">.mw-parser-output .ambox{border:1px solid #a2a9b1;border-left:10px solid #36c;background-color:#fbfbfb;box-sizing:border-box}.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+link+.ambox{margin-top:-1px}html body.mediawiki .mw-parser-output .ambox.mbox-small-left{margin:4px 1em 4px 0;overflow:hidden;width:238px;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em}.mw-parser-output .ambox-speedy{border-left:10px solid #b32424;background-color:#fee7e6}.mw-parser-output .ambox-delete{border-left:10px solid #b32424}.mw-parser-output .ambox-content{border-left:10px solid #f28500}.mw-parser-output .ambox-style{border-left:10px solid #fc3}.mw-parser-output .ambox-move{border-left:10px solid #9932cc}.mw-parser-output .ambox-protection{border-left:10px solid #a2a9b1}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-text{border:none;padding:0.25em 0.5em;width:100%}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image{border:none;padding:2px 0 2px 0.5em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-imageright{border:none;padding:2px 0.5em 2px 0;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-empty-cell{border:none;padding:0;width:1px}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image-div{width:52px}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .ambox{margin:0 10%}}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .ambox{display:none!important}}</style><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1248332772">.mw-parser-output .multiple-issues-text{width:95%;margin:0.2em 0}.mw-parser-output .multiple-issues-text>.mw-collapsible-content{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .compact-ambox .ambox{border:none;border-collapse:collapse;background-color:transparent;margin:0 0 0 1.6em!important;padding:0!important;width:auto;display:block}body.mediawiki .mw-parser-output .compact-ambox .ambox.mbox-small-left{font-size:100%;width:auto;margin:0}.mw-parser-output .compact-ambox .ambox .mbox-text{padding:0!important;margin:0!important}.mw-parser-output .compact-ambox .ambox .mbox-text-span{display:list-item;line-height:1.5em;list-style-type:disc}body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .multiple-issues-text>.mw-collapsible-toggle,.mw-parser-output .compact-ambox .ambox .mbox-image,.mw-parser-output .compact-ambox .ambox .mbox-imageright,.mw-parser-output .compact-ambox .ambox .mbox-empty-cell,.mw-parser-output .compact-ambox .hide-when-compact{display:none}</style><table class="box-Multiple_issues plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-multiple_issues compact-ambox" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b4/Ambox_important.svg/40px-Ambox_important.svg.png" decoding="async" width="40" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b4/Ambox_important.svg/60px-Ambox_important.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b4/Ambox_important.svg/80px-Ambox_important.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="40" data-file-height="40" /></span></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span"><div class="multiple-issues-text mw-collapsible"><b>This article has multiple issues.</b> Please help <b><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/List_of_scams" title="Special:EditPage/List of scams">improve it</a></b> or discuss these issues on the <b><a href="/wiki/Talk:List_of_scams" title="Talk:List of scams">talk page</a></b>. <small><i>(<a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove these messages</a>)</i></small> <div class="mw-collapsible-content"> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1251242444"><table class="box-Cleanup_bare_URLs plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-style ambox-cleanup-link_rot" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Text_document_with_red_question_mark.svg/40px-Text_document_with_red_question_mark.svg.png" decoding="async" width="40" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Text_document_with_red_question_mark.svg/60px-Text_document_with_red_question_mark.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Text_document_with_red_question_mark.svg/80px-Text_document_with_red_question_mark.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="48" data-file-height="48" /></span></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This article <b>uses <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Bare_URLs" title="Wikipedia:Bare URLs">bare URLs</a>, which are uninformative and vulnerable to <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot" title="Wikipedia:Link rot">link rot</a>.</b><span class="hide-when-compact"> Please consider converting them to <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources#Citation_styles" title="Wikipedia:Citing sources">full citations</a> to ensure the article remains <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">verifiable</a> and maintains a consistent citation style. <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Template_index/Sources_of_articles#Examples" title="Wikipedia:Template index/Sources of articles">Several templates</a> and tools are available to assist in formatting, such as <span class="nowrap"><a class="external text" href="https://refill.toolforge.org/ng/result.php?page=List_of_scams&defaults=y">reFill</a> (<a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:ReFill" 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src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/50px-Question_book-new.svg.png" decoding="async" width="50" height="39" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/75px-Question_book-new.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/100px-Question_book-new.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="399" /></a></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This article <b>needs additional citations for <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">verification</a></b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please help <a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/List_of_scams" title="Special:EditPage/List of scams">improve this article</a> by <a href="/wiki/Help:Referencing_for_beginners" title="Help:Referencing for beginners">adding citations to reliable sources</a>. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.<br /><small><span class="plainlinks"><i>Find sources:</i> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?as_eq=wikipedia&q=%22List+of+scams%22">"List of scams"</a> – <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbm=nws&q=%22List+of+scams%22+-wikipedia&tbs=ar:1">news</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?&q=%22List+of+scams%22&tbs=bkt:s&tbm=bks">newspapers</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbs=bks:1&q=%22List+of+scams%22+-wikipedia">books</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22List+of+scams%22">scholar</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=%22List+of+scams%22&acc=on&wc=on">JSTOR</a></span></small></span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">July 2008</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> </div> </div><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p><a href="/wiki/Scam" title="Scam">Scams</a> and confidence tricks are difficult to classify, because they change often and often contain elements of more than one type. Throughout this list, the perpetrator of the confidence trick is called the "con artist" or simply "artist", and the intended victim is the "mark". Particular scams are mainly directed toward elderly people, as they may be gullible and sometimes inexperienced or insecure, especially when the scam involves modern technology such as computers and the internet. This list should not be considered complete but covers the most common examples. </p> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r886046785">.mw-parser-output .toclimit-2 .toclevel-1 ul,.mw-parser-output .toclimit-3 .toclevel-2 ul,.mw-parser-output .toclimit-4 .toclevel-3 ul,.mw-parser-output .toclimit-5 .toclevel-4 ul,.mw-parser-output .toclimit-6 .toclevel-5 ul,.mw-parser-output .toclimit-7 .toclevel-6 ul{display:none}</style><div class="toclimit-3"><meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Get-rich-quick_schemes">Get-rich-quick schemes</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Get-rich-quick schemes"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><a href="/wiki/Get-rich-quick_scheme" title="Get-rich-quick scheme">Get-rich-quick schemes</a> are extremely varied; these include fake <a href="/wiki/Franchising" title="Franchising">franchises</a>, <a href="/wiki/Real_estate" title="Real estate">real estate</a> "sure things", get-rich-quick books, wealth-building seminars, <a href="/wiki/Self-help" title="Self-help">self-help</a> gurus, sure-fire inventions, useless products, <a href="/wiki/Chain_letter" title="Chain letter">chain letters</a>, <a href="/wiki/Fortune-telling" title="Fortune-telling">fortune tellers</a>, <a href="/wiki/Quackery" title="Quackery">quack</a> doctors, miracle <a href="/wiki/Pharmaceutical" class="mw-redirect" title="Pharmaceutical">pharmaceuticals</a>, <a href="/wiki/Foreign_exchange_fraud" title="Foreign exchange fraud">foreign exchange fraud</a>, <a href="#Spanish_Prisoner">Nigerian money scams</a>, fraudulent <a href="/wiki/Treasure_hunting" title="Treasure hunting">treasure hunts</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Amulet" title="Amulet">charms and talismans</a>. Variations include the <a href="/wiki/Pyramid_scheme" title="Pyramid scheme">pyramid scheme</a>, the <a href="/wiki/Ponzi_scheme" title="Ponzi scheme">Ponzi scheme</a>, and the <a href="/wiki/Matrix_scheme" title="Matrix scheme">matrix scheme</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="The_"Money-Box_Scheme""><span id="The_.22Money-Box_Scheme.22"></span>The "Money-Box Scheme"</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: The "Money-Box Scheme""><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><a href="/wiki/Victor_Lustig" title="Victor Lustig">Victor Lustig</a>, a con artist born in Austria-Hungary, designed and sold a "money box" which he claimed could print $100 bills using blank sheets of paper.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability#Self-published_sources" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability"><span title="The material near this tag may rely on a self-published source. (December 2017)">self-published source</span></a></i>]</sup> A victim, sensing huge profits and untroubled by ethical implications, would buy the machine for a high price—from $25,000 to $102,000.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_1-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Lustig stocked the machine with six to nine genuine $100 bills for demonstration purposes, but after that it produced only blank paper.<sup id="cite_ref-:1_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:1-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> By the time victims realized that they had been scammed, Lustig was long gone.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_1-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-:1_2-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:1-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Salting">Salting <span class="anchor" id="Salting"></span><span class="anchor" id="Salt_the_mine"></span></h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Salting"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><a href="/wiki/Salting_(confidence_trick)" title="Salting (confidence trick)">Salting</a> or "salting the mine" are terms for a scam in which <a href="/wiki/Gemstone" title="Gemstone">gemstones</a> or <a href="/wiki/Gold" title="Gold">gold ore</a> are planted in a <a href="/wiki/Mining" title="Mining">mine</a> or on the landscape, duping the mark into purchasing shares in a worthless or non-existent mining company.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> During <a href="/wiki/Gold_rush" title="Gold rush">gold rushes</a>, scammers would load <a href="/wiki/Shotgun" title="Shotgun">shotguns</a> with gold dust and shoot into the sides of the mine to give the appearance of a rich ore, thus "salting the mine". Examples include the <a href="/wiki/Diamond_hoax_of_1872" class="mw-redirect" title="Diamond hoax of 1872">diamond hoax of 1872</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Bre-X" title="Bre-X">Bre-X</a> gold fraud of the mid-1990s. </p><p>This trick was featured in the <a href="/wiki/HBO" title="HBO">HBO</a> series <i><a href="/wiki/Deadwood_(TV_series)" title="Deadwood (TV series)">Deadwood</a></i>, when <a href="/wiki/Al_Swearengen" title="Al Swearengen">Al Swearengen</a> and <a href="/wiki/E._B._Farnum" title="E. B. Farnum">E. B. Farnum</a> trick Brom Garret into believing gold is to be found on the claim Swearengen intends to sell him. This con was also featured in <i><a href="/wiki/Sneaky_Pete" title="Sneaky Pete">Sneaky Pete</a></i>. In season 3 of the TV series <a href="/wiki/Leverage_(American_TV_series)" title="Leverage (American TV series)"><i>Leverage</i></a>, the team salts a mine with <a href="/wiki/Coltan" title="Coltan">coltan</a> in order to run a con on two greedy and corrupt luminaries. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Spanish_Prisoner">Spanish Prisoner<span class="anchor" id="Spanish_Prisoner"></span><span class="anchor" id="Advance_fee_fraud"></span><span class="anchor" id="Nigerian_scam"></span></h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Spanish Prisoner"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The <a href="/wiki/Spanish_Prisoner" title="Spanish Prisoner">Spanish Prisoner</a> scam—and its modern variant, the <a href="/wiki/Advance-fee_scam" title="Advance-fee scam">advance-fee scam</a> or "<a href="/wiki/419_scams" class="mw-redirect" title="419 scams">Nigerian letter scam</a>"—involves enlisting the mark to aid in retrieving some stolen money from its hiding place. The victim sometimes believes they can cheat the con artists out of their money, but anyone trying this has already fallen for the essential con by believing that the money is there to steal (see also <a href="/wiki/Black_money_scam" title="Black money scam">Black money scam</a>). The classic Spanish Prisoner trick also contains an element of the romance scam (see below). </p><p>Many con artists employ extra tricks to keep the victim from going to the police. A common ploy of investment scammers is to encourage a mark to use money concealed from tax authorities. The mark cannot go to the authorities without revealing that they have committed <a href="/wiki/Tax_evasion" title="Tax evasion">tax fraud</a>. Many swindles involve a minor element of crime or some other misdeed. The mark is made to think that they will gain money by helping fraudsters get huge sums out of a country (the classic advance-fee fraud/Nigerian scam); hence a mark cannot go to the police without revealing that they planned to commit a crime themselves. </p><p>In a twist on the Nigerian fraud scheme, the mark is told they are helping someone overseas collect debts from corporate clients. Large <a href="/wiki/Cheque" title="Cheque">cheques</a> stolen from businesses are mailed to the mark. These cheques are altered to reflect the mark's name, and the mark is then asked to cash them and transfer all but a percentage of the funds (their <a href="/wiki/Commission_(remuneration)" title="Commission (remuneration)">commission</a>) to the con artist. The cheques are often completely genuine, except that the "pay to" information has been expertly changed. This exposes the mark not only to enormous debt when the bank reclaims the money from their account, but also to criminal charges for <a href="/wiki/Money_laundering" title="Money laundering">money laundering</a>. A more modern variation is to use <a href="/wiki/Laser_printer" class="mw-redirect" title="Laser printer">laser-printed</a> counterfeit cheques with the proper bank account numbers and payer information. </p><p>This scam can be seen in the film <i><a href="/wiki/The_Spanish_Prisoner" title="The Spanish Prisoner">The Spanish Prisoner</a></i>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Persuasion_tricks">Persuasion tricks</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Persuasion tricks"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="/wiki/Authorised_push_payment_fraud" title="Authorised push payment fraud">Authorised push payment fraud</a></div> <p>Persuasion fraud, when fraudsters persuade people only to target their money, is an old-fashioned type of fraud. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Grandparent_scam">Grandparent scam</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Grandparent scam"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>A grandparent gets a call or e-mail from someone claiming to be their grandchild, saying that they are in trouble. For example, the scammer may claim to have been arrested and require money wired, or gift cards purchased for bail, and asks the victim not to tell the grandchild's parents, as they would "only get upset". The call is fraudulent impersonation, the name of the grandchild typically obtained from <a href="/wiki/Social_media" title="Social media">social media</a> postings as well as obituaries listed either in newspapers or from a funeral home's website. Any money <a href="/wiki/Wire_transfer" title="Wire transfer">wired</a> out of the country is gone forever.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Romance_scam">Romance scam</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Romance scam"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The traditional <a href="/wiki/Romance_scam" title="Romance scam">romance scam</a> has now moved into <a href="/wiki/Online_dating_service" class="mw-redirect" title="Online dating service">Internet dating</a> sites, gaining a new name of <a href="/wiki/Catfishing" title="Catfishing">catfishing</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The con actively cultivates a <a href="/wiki/Romantic_love" class="mw-redirect" title="Romantic love">romantic relationship</a> which often involves promises of marriage. However, after some time, it becomes evident that this Internet "sweetheart" is stuck in their home country, lacking the money to leave and therefore unable to be united with the mark. The scam then becomes an <a href="/wiki/Advance-fee_fraud" class="mw-redirect" title="Advance-fee fraud">advance-fee fraud</a> or a <a href="/wiki/Check_fraud" class="mw-redirect" title="Check fraud">check fraud</a>. A wide variety of reasons can be offered for the trickster's lack of cash, but rather than just borrow the money from the victim (advance fee fraud), the con-artist normally declares that they have checks which the victim can cash on their behalf and remit the money via a non-reversible transfer service to help facilitate the trip (<a href="/wiki/Check_kiting" title="Check kiting">check fraud</a>). Of course, the checks are forged or stolen and the con-artist never makes the trip: the hapless victim ends up with a large debt and an <a href="/wiki/Broken_heart" title="Broken heart">aching heart</a>. This scam can be seen in the movie <i><a href="/wiki/Nights_of_Cabiria" title="Nights of Cabiria">Nights of Cabiria</a></i>. Variants of these employ bots or even live people who offer to go to live cam sites to video chat with the mark. The sites almost always require a credit card to be entered. The scammer insists the site is free and the card is only for purposes of age verification. The scammer will aggressively push using the site instead of a more well-known service like Skype, Zoom, or Discord or using more rational ways to obtain age verification (such as asking to see a driver's license or <a href="/wiki/Passport" title="Passport">passport</a>). Typically these sites charge a relatively low fee, often close to US$25–$50. After the fee has been paid the scammer vanishes and the site ceases to exist shortly thereafter. This is common on quick dating sites like <a href="/wiki/Tinder_(app)" title="Tinder (app)">Tinder</a> or free ones like <a href="/wiki/OkCupid" title="OkCupid">OkCupid</a>, but has been seen on ones that require payment as well. </p><p>In some cases, an online dating site <a href="/wiki/Online_dating_service#Lawsuits_filed_against_online_dating_services" class="mw-redirect" title="Online dating service">is itself engaged in fraud</a>, posting profiles of fictional persons or persons which the operator knows are not currently looking for a date in the advertised locality.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Fortune-telling_fraud">Fortune-telling fraud</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Fortune-telling fraud"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>One traditional swindle involves <a href="/wiki/Fortune-telling" title="Fortune-telling">fortune-telling</a>. In this scam, a fortune teller uses <a href="/wiki/Cold_reading" title="Cold reading">cold reading</a> skills to detect that a client is genuinely troubled rather than merely seeking entertainment; or is a gambler complaining of bad <a href="/wiki/Luck" title="Luck">luck</a>. The fortune teller informs the mark that they are the victim of a <a href="/wiki/Curse" title="Curse">curse</a>, and that for a fee a spell can be cast to remove the curse. In <a href="/wiki/Romany_language" class="mw-redirect" title="Romany language">Romany</a>, this trick is called <i>bujo</i> ("bag") after one traditional format: the mark is told that the curse is in their money; they bring money in a bag to have the spell cast over it, and leaves with a bag of worthless paper.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Fear of this scam has been one justification for legislation that makes fortune-telling a crime.<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> See the "Blessing Scam" below. </p><p>This scam got a new lease on life in the electronic age with the <a href="/wiki/Virus_hoax" title="Virus hoax">virus hoax</a>. <a href="/wiki/Rogue_security_software" title="Rogue security software">Fake anti-virus software</a> falsely claims that a computer is infected with viruses, and renders the machine inoperable with bogus warnings unless blackmail is paid. In the Datalink Computer Services incident, a mark was fleeced of several million dollars by a firm that claimed that his computer was infected with viruses, and that the infection indicated an elaborate conspiracy against him on the Internet.<sup id="cite_ref-WCDA1_9-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-WCDA1-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-EL-GHOBASHY_10-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-EL-GHOBASHY-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Fernandez_11-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Fernandez-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The alleged scam lasted from August 2004 through October 2010 and is estimated to have cost the victim $6–20 million.<sup id="cite_ref-WCDA1_9-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-WCDA1-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Zetter_12-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Zetter-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Gold_brick_scams">Gold brick scams</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: Gold brick scams"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Gold brick scams involve selling a tangible item for more than it is worth; they are named for the scam of selling the victim an allegedly golden ingot which turns out to be gold-coated lead. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Green_goods">Green goods</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: Green goods"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The <a href="/wiki/Green_goods_scam" title="Green goods scam">green goods scam</a>, also known as the "green goods game", was a scheme popular in the 19th-century United States in which people were duped into paying for worthless <a href="/wiki/Counterfeit" title="Counterfeit">counterfeit</a> money. It is a variation on the <a href="/wiki/Pig-in-a-poke" class="mw-redirect" title="Pig-in-a-poke">pig-in-a-poke</a> scam using money instead of other goods like a pig. The mark, or victim, would respond to flyers circulated throughout the country by the scammers ("green goods men") which claimed to offer "genuine" counterfeit currency for sale. This currency was sometimes alleged to have been printed with stolen engraving plates. Victims, usually living outside major cities, would be enticed to travel to the location of the green goods men to complete the transaction. Victims were guided by a "<a href="/wiki/Accomplice" class="mw-redirect" title="Accomplice">steerer</a>" to be shown large amounts of genuine currency—represented to be counterfeit—which was then placed in a bag or <a href="/wiki/Satchel" title="Satchel">satchel</a>. Victims then received offers to purchase the money at a price much less than face value. While a victim negotiated a price or was otherwise distracted, another accomplice (the "ringer") would switch the bag of money for a bag containing sawdust, green paper, or other worthless items. Victims would leave unaware of the switch, and were unwilling to report the crime, as attempting to purchase counterfeit currency was itself a crime and the victim accordingly risked <a href="/wiki/Arrest" title="Arrest">arrest</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Pig_in_a_poke_(cat_in_a_bag)"><span id="Pig_in_a_poke_.28cat_in_a_bag.29"></span>Pig in a poke (cat in a bag)</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: Pig in a poke (cat in a bag)"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><a href="/wiki/Pig_in_a_poke" title="Pig in a poke">Pig in a poke</a> originated in the late <a href="/wiki/Middle_Ages" title="Middle Ages">Middle Ages</a>. The con entails a sale of what is claimed to be a small pig, in a poke (bag). The bag actually contains a cat (not particularly prized as a source of meat). If one buys the bag without looking inside it, the person has bought something of less value than was assumed, and has learned first-hand the lesson <i><a href="/wiki/Caveat_emptor" title="Caveat emptor">caveat emptor</a></i>.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (January 2018)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> "Buying a pig in a poke" has become a <a href="/wiki/Colloquialism" title="Colloquialism">colloquial expression</a> in many European languages, including English, for when someone buys something without examining it beforehand.<sup id="cite_ref-Brewer,_1898_13-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Brewer,_1898-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In some regions the "pig" in the phrase is replaced by "cat", referring to the bag's actual content, but the saying is otherwise identical.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (January 2018)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> This is also said to be where the phrase "<a href="/wiki/Letting_the_cat_out_of_the_bag" title="Letting the cat out of the bag">letting the cat out of the bag</a>" comes from, although there may be other explanations.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (January 2018)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p><p>In Portuguese or Spanish speaking countries, the "pig" in the phrase is replaced by a hare or jackrabbit. A victim thinks he is buying a hare, when in reality he is buying a cat, hence the expression "gato por lebre" (in <a href="/wiki/Portuguese_language" title="Portuguese language">Portuguese</a>) or "gato por liebre" (in <a href="/wiki/Spanish_language" title="Spanish language">Spanish</a>).<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (January 2018)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Thai_gems">Thai gems</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: Thai gems"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The Thai <a href="/wiki/Gem_scam" title="Gem scam">gem scam</a> involves layers of con men and helpers who tell a tourist in <a href="/wiki/Bangkok" title="Bangkok">Bangkok</a> of an opportunity to earn money by buying <a href="/wiki/Duty_(economics)" class="mw-redirect" title="Duty (economics)">duty-free</a> jewelry and having it shipped back to the tourist's home country. The mark is driven around the city in a <a href="/wiki/Tuk-tuk" class="mw-redirect" title="Tuk-tuk">tuk-tuk</a> operated by one of the con men, who ensures that the mark meets one helper after another, until the mark is persuaded to buy the jewelry from a store also operated by the swindlers. The gems are real but significantly overpriced. This scam has been operating for twenty years in Bangkok, and is said to be protected by Thai police and politicians. A similar scam usually runs in parallel for custom-made suits. Many tourists are hit by con men touting both goods.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (March 2014)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p><p>A similar trick in Thailand involves lying about the presence of <a href="/wiki/Ivory" title="Ivory">ivory</a> in ornaments. Tricksters offer a non-ivory ornament for sale next to a sign in English reading "It is strictly forbidden to transport ivory into the United States, and the seller assumes no responsibility". This may make the buyer believe he or she has stumbled upon "forbidden fruit", tempting him to purchase the ornament, usually small and easy to hide, and smuggle it out of the country. The buyer would later discover that the ornament is made out of bone matter with no trace of ivory whatsoever.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (March 2020)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Financial_Condition_Scam">Financial Condition Scam</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=13" title="Edit section: Financial Condition Scam"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In twists on the Gold-Brick Scam and the False Documents Scam, in the Financial Condition Scam the con artist convinces the mark through purported objective evidence that con artist is wealthier than he is. The 'gold brick' the scammer sells is himself. </p><p>The trick was common in Manhattan commercial banking and insurance circles between the 1980s and the 2020s. The con relies upon the truth that commercial lending and insurance, despite third-party appraisals and <a href="/wiki/Due_diligence" title="Due diligence">due diligence</a> research, are based ultimately on trust between lender and borrower. The function of the scam is simple -- the grifters generate phony documents that show the applicant borrower meets or exceeds <a href="/w/index.php?title=Capital_liquidity&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Capital liquidity (page does not exist)">capital liquidity</a> requirements needed to qualify for multi-million-dollar financing or insurance. </p><p>However, banks and insurance companies expect some documents in their business to be fraudulent. The difficult part of the scam is to do many other things over long years that imbue the con artist and the documents he generates with an aura of wealth around the frontman. In the case of the <a href="/wiki/Trump_Organization" class="mw-redirect" title="Trump Organization">Trump Organization</a>, the phony financial documents were provided first to independent auditors who themselves then generated third-party documents based on those false representations. </p><p>Meanwhile, much time and energy goes into "salting" the public sphere with purported soft evidence (in a version of the <a href="/w/index.php?title=Salt_the_Mine_scam&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Salt the Mine scam (page does not exist)">Salt the Mine scam</a>) of wealth — including feeding phony information to financial journalists (even through phony press agents) in order to have the front-man ranked highly on lists of the nation's wealthiest people. The listing is then used to "prove" that the frontman is financially liquid enough. Other tactics include placing phony items with tabloid gossip columns that note the frontman's lavish lifestyle and profligate spending, and ensuring company "stores" where marks are fleeced have expensive-seeming "fits and finishes" (in reality, cheap carpet, tile, paint, countertops, lighting fixtures, etc.). </p><p>In the Trump case, evidence in a trial at equity held in the Manhattan New York State Supreme Court showed that the operation had reported that one of its chief "stores," a tri-plex residential unit in <a href="/wiki/Trump_Tower" title="Trump Tower">Trump Tower</a>, while legitimately owned, was three times the square footage that it had in reality.<sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The lie was key to the grift because that "proof point" was also part of pressure campaigns on financial journalists working on lists of the wealthiest people. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="White-van_speakers">White-van speakers</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=14" title="Edit section: White-van speakers"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In the <a href="/wiki/White_van_speaker_scam" title="White van speaker scam">white van speaker scam</a>, low-quality <a href="/wiki/Loudspeaker" title="Loudspeaker">loudspeakers</a> are sold—stereotypically from a white van—as expensive units that have been greatly discounted. The salesmen explain the ultra-low price in a number of ways; for instance, that their employer is unaware of having ordered too many speakers, so they are sneakily selling the excess behind the boss's back. The "speakermen" are ready to be haggled down to a seemingly minuscule price, because the speakers they are selling, while usually functional, actually cost only a tiny fraction of their "list price" to manufacture. The scam may extend to the creation of Web sites for the bogus brand, which usually sounds similar to that of a respected loudspeaker company. They will often place an ad for the speakers in the "For sale" Classifieds of the local newspaper, at the exorbitant price, and then show the mark a copy of this ad to "verify" their worth.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (January 2018)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p><p>A "trade show" variation of a similar scam might involve a scammer pretending to have car troubles on the side of a highway, trying to hail passing vehicles. When a good Samaritan pulls over, the person claims to be a foreign citizen visiting the country to participate in some local trade show. The person claims that they are about to leave the country after the show (e.g., are on their way to the airport), but their car has run out of fuel and they have no local currency to refill it or hire a taxi. At the same time they demonstrate that the trunk of their car is full of goods, which they claim have been taken from their just-dismantled company booth after the show. These goods are typically compact popular items like electronics or power tools. They offer these items to the mark at a "significantly reduced" price, allegedly just to raise some local cash in order to "get to the airport". (Sometimes the scammer tries to sell a valuable personal jewelry item, like a gold ring off his finger.) In most cases the items are technically genuine, but worth incomparably less than what the scammer attempts to sell them for. In a well-prepared version of this scam the scammer is often a true foreigner, speaking with genuine accent and possessing good mastery of their respective foreign language. </p><p>People shopping for <a href="/wiki/Copyright_infringement_of_software" class="mw-redirect" title="Copyright infringement of software">bootleg software</a>, illegal pornographic images, bootleg music, drugs, firearms or other forbidden or controlled goods may be legally hindered from reporting swindles to the police. An example is the "big screen TV in the back of the truck": the TV is touted as "hot" (stolen), so it will be sold for a very low price. The TV is in fact defective or broken; it may in fact not even be a television at all, since some scammers have discovered that a suitably decorated oven door will suffice.<sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The buyer has no <a href="/wiki/Legal_recourse" title="Legal recourse">legal recourse</a> without admitting to the attempted purchase of <a href="/wiki/Receipt_of_stolen_property" class="mw-redirect" title="Receipt of stolen property">stolen goods</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Iraqi_Dinar">Iraqi Dinar</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=15" title="Edit section: Iraqi Dinar"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><a href="/wiki/Iraqi_dinar#Speculation" title="Iraqi dinar">Iraqi currency</a> is sold to would-be investors with the belief that economic/financial circumstances will drastically increase the value of their investment. In fact there is no credible rationale or information to indicate that those circumstances will materialize or, if they do materialize, that they will have significant effect on the value of the currency. Moreover, the dealers sell currency to these investors at substantial mark-up such that a significant appreciation of the currency would be required just to make their investment break even.<sup id="cite_ref-MyUser_Amltf.com_December_28_2015c_16-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-MyUser_Amltf.com_December_28_2015c-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-MyUser_Cnbc.com_December_28_2015c_17-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-MyUser_Cnbc.com_December_28_2015c-17"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>17<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Noorseekee">Noorseekee</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=16" title="Edit section: Noorseekee"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1251242444"><table class="box-Unreferenced_section plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-Unreferenced" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Question_book-new.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/50px-Question_book-new.svg.png" decoding="async" width="50" height="39" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/75px-Question_book-new.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/100px-Question_book-new.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="399" /></a></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This section <b>does not <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources" title="Wikipedia:Citing sources">cite</a> any <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">sources</a></b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please help <a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/List_of_scams" title="Special:EditPage/List of scams">improve this section</a> by <a href="/wiki/Help:Referencing_for_beginners" title="Help:Referencing for beginners">adding citations to reliable sources</a>. Unsourced material may be challenged and <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability#Burden_of_evidence" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">removed</a>.</span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">December 2019</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>The Noorseekee (нурсики) scam is a multiple-round variant of the gold brick scam which has entered Russian urban legends from unverifiable incidents during the Afghanistan conflict. The scam consists of multiple "seller" and "buyer" rounds, the sellers and buyers both being Soviet officers in the con. The "sellers" initially offered a small amount of a mysterious item—small shiny gold-colored cups called "noorseekee"—at a prominent bazaar for cheap ("seller" round). The first "seller" round ended with a minor deal, as the merchants were traditionally expected to buy at least a sample of a new and unknown good "just in case". Then the "buyers" visited the same bazaar demanding any noorseekee available and credulously paying more than the "sellers" had demanded. The merchants, making easy profits, were thus much more enthusiastic toward the next "sellers". Noorseekee were small, stackable, reasonably durable, light-weight and would neither spoil nor rust, making the trade especially easy. </p><p>This went on for several rounds to build trust, form messaging pathways and establish the noorseekee as a special ware or even a Soviet-specialized secondary currency. On the pre-final round the "buyers" emptied the bazaar's collective supply of noorseekee and left with the announcement of returning soon with an exorbitant amount of money, while leaving an equally exorbitant order for more noorseekee (and even a down-payment). The "sellers" gladly agreed to provide the demanded amount of wares, but demanded a higher per-unit price citing e.g. the need to pay more hush money to their commanding officers. Then the "sellers" fulfilled the order and the merchants bought massive amounts (e.g. literal truckloads) of noorseekee expecting to make a large profit due to the size of the outstanding "order", regardless of the reduced per-unit profit and regardless of the high investment it demanded of them. The size of the final noorseekee order would usually exceed the bazaar's cash reserves, causing the merchants to access their savings and / or barter away stockpiled premium goods. </p><p>Obviously, the "buyers" would never be seen again, leaving the bazaar's merchants with truckloads of noorseekee and no means to sell them. Establishing new contacts with the Soviets would then reveal the noorseekee as worthless brass caps from Soviet gunships' unguided air-to-ground missile packs (нурсики derives from the diminutive of НУРС, i.e. <b>н</b>е<b>у</b>правляемый <b>р</b>акетный <b>с</b>наряд, or unguided missile). These caps were used during shipping and discarded when the missile packs were slotted into the gunships by the millions and were essentially worth nothing. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Extortion_or_false-injury_tricks">Extortion or false-injury tricks</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=17" title="Edit section: Extortion or false-injury tricks"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Badger_game">Badger game</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=18" title="Edit section: Badger game"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The <a href="/wiki/Badger_game" title="Badger game">badger game</a> extortion was perpetrated largely upon married men. The mark is deliberately coerced into a compromising position, a supposed affair for example, then threatened with public exposure of his acts unless blackmail money is paid.<sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Bogus_dry-cleaning_bill_scam">Bogus dry-cleaning bill scam</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=19" title="Edit section: Bogus dry-cleaning bill scam"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>A <a href="/wiki/Mail_fraud" class="mw-redirect" title="Mail fraud">mail fraud</a> that is typically perpetrated on <a href="/wiki/Restaurateur" title="Restaurateur">restaurateurs</a>, this scheme takes a receipt from a legitimate <a href="/wiki/Dry_cleaner" class="mw-redirect" title="Dry cleaner">dry cleaner</a> in the target city, duplicates it thousands of times, and sends it to every upscale eatery in town. An attached note claims a server in the victim's restaurant spilled food, coffee, wine or salad dressing on a diner's expensive suit of clothes, and demands reimbursement for dry cleaning costs. As the amount fraudulently claimed from each victim is relatively low, some will give the scammers the benefit of the doubt, or simply seek to avoid the nuisance of further action, and pay the claim. </p><p>The scam's return address is a drop box; the rest of the contact information is fictional or belongs to an innocent third party. The original dry cleaning shop, which has nothing to do with the scheme, receives multiple irate enquiries from victimised restaurateurs.<sup id="cite_ref-19" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-19"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>19<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-MyUser_Walesonline.co.uk_December_28_2015c_20-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-MyUser_Walesonline.co.uk_December_28_2015c-20"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>20<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Clip_joint">Clip joint</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=20" title="Edit section: Clip joint"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>A <a href="/wiki/Clip_joint" title="Clip joint">clip joint</a> or "fleshpot" is an establishment, usually a <a href="/wiki/Strip_club" title="Strip club">strip club</a> or entertainment bar, typically one claiming to offer <a href="/wiki/Striptease" title="Striptease">adult entertainment</a> or <a href="/wiki/Bottle_service" title="Bottle service">bottle service</a>, in which customers are tricked into paying money and receive poor, or no, goods or services in return. Typically, clip joints suggest the possibility of sex, charge excessively high prices for watered-down drinks, then eject customers when they become unwilling or unable to spend more money. The product or service may be illicit, offering the victim no recourse through official or legal channels.<sup id="cite_ref-bbc_21-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-bbc-21"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>21<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Coin-matching_game">Coin-matching game</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=21" title="Edit section: Coin-matching game"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Also called a <a href="/wiki/Coin-matching_game" title="Coin-matching game">coin smack or smack game</a>, two operators trick a victim during a game where coins are matched. One operator begins the game with the victim, then the second joins in. When the second operator leaves briefly, the first colludes with the victim to cheat the second operator. After rejoining the game, the second operator, angry at "losing," threatens to call the police. The first operator convinces the victim to pitch in <a href="/wiki/Hush_money" title="Hush money">hush money</a>, which the two operators later split.<sup id="cite_ref-nyt1913_22-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-nyt1913-22"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>22<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Fraudulent_collection_agencies">Fraudulent collection agencies</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=22" title="Edit section: Fraudulent collection agencies"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>A consumer inquires about a payday loan or short-term credit online and is asked for a long list of personal information. The lender is a shell firm; the loan might never be made, but the victim's personal information is now in the hands of scammers who sell it to a fraudulent collection agency.<sup id="cite_ref-23" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-23"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>23<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-24" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-24"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>24<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> That agency then launches into a series of harassing phone calls at all hours (often to the victim's workplace), attempting to obtain bank account numbers (allowing the account to be drained through direct withdrawal)<sup id="cite_ref-25" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-25"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>25<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> or impersonating police (sometimes with <a href="/wiki/Caller_ID_spoofing" title="Caller ID spoofing">caller ID spoofing</a>) to threaten the victim with arrest.<sup id="cite_ref-26" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-26"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>26<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-27" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-27"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>27<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-28" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-28"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>28<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Fake debt collectors often refuse to provide a legally required written "validation notice" of the debt, provide no evidence a debt is actually owed and demand payment using a money transfer service like <a href="/wiki/MoneyGram" title="MoneyGram">MoneyGram</a> or <a href="/wiki/Western_Union" title="Western Union">Western Union</a> with poor traceability and no chargeback protection.<sup id="cite_ref-29" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-29"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>29<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The underlying debt either does not exist, is not valid due to a <a href="/wiki/Statute_of_limitations" title="Statute of limitations">statute of limitations</a> or does not lawfully belong to the entity making the calls; in some cases, the victim is a target of <a href="/wiki/Identity_theft" title="Identity theft">identity theft</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-30" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-30"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>30<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-31" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-31"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>31<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The scammers operate under multiple names, many of which are intended to be mistaken for official or government agencies.<sup id="cite_ref-32" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-32"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>32<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The fraudulent calls often originate from abroad; any money extorted is immediately taken out of the country.<sup id="cite_ref-33" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-33"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>33<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Fraudulent_law_firms">Fraudulent law firms</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=23" title="Edit section: Fraudulent law firms"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>A bogus or dishonest law firm is a valuable tool to a scammer in various ways. It can send requests for upfront payments in relation to inheritances coming from unknown relatives, a form of <a href="/wiki/Advance_fee_fraud" class="mw-redirect" title="Advance fee fraud">advance fee fraud</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-34" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-34"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>34<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It also makes an effective fraudulent collection agency, as victims fear having to pay their own counsel hundreds of dollars per hour to defend against frivolous, vexatious or completely unfounded claims.<sup id="cite_ref-35" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-35"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>35<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In some cases, the dishonest lawyer is merely part of a larger fraudulent scheme.<sup id="cite_ref-36" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-36"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>36<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> A real estate fraud may involve taking deposits for a project under construction where,<sup id="cite_ref-37" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-37"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>37<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> in theory, the lawyer is holding the money in <a href="/wiki/Escrow" title="Escrow">escrow</a>, guarding <a href="/wiki/Down_payment" title="Down payment">down payments</a> as <a href="/wiki/Trust_fund" class="mw-redirect" title="Trust fund">trust fund</a> assets until a <a href="/wiki/Real_estate" title="Real estate">real estate</a> deal closes.<sup id="cite_ref-38" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-38"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>38<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> When the project is never completed, investors seek their money back but find the supposed trust fund is empty, as both lawyer and real estate developer are fraudulent. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Insurance_fraud">Insurance fraud</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=24" title="Edit section: Insurance fraud"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><a href="/wiki/Insurance_fraud" title="Insurance fraud">Insurance fraud</a> includes a wide variety of schemes in which insureds attempt to defraud their own insurance carriers, but when the victim is a private individual, the con artist tricks the mark into damaging, for example, the con artist's car, or injuring the con artist, in a manner that the con artist can later exaggerate. One relatively common scheme involves two cars, one for the con artist, and the other for the <a href="/wiki/Shill" title="Shill">shill</a>. The con artist will pull in front of the victim, and the shill will pull in front of the con artist before slowing down. The con artist will then slam on his brakes to "avoid" the shill, causing the victim to rear-end the con artist. The shill will accelerate away, leaving the scene. The con artist will then claim various exaggerated injuries in an attempt to collect from the victim's insurance carrier despite having intentionally caused the accident. Insurance carriers, who must spend money to fight even those claims they believe are fraudulent, frequently pay out thousands of dollars—a tiny amount to the carrier despite being a significant amount to an individual—to settle these claims instead of going to court.<sup id="cite_ref-39" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-39"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>39<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>A variation of this scam occurs in countries where insurance premiums are generally tied to a <a href="/wiki/Bonus%E2%80%93malus" title="Bonus–malus">bonus–malus</a> rating: the con artist will offer to avoid an insurance claim, settling instead for a cash compensation. Thus, the con artist is able to evade a professional damage assessment, and get an untraceable payment in exchange for sparing the mark the expenses of a lowered merit class.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (January 2018)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Melon_drop">Melon drop</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=25" title="Edit section: Melon drop"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The melon drop is a scam similar to the Chinese version <a href="/wiki/P%C3%A8ngc%C3%AD" class="mw-redirect" title="Pèngcí">Pèngcí</a> in which a scammer will cause an unsuspecting mark to bump into them, causing the scammer to drop an item of alleged value. The scam originally targeted Japanese tourists due to the high price of honeymelon (cantaloupe) in Japan. The scammer may receive upwards of $100 for "compensation".<sup id="cite_ref-vill_Look_40-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-vill_Look-40"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>40<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-askm_TheM_41-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-askm_TheM-41"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>41<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The scam has also been called <b>broken glasses scam</b> or <b>broken bottle scam</b> where the scammer will pretend the mark broke a pair of expensive glasses or use a bottle of cheap wine, liquor or a bottle filled with water and demand compensation. Asian tourists are often the primary target.<sup id="cite_ref-goth_You_42-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-goth_You-42"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>42<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Pèngcí is a scam originating in China in which scammers feign injury in <a href="/wiki/Traffic_accidents" class="mw-redirect" title="Traffic accidents">traffic accidents</a> in order to <a href="/wiki/Extortion" title="Extortion">extort</a> money from drivers.<sup id="cite_ref-43" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-43"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>43<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-NPR1_44-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NPR1-44"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>44<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Scammers also may place ostensibly expensive, fragile items (usually porcelain) in places where they may easily be knocked over, allowing them to collect damages when the items are damaged.<sup id="cite_ref-45" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-45"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>45<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Gambling_tricks">Gambling tricks</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=26" title="Edit section: Gambling tricks"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Baltimore_Stockbroker_/_Psychic_Sports_Picks"><span id="Baltimore_Stockbroker_.2F_Psychic_Sports_Picks"></span>Baltimore Stockbroker / Psychic Sports Picks</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=27" title="Edit section: Baltimore Stockbroker / Psychic Sports Picks"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The Baltimore Stockbroker scam relies on mass-mailing or emailing. The scammer begins with a large pool of marks, numbering ideally a <a href="/wiki/Power_of_two" title="Power of two">power of two</a> such as 1024 (2<sup>10</sup>). The scammer divides the pool into two halves, and sends all the members of each half a prediction about the future outcome of an event with a binary outcome (such as a stock price rising or falling, or the win/loss outcome of a sporting event). One half receives a prediction that the stock price will rise (or a team will win, etc.), and the other half receives the opposite prediction. After the event occurs, the scammer repeats the process with the group that received a correct prediction, again dividing the group in half and sending each half new predictions. After several iterations, the "surviving" group of marks has received a remarkable sequence of correct predictions, whereupon the scammer then offers these marks another prediction, this time for a fee. The next prediction is, of course, no better than a random guess, but the previous record of success makes it seem to the mark to be a prediction worth great value. </p><p>For gambling propositions with more than two outcomes, for example in horse racing, the scammer begins with a pool of marks with number equal to a power of the number of outcomes, and divides the marks at each step into the corresponding number of groups, thus insuring that one group receives a correct prediction at each step. This requires a larger number of marks at the beginning, but fewer steps are required to gain the confidence of the marks who receive successful predictions, because the probability of a correct prediction is lower at each step, and thus it seems more remarkable. </p><p>The scam relies on <a href="/wiki/Selection_bias" title="Selection bias">selection bias</a> and <a href="/wiki/Survivorship_bias" title="Survivorship bias">survivorship bias</a> and is similar to <a href="/wiki/Publication_bias" title="Publication bias">publication bias</a> (the file-drawer effect) in scientific publishing (whereby successful experiments are more likely to be published, rather than failures). </p><p>This particular scam received its name as a result of <a href="/wiki/Frank_Deford" title="Frank Deford">Frank Deford</a>'s novel <i>Cut 'n' Run</i> (1973), in which a stockbroker in Baltimore goes to several different bars and predicts the outcome of the upcoming <a href="/wiki/Johnny_Unitas" title="Johnny Unitas">Johnny Unitas</a>-era <a href="/wiki/Baltimore_Colts" title="Baltimore Colts">Baltimore Colts</a>' next game. He makes an equal number of win/lose predictions and never returns to the bars where he is wrong. For the final bet, he predicts in one bar that the Colts will lose, and they do. After seeing him correctly predict six football games in a row, the patrons are enamored when he returns to the bar the next week and claims "football is a hobby, my real business is the stock market". He receives an influx of new business and tells his new customers that the market is "adjusting" any time the <a href="/wiki/Dow-Jones_Industrial_Average" class="mw-redirect" title="Dow-Jones Industrial Average">Dow-Jones Industrial Average</a> drops. </p><p>Several authors mention the scam: <a href="/wiki/Daniel_C._Dennett" class="mw-redirect" title="Daniel C. Dennett">Daniel C. Dennett</a> in <i><a href="/wiki/Elbow_Room_(Dennett_book)" class="mw-redirect" title="Elbow Room (Dennett book)">Elbow Room</a></i> (where he calls it the touting pyramid); <a href="/wiki/David_Hand_(statistician)" title="David Hand (statistician)">David Hand</a> in <i>The Improbability Principle</i>; and <a href="/wiki/Jordan_Ellenberg" title="Jordan Ellenberg">Jordan Ellenberg</a> in <i><a href="/wiki/How_Not_to_Be_Wrong" title="How Not to Be Wrong">How Not to Be Wrong</a></i>.<sup id="cite_ref-46" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-46"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>46<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Ellenberg reports often hearing of the scam told as an illustrative parable, but he could not find a real-world example of anyone carrying it out as an actual scam. The closest he found was when illusionist <a href="/wiki/Derren_Brown" title="Derren Brown">Derren Brown</a> presented it in his television special <i><a href="/wiki/List_of_Derren_Brown_shows#Derren_Brown:_The_System_(2008)" title="List of Derren Brown shows">The System</a></i> in 2008. Brown's intent was merely to convince his mark that he had a foolproof horse race betting system rather than to scam the mark out of money. However, Ellenberg goes on to describe how investment firms do something similar by starting many in-house investment funds, and closing the funds that show the lowest returns before offering the surviving funds (with their record of high returns) for sale to the public. The selection bias inherent in the surviving funds makes them unlikely to sustain their previous high returns. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Fiddle_game">Fiddle game</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=28" title="Edit section: Fiddle game"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The fiddle game uses the <a href="/wiki/Pigeon_drop" title="Pigeon drop">pigeon drop</a> technique. A pair of con men work together, one going into an expensive restaurant in shabby clothes, eating, and claiming to have left his wallet at home, which is nearby. As collateral, the con man leaves his only worldly possession, the <a href="/wiki/Violin" title="Violin">violin</a> that provides his livelihood. After he leaves, the second con man swoops in, offers an outrageously large amount (for example $50,000) for what he calls a rare instrument, then looks at his watch and runs off to an appointment, leaving his card for the mark to call him when the fiddle-owner returns. The "poor man" comes back, having gotten the money to pay for his meal and redeem his violin. The mark, thinking he has an offer on the table from the second conspirator, then buys the violin from the <a href="/wiki/Violin" title="Violin">fiddle player</a> who "reluctantly" agrees to sell it for a certain amount that still allows the mark to make a "profit" from the valuable violin. The result is the two con men are richer (less the cost of the violin), and the mark is left with a cheap instrument.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (January 2018)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p><p>The fiddle game may be played with any sufficiently valuable-seeming piece of property; a common variation known as the pedigreed-dog swindle uses a <a href="/wiki/Mongrel" title="Mongrel">mongrel dog</a> upsold as a rare breed but is otherwise identical.<sup id="cite_ref-47" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-47"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>47<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>A variant of this con was used in <i><a href="/wiki/Better_Call_Saul" title="Better Call Saul">Better Call Saul</a></i>, where the con artist and a partner, acting as a shill, sell a <a href="/wiki/Kennedy_half-dollar" class="mw-redirect" title="Kennedy half-dollar">Kennedy half-dollar</a> to a mark for substantially more than its face value. The con artist pretends to try to sell the coin to the shill, giving a story about the coin's history and rarity as justify a significantly inflated price, claiming that the shill could sell it to the right buyer for even more. While the con artist leaves for a moment, the shill expresses skepticism to a near bystander, the mark, who has overheard the conversation. The shill then feigns a call with a friend who they claim is a coin collector, but after the call their tone changes from bemusement at the apparent gall of the con artist to a more serious one; when the con artist returns, the shill immediately asks if they can give the con artist some of the money now and return later with the full amount. The mark, convinced by the sudden change in attitude of the shill, then offers the full price asked for by the con artist, leaving the mark with $0.50 and the con men with $110. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Lottery_fraud_by_proxy">Lottery fraud by proxy</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=29" title="Edit section: Lottery fraud by proxy"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="/wiki/Lottery_fraud" title="Lottery fraud">Lottery fraud</a></div> <p>Lottery fraud by proxy is a scam in which the scammer buys a lottery ticket with old winning numbers. He or she then alters the date on the ticket so that it appears to be from the day before, and therefore a winning ticket. He or she then sells the ticket to the mark, claiming it is a winning ticket, but for some reason, he or she is unable to collect the prize (not eligible, etc.). The particular cruelty in this scam is that if the mark attempts to collect the prize, the fraudulently altered ticket will be discovered and the mark held criminally liable.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (January 2018)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> This con was featured in the movie <a href="/wiki/Matchstick_Men_(film)" class="mw-redirect" title="Matchstick Men (film)"><i>Matchstick Men</i></a>, where <a href="/wiki/Nicolas_Cage" title="Nicolas Cage">Nicolas Cage</a> teaches it to his daughter.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (January 2018)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> A twist on the con was shown in <i><a href="/wiki/Great_Teacher_Onizuka" title="Great Teacher Onizuka">Great Teacher Onizuka</a></i>, where the more-than-gullible Onizuka was tricked into getting a "winning ticket". The ticket was not altered, but the <a href="/wiki/Newspaper" title="Newspaper">daily newspaper</a> reporting the day's winning numbers was altered with a black pen.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (January 2018)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p><p>In the USSR this scam left three people dead in 1977, after a mark re-sold a fraudulent ticket and the second buyer engaged a criminal to "clear the issue", leading to the murder of the original mark and two family members. The investigations using a fake lottery uncovered a large group of marks all targeted by a single artist, a disgruntled former employee of the Mint who used his insider knowledge and skills to produce the high-quality forged tickets. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Three-card_Monte">Three-card Monte</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=30" title="Edit section: Three-card Monte"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Three_Card_Monte.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Three_Card_Monte.jpg/220px-Three_Card_Monte.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="165" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Three_Card_Monte.jpg/330px-Three_Card_Monte.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Three_Card_Monte.jpg/440px-Three_Card_Monte.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1024" data-file-height="768" /></a><figcaption>Three-card Monte</figcaption></figure> <p><a href="/wiki/Three-card_Monte" class="mw-redirect" title="Three-card Monte">Three-card Monte</a>, "find the queen", the "three-card trick", or "follow the lady" is essentially the same as the centuries-older <a href="/wiki/Shell_game" title="Shell game">shell game</a> or <i>thimblerig</i> (except for the <a href="/wiki/Theatrical_property" class="mw-redirect" title="Theatrical property">props</a>).<sup id="cite_ref-48" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-48"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>48<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The trickster shows three <a href="/wiki/Playing_card" title="Playing card">playing cards</a> to the audience, one of which is a queen (the "lady"), then places the cards face-down, shuffles them around, and invites the audience to bet on which one is the queen. At first the audience is skeptical, so the <a href="/wiki/Shill" title="Shill">shill</a> places a bet, and the scammer allows him to win. In one variation of the game, the shill will (apparently surreptitiously) peek at the lady, ensuring that the mark also sees the card. This is sometimes enough to entice the audience to place bets, but the trickster uses <a href="/wiki/Sleight_of_hand" title="Sleight of hand">sleight of hand</a> to ensure that he always loses, unless the con man decides to let him win, hoping to lure him into betting much more. The mark loses whenever the dealer chooses to make him lose.<sup id="cite_ref-49" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-49"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>49<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>A variation on this scam exists in <a href="/wiki/Barcelona" title="Barcelona">Barcelona</a>, <a href="/wiki/Spain" title="Spain">Spain</a>, but with the addition of a pickpocket.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (December 2010)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> The dealer and shill behave in an overtly obvious manner, attracting a larger audience. When the pickpocket succeeds in stealing from a member of the audience, he signals the dealer. The dealer then shouts the word "aguas" – colloquial for "Watch Out!" – and the three split up. The audience is left believing that the police are coming, and that the performance was a failed scam.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (August 2012)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p><p>A variant of this scam exists in Mumbai, India.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (December 2010)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> The shill says loudly to the dealer that his cards are fake and that he wants to see them. He takes the card and folds a corner and says in a hushed voice to the audience that he has marked the card. He places a bet and wins. Then he asks the others to place bets as well. When one of the audience bets a large sum of money, the cards are switched.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (August 2012)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Spurious_qualifications_or_endorsements">Spurious qualifications or endorsements</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=31" title="Edit section: Spurious qualifications or endorsements"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Diploma_mill">Diploma mill</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=32" title="Edit section: Diploma mill"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Governmental bodies maintain a list of entities which <a href="/wiki/Educational_accreditation" title="Educational accreditation">accredit educational institutions</a>. The US Department of Education, for instance, oversees <a href="/wiki/Higher_education_accreditation_in_the_United_States" title="Higher education accreditation in the United States">higher education accreditation in the United States</a>. </p><p>Most <a href="/wiki/Diploma_mill" title="Diploma mill">diploma mills</a> are not accredited by such an entity, although many obtain accreditation from other organizations (such as <a href="/wiki/Accreditation_mill" title="Accreditation mill">accreditation mills</a> or corrupt foreign officials) to appear legitimate. Graduates of these institutions risk that the qualifications gained at these institutions may not be sufficient for further study, lawful employment or professional licensure as their issuers do not hold locally-valid accreditation to grant the degrees.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (January 2018)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p><p>Some diploma mills perform no instruction or examination, instead issuing credentials based on payment and "life experience".<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (January 2018)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> A few have unknowingly issued degrees and credentials to companion animals.<sup id="cite_ref-50" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-50"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>50<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The <a href="/wiki/Doctor_of_Divinity" title="Doctor of Divinity">Doctor of Divinity</a> title is particularly prone to misuse.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="margin-left:0.1em; white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Words_to_watch#Unsupported_attributions" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Words to watch"><span title="The material near this tag may use weasel words or too-vague attribution. (January 2018)">according to whom?</span></a></i>]</sup> In the <a href="/wiki/United_Kingdom" title="United Kingdom">United Kingdom</a> it is an earned postdoctoral credential which requires a string of publications, but in the <a href="/wiki/United_States" title="United States">United States</a> any church may confer it as an honorary title; <a href="/wiki/Ordination_mill" title="Ordination mill">ordination mills</a> readily grant this doctorate for a moderate fee and token amount of study.<sup id="cite_ref-51" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-51"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>51<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Vanity_publications_and_awards">Vanity publications and awards</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=33" title="Edit section: Vanity publications and awards"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>A <a href="/wiki/Vanity_press" title="Vanity press">vanity press</a> is a pay-to-publish scheme where a publishing house, typically an <a href="/wiki/Author_mill" title="Author mill">author mill</a>, obtains the bulk of its revenues from authors who pay to have their books published<sup id="cite_ref-Glatthorn_52-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Glatthorn-52"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>52<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> instead of from readers purchasing the finished books. As the author bears the entire financial risk, the vanity press profits even if the books are not promoted (or badly promoted) and do not sell. The growth of <a href="/wiki/Print_on_demand" title="Print on demand">print on demand</a>, which allows small quantities of books to be printed cheaply, has accelerated this trend.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (January 2018)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p><p>Vanity publishing is not the same as <a href="/wiki/Self-publishing" title="Self-publishing">self-publishing</a>, in that self-published authors own their finished books and control their distribution, relying on a <a href="/wiki/Printer_(publishing)" title="Printer (publishing)">print shop</a> solely to turn camera-ready content into printed volumes. In a vanity press, the author takes the financial risk while the publisher owns the printed volumes.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (January 2018)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p><p>A <a href="/wiki/Vanity_award" title="Vanity award">vanity award</a> is an award which the recipient purchases, giving the false appearance of a legitimate honour.<sup id="cite_ref-bb_53-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-bb-53"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>53<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-miller_54-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-miller-54"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>54<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> These are closely related to the <a href="/wiki/Who%27s_Who_scam" class="mw-redirect" title="Who's Who scam">Who's Who scam</a>, where a biographic subject pays for a vanity listing in a printed directory.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (January 2018)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Who's_Who_scam"><span id="Who.27s_Who_scam"></span>Who's Who scam</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=34" title="Edit section: Who's Who scam"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Operators of <a href="/wiki/Who%27s_Who_scam" class="mw-redirect" title="Who's Who scam">fraudulent "Who's Who"-type directories</a> would offer listings or "membership" to purchasers who are often unaware of the low rates the directories in question are consulted.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (January 2018)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="World_Luxury_Association">World Luxury Association</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=35" title="Edit section: World Luxury Association"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The <a href="/wiki/World_Luxury_Association" title="World Luxury Association">World Luxury Association</a> is a self-proclaimed international organisation based in <a href="/wiki/China" title="China">China</a> that offers "official registration" for luxury brands, and inclusion in an "official list" of luxury brands, in return for a fee.<sup id="cite_ref-Civilising_China_55-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Civilising_China-55"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>55<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Online_scams">Online scams</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=36" title="Edit section: Online scams"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1251242444"><table class="box-More_citations_needed_section plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-Refimprove" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Question_book-new.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/50px-Question_book-new.svg.png" decoding="async" width="50" height="39" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/75px-Question_book-new.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/100px-Question_book-new.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="399" /></a></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This section <b>needs additional citations for <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">verification</a></b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please help <a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/List_of_scams" title="Special:EditPage/List of scams">improve this article</a> by <a href="/wiki/Help:Referencing_for_beginners" title="Help:Referencing for beginners">adding citations to reliable sources</a> in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.</span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">January 2018</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Internet_fraud" title="Internet fraud">Internet fraud</a></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Fake_antivirus">Fake antivirus</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=37" title="Edit section: Fake antivirus"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Computer users unwittingly download and install <a href="/wiki/Rogue_security_software" title="Rogue security software">rogue security software</a>, <a href="/wiki/Malware" title="Malware">malware</a> disguised as <a href="/wiki/Antivirus_software" title="Antivirus software">antivirus software</a>, by following the messages which appear on their screen. The software then pretends to find multiple viruses on the victim's computer, "removes" a few, and asks for payment in order to take care of the rest. They are then linked to con artists' websites, professionally designed to make their bogus software appear legitimate, where they must pay a fee to download the "full version" of their "antivirus software". </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Phishing">Phishing</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=38" title="Edit section: Phishing"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><a href="/wiki/Phishing" title="Phishing">Phishing</a> is a modern scam in which the artist communicates with the mark, masquerading as a representative of an official organization with which the mark is doing business, in order to extract personal information which can then be used, for example, to steal money. In a typical instance, the artist sends the mark an email pretending to be from a company, such as <a href="/wiki/EBay" title="EBay">eBay</a>. It is formatted exactly like email from that business, and will ask the mark to "verify" some personal information at the website, to which a link is provided, in order to "reactivate" his blocked account. The website is fake but designed to look exactly like the business' website. The site contains a <a href="/wiki/Form_(web)" class="mw-redirect" title="Form (web)">form</a> asking for personal information such as <a href="/wiki/Credit_card_number" class="mw-redirect" title="Credit card number">credit card numbers</a>, which the mark feels compelled to give or lose all access to the service. When the mark submits the form (without double-checking the <a href="/wiki/Uniform_Resource_Locator" class="mw-redirect" title="Uniform Resource Locator">website address</a>), the information is sent to the swindler. </p><p>A similar <a href="/wiki/Caller_ID_spoofing" title="Caller ID spoofing">caller ID spoofing</a> scheme exists with misleading telephone calls ("vishing") facilitated by <a href="/wiki/Voice_over_IP" title="Voice over IP">Internet telephony</a>. A fraudster can make calls through an Internet-<a href="/wiki/PSTN" class="mw-redirect" title="PSTN">PSTN</a> gateway to impersonate banks, police, schools or other trusted entities. A random dialer computer or auto-dialer can impersonate healthcare providers to get Social Security numbers and birthdates from elderly patients recently released from the hospital. The auto-dialer call states it is from a reputable hospital or a pharmacy and the message explains the need to "update records" to be from the hospital or a pharmacy. </p><p>Other online scams include <a href="/wiki/Advance-fee_fraud" class="mw-redirect" title="Advance-fee fraud">advance-fee fraud</a>, <a href="/wiki/Bidding_fee_auction" title="Bidding fee auction">bidding fee auctions</a> ("penny auctions"), <a href="/wiki/Click_fraud" title="Click fraud">click fraud</a>, <a href="/wiki/Domain_slamming" class="mw-redirect" title="Domain slamming">domain slamming</a>, various <a href="/wiki/Spoofing_attack" title="Spoofing attack">spoofing attacks</a>, <a href="/wiki/Web-cramming" class="mw-redirect" title="Web-cramming">web-cramming</a>, and online versions of <a href="/wiki/Employment_scams" class="mw-redirect" title="Employment scams">employment scams</a>, <a href="/wiki/Romance_scam" title="Romance scam">romance scams</a>, and fake rewards. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Fake_support_call">Fake support call</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=39" title="Edit section: Fake support call"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Technical_support_scam" title="Technical support scam">Technical support scam</a></div> <p>Unsuspecting computer owners and users are targeted by people claiming to be from <a href="/wiki/Microsoft_Windows" title="Microsoft Windows">Windows</a>, i.e., <a href="/wiki/Microsoft" title="Microsoft">Microsoft</a> or from their <a href="/wiki/Internet_provider" class="mw-redirect" title="Internet provider">internet provider</a> and then telling them that their computer/machine is creating errors and they need to correct the faults on their computers. Scammers persuade people to go to one site or another to see these so-called errors. They are then required to give their credit card details in order to purchase some form of support, after which they are asked to allow remote connection to the "error-laden" computer so that the problem(s) may be fixed. At this point the victim's computer is infected with <a href="/wiki/Malware" title="Malware">malware</a>, <a href="/wiki/Spyware" title="Spyware">spyware</a>, or remote connection software.<sup id="cite_ref-56" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-56"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>56<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Call_Forwarding_Scam">Call Forwarding Scam</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=40" title="Edit section: Call Forwarding Scam"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Call Forwarding Scam involves a fraudster tricking the victim into dialing a specific phone number, which then reroutes all incoming calls and text messages victim receives to the scammer's device.<sup id="cite_ref-57" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-57"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>57<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Scammers in-turn intercepts bank messages and OTPs, while the victim remains unaware. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Bank_login_scam">Bank login scam</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=41" title="Edit section: Bank login scam"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>A scammer convinces a victim to log in to a bank and convince them that they are receiving money. Some victims of the technical support scam may have their information sold or traded to a new organization that will cold-call them and tell them that they are entitled to a refund for the support they have previously paid for. Alternatively, the scammer may impersonate a security company and convince the victim that hackers are manipulating their bank account. The goal is for the scammer to transfer money between the user's accounts and to use HTML editing in the browser to make it appear as though new money has been transferred into the account by a legitimate company. The scammer "makes a mistake" and sends a larger amount of money than what he initially said he would send, then convinces the victim that they must refund the mistakenly sent extra money to the scammer via a wire transfer, money order, or gift cards. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Religion-based_schemes">Religion-based schemes</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=42" title="Edit section: Religion-based schemes"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="The_Affinity_Church_scam">The Affinity Church scam</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=43" title="Edit section: The Affinity Church scam"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Claiming to share someone else's viewpoint is the sneaky cover many church scam artists use. Pretending to share their faith lulls members of religious organizations into thinking a scammer is genuine. Often claiming some kind of divine guidance, using religious slogans, or claiming to be raising funds for a worthy cause, church scammers invite their new friends to invest in what turns out to be nothing more than a <a href="/wiki/Ponzi_scheme" title="Ponzi scheme">Ponzi scheme</a>. This is such a common crime that the state of Arizona listed affinity scams of this type as its number one scam for 2009. In one recent nationwide religious scam, churchgoers are said to have lost more than $50 million in a phony gold bullion scheme, promoted on daily telephone prayer chains, in which they thought they could earn a huge return.<sup id="cite_ref-58" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-58"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>58<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Other_confidence_tricks_and_scams">Other confidence tricks and scams</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=44" title="Edit section: Other confidence tricks and scams"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Bar_bill_scam">Bar bill scam</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=45" title="Edit section: Bar bill scam"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The bar bill scam is common in Europe,<sup id="cite_ref-59" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-59"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>59<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> especially <a href="/wiki/Budapest,_Hungary" class="mw-redirect" title="Budapest, Hungary">Budapest, Hungary</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-UnitedStatesHungaryEmbassy_60-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-UnitedStatesHungaryEmbassy-60"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>60<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-61" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-61"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>61<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-62" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-62"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>62<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> A mark, usually a man who is a tourist, is approached by an attractive woman or pair of women who start a conversation, such as asking for directions (pretending to have mistaken the tourist for a local). After a bit of conversation, the women will suggest that they go to a bar that they know of. While there, they order many entrées and drinks and encourage the mark to do the same. Either the menu does not have prices on it or the menu is later switched with one that has higher prices. </p><p>When the bill comes, it is many times larger than expected. The women have only a small amount of cash on them, and ask the mark to pay for the bill. The mark is forced to pay before leaving (sometimes with threats of violence), and directed to an ATM on the premises where they can withdraw cash. The women apologize profusely for the situation and arrange to meet the next day to pay them back, but they do not show. In truth, the women are working with the bar and receive a cut of the payment.<sup id="cite_ref-UnitedStatesHungaryEmbassy_60-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-UnitedStatesHungaryEmbassy-60"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>60<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The con can also be performed with a well-dressed man or a gregarious local rather than an attractive woman. A variation on this is to have a taxi driver recommend the bar to the passenger, who enters alone and orders, not realizing that they will be charged an exorbitant bill. The taxi driver receives a cut of the payment.<sup id="cite_ref-UnitedStatesHungaryEmbassy_60-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-UnitedStatesHungaryEmbassy-60"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>60<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Beijing_tea">Beijing tea</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=46" title="Edit section: Beijing tea"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The Beijing tea scam is a famous variation of the <a href="/wiki/Clip_Joint" class="mw-redirect" title="Clip Joint">clip joint</a> scam practised in and around <a href="/wiki/Beijing" title="Beijing">Beijing</a> and some other large Chinese cities. The artists (usually female and working in pairs) will approach tourists and try to make friends. After chatting, they will suggest a trip to see a <a href="/wiki/Chinese_tea_ceremony" class="mw-redirect" title="Chinese tea ceremony">tea ceremony</a>, claiming that they have never been to one before. The tourist is never shown a menu, but assumes that this is how things are done in China. After the ceremony, the bill is presented to the tourist, sometimes charging upwards of $100 per head. The artists will then hand over their bills, and the tourists are obliged to follow suit. Similar scams involving restaurants, coffee shops and bars also take place.<sup id="cite_ref-63" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-63"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>63<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-64" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-64"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>64<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Big_Store">Big Store</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=47" title="Edit section: Big Store"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The Big Store is a technique for selling the legitimacy of a scam and typically involves a large team of con artists and elaborate sets. Often a building is rented and furnished as a legitimate and substantial business.<sup id="cite_ref-The_Big_Con_65-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-The_Big_Con-65"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>65<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The "betting parlor" setup in <i><a href="/wiki/The_Sting" title="The Sting">The Sting</a></i> is an example. </p><p>In 2014, a rural co-operative in <a href="/wiki/Nanjing,_China" class="mw-redirect" title="Nanjing, China">Nanjing, China</a> constructed an entire brick-and-mortar fake bank with uniformed clerks behind counters; the unlicensed bank operated for a little over a year, then defaulted on its obligations, swindling Chinese savers out of 200 million <a href="/wiki/Chinese_yuan" class="mw-redirect" title="Chinese yuan">Chinese yuan</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-66" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-66"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>66<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <a href="/wiki/Onecoin" class="mw-redirect" title="Onecoin">Onecoin</a> is a European example. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Blessing_scam">Blessing scam</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=48" title="Edit section: Blessing scam"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The <a href="/wiki/Blessing_scam" title="Blessing scam">blessing scam</a> targets elderly Chinese immigrant women, convincing them that an evil spirit threatens their family and that this threat can be removed by a blessing ceremony involving a bag filled with their savings, jewelry or other valuables. During the ceremony, the con artists switch the bag of valuables with an identical bag with valueless contents and make off with the victim's cash or jewelry. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Change_raising">Change raising</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=49" title="Edit section: Change raising"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Change raising, also known as a quick change<sup id="cite_ref-67" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-67"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>67<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> or short change<sup id="cite_ref-68" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-68"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>68<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> scam, is a common short con and involves an offer to change an amount of money with someone, while at the same time taking change or bills back and forth to confuse the person as to how much money is actually being changed. The most common form, "the Short Count", has been featured prominently in several movies about grifting, notably <i><a href="/wiki/The_Grifters_(film)" title="The Grifters (film)">The Grifters</a></i>, <i><a href="/wiki/Criminal_(2004_film)" title="Criminal (2004 film)">Criminal</a></i>, <i><a href="/wiki/Nine_Queens" title="Nine Queens">Nine Queens</a></i>, and <i><a href="/wiki/Paper_Moon_(film)" title="Paper Moon (film)">Paper Moon</a></i>. For example, a con artist targeting a <a href="/wiki/Cashier" title="Cashier">cashier</a> apologetically uses a ten-dollar bill to pay for an item costing less than a dollar, claiming not to have any smaller bills; the change of over nine dollars will include either nine singles or a five and four singles. The con artist then claims to have found that he had a dollar bill, after all, and offers to change it and the nine dollars for the original ten. If the con artist can manipulate the clerk into handing over the ten-dollar bill first, the con artist can then give it back to the clerk in place of one of the singles the con artist was expected to give the clerk. The con artist then pretends to notice he has "mistakenly" given the clerk nineteen dollars instead of ten; producing another single, the con artist suggests he add this to the nineteen and let the clerk give him back an even twenty. </p><p>The scam relies on the cashier placing small bills in the register where they will be mixed with existing bills, and the cashier's failure to notice that the nineteen dollars given by the con artist included ten dollars that belonged to the store in the first place (the money that should've been given back for the $10 that was handed over early). Thus the con artist has stolen ten dollars, minus the cost of the cheap item that was purchased (effectively stealing over nine dollars). The con artist starts with twelve dollars (the original ten-dollar bill and two singles), then leaves with a twenty and also keeps one of the singles (the one that was "mistakenly" switched with the $10). (The cashier should have noticed that the con artist overpaid by $9, not $19, and thus when the con artist produces the second $1 bill, the cashier should hand back $10, not $20.) To avoid this con, clerks should keep each transaction separate and never permit the customer to take change before handing over the original payment. </p><p>Another variation is to flash a $20 bill to the clerk, then ask for something behind the counter. When the clerk turns away, the con artist can swap the bill he is holding to a lesser bill. The clerk might then make change for the larger bill, without noticing it has been swapped. The technique may work better when bills are the same color at a glance like, for instance, <a href="/wiki/Federal_Reserve_Note" title="Federal Reserve Note">U.S. dollar bills</a>. A similar technique exists when a con artist asks to use a very large denomination bill to purchase a cheap item. The con artist distracts the clerk with conversation while the clerk is preparing the change, in hopes that the clerk will hand over the large amount of change without realizing that the con artist never actually handed over the large bill.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (August 2012)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> Sometimes cab drivers in India try a similar con, when customers require some change back. For example, they may pay $100 for a $60 ride and expect a return of $40. But the con would say that he only received $10 and in fact needs $50 more. The mark is baffled, trying to remember and of course, the con has swiftly switched the $100 bill with a $10 one, waving it to show that this was really what the mark gave to him. Since the con has now made the mark look suspicious, the mark feels guilty and pays up. This scenario can also be created in markets, when vendors sometimes team up and support each other's cons, if the mark tries to resist. </p><p>Another variant is to use confusing or misdirected language. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Dropped_wallet_scam">Dropped wallet scam</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=50" title="Edit section: Dropped wallet scam"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The dropped wallet scam usually targets tourists. The con artist pretends to accidentally drop his wallet in a public place. After an unsuspecting victim picks up the wallet and offers it to the con artist, the scam begins. The artist accuses the victim of stealing money from the wallet and threatens to call the police, scaring the victim into returning the allegedly stolen money. Cases have been reported in eastern Europe and major cities or railway stations in China.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (February 2022)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p><p>A variation of the <a href="/wiki/Pigeon_drop" title="Pigeon drop">pigeon drop</a> is also based around a dropped wallet.<sup id="cite_ref-69" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-69"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>69<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Fake_casting_agent_scam">Fake casting agent scam</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=51" title="Edit section: Fake casting agent scam"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In this scam, the confidence artist poses as a <a href="/wiki/Casting_agent" class="mw-redirect" title="Casting agent">casting agent</a> for a <a href="/wiki/Modeling_agency" title="Modeling agency">modeling agency</a> searching for new talent. The aspiring model is told that he will need a portfolio or <a href="/wiki/Comp_card" title="Comp card">comp card</a>. The mark will pay an upfront fee to have photos and create his portfolio, after which he will be sent on his way in the hope that his agent will find him work in the following weeks.<sup id="cite_ref-70" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-70"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>70<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Of course, he never hears back from the confidence artist. </p><p>The fake-agent scam is often targeted against industry newcomers, since they will often lack the experience required to spot such tricks. Legitimate talent agencies advise that a genuine talent agent will never ask for money up-front, as they make their entire living from commissions on their clients' earnings. </p><p>This scam is portrayed in <i><a href="/wiki/That_70%27s_Show" class="mw-redirect" title="That 70's Show">That '70s Show</a></i> with Donna proving to Jackie that "anyone can be a model". </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Phony_job_offer_scam">Phony job offer scam</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=52" title="Edit section: Phony job offer scam"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Very similar to the casting agent scam is the "job offer" scam in which a victim receives an unsolicited e-mail claiming that they are in consideration for hiring to a new job. The confidence artist will usually obtain the victim's name from social networking sites, such as <a href="/wiki/LinkedIn" title="LinkedIn">LinkedIn</a> and <a href="/wiki/Monster.com" title="Monster.com">Monster.com</a>. In many cases, those running the scams will create fake websites listing jobs which the victim is seeking, then contact the victim to offer them one of the positions. </p><p>If the victim responds to the initial e-mail, the scammer will send additional messages to build up the victim's assurance that they are in the running, or have already been selected, for a legitimate job. This will include asking for the victim's resume as well as assurances that a phone interview will be the "next step in the hiring process". </p><p>The goal of the job offer scam is to convince the victim to release funds or bank account information to the scammer. There are two common methods. The first is to tell the victim that they must take a test to qualify for the job and then send links to training sites which sell testing material and <a href="/wiki/E-books" class="mw-redirect" title="E-books">e-books</a> for a fee. Or, the victim is provided with an actual online test, which is usually a fake website created by copying questions from actual certification examinations, such as the <a href="/wiki/Professional_in_Human_Resources" title="Professional in Human Resources">Professional in Human Resources</a> (PHR) certification or the <a href="/wiki/Project_manager" title="Project manager">project manager</a>'s exam. If the victim pays for the study material, that will usually be the end of the scam and the scammer will break off further contact.<sup id="cite_ref-71" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-71"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>71<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In a second, more sinister variation, the scammer will tell the victim they have been hired for a job and request access to bank accounts and routing numbers in order to enter the "new hire" into the company's payroll system. This may also involve emails containing fake tax forms attempting to gain the victim's Social Security number and other <a href="/wiki/Personally_identifiable_information" class="mw-redirect" title="Personally identifiable information">personally identifiable information</a>. If the victim complies, their bank account will be emptied and their personal information used to commit identity theft. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Fraudulent_directory_solicitations">Fraudulent directory solicitations</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=53" title="Edit section: Fraudulent directory solicitations"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1251242444"><table class="box-Original_research plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-Original_research" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b4/Ambox_important.svg/40px-Ambox_important.svg.png" decoding="async" width="40" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b4/Ambox_important.svg/60px-Ambox_important.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b4/Ambox_important.svg/80px-Ambox_important.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="40" data-file-height="40" /></span></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This section <b>possibly contains <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:No_original_research" title="Wikipedia:No original research">original research</a></b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please <a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit">improve it</a> by <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">verifying</a> the claims made and adding <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources#Inline_citations" title="Wikipedia:Citing sources">inline citations</a>. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed.</span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">January 2018</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>In this scam, tens of thousands of solicitations in the guise of an invoice are mailed to businesses nationwide. They may contain a disclaimer such as "This is a solicitation for the order of goods or services, or both, and not a bill, invoice, or statement of account due. You are under no obligation to make any payments on account of this offer unless you accept this offer." (from <span class="plainlinksneverexpand"><a href="/wiki/Title_39_of_the_United_States_Code" title="Title 39 of the United States Code">39 U.S.C.</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/39/3001#d_2_A">§ 3001(d)(2)(A)</a></span>) or "THIS IS NOT A BILL. THIS IS A SOLICITATION. YOU ARE UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO PAY THE AMOUNT STATED ABOVE UNLESS YOU ACCEPT THIS OFFER." (from U.S. Postal Service Domestic Mail Manual §CO31, Part 1.2) The disclaimers are otherwise designed to appear to be invoices or renewals of existing <a href="/wiki/Display_advertising" class="mw-redirect" title="Display advertising">display advertising</a> in a trade directory or publication. The correspondence is formatted like an invoice, often with a sequential identification number, date, personalized description of the information to be published, payment details and total amount due, which includes a token discount if paid within a specified time period.<sup id="cite_ref-72" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-72"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>72<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In some cases, the company's current advertisement clipped from an existing publication (such as <a href="/wiki/Thomas_Register" title="Thomas Register">Thomas Register</a>, Hotel and Travel Index or Official Meeting Facilities Guide) is attached to a solicitation for advertising in an unaffiliated, rival publication<sup id="cite_ref-73" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-73"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>73<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> that operates from a <a href="/wiki/Commercial_mail_receiving_agency" title="Commercial mail receiving agency">drop box</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-74" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-74"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>74<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>One variant sends a "Final Notice of Domain Listing" from an entity calling itself "Domain Services", which claims "Failure to complete your Domain name search engine registration by the expiration date may result in cancellation of this offer making it difficult for your customers to locate you on the web." The list of prospective victims is obtained from Internet domain <a href="/wiki/Whois" class="mw-redirect" title="Whois">WHOIS</a> listings, and the solicitations look like a renewal of an existing domain name registration or listing. The "registration" actually offers nothing beyond a vague claim that the entity sending the solicitation will submit the victim's domain name to existing search engines for an inflated fee. It does not obligate the vendor to publish a directory, renew the underlying domain in any ICANN-based registry or deliver any tangible product.<sup id="cite_ref-75" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-75"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>75<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>A similar scheme uses solicitations which appear to be invoices for local <a href="/wiki/Yellow_pages" title="Yellow pages">yellow pages</a> listings or advertisements. As anyone can publish a yellow page directory, the promoted book is not the <a href="/wiki/Incumbent_local_exchange_carrier" title="Incumbent local exchange carrier">incumbent local exchange carrier</a>'s local printed directory but a rival, which may have limited distribution if it appears at all.<sup id="cite_ref-76" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-76"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>76<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Instead of clearly stating <a href="/wiki/International_Federation_of_Audit_Bureaux_of_Circulations" title="International Federation of Audit Bureaux of Circulations">audited circulation</a>, the solicitations will confusingly claim to "offer 50000 copies" or claim "thousands of readers" without indicating whether the inferred quantity of directories was actually printed, let alone sold. </p><p>Public records listing legal owners of new <a href="/wiki/Registered_trademark" class="mw-redirect" title="Registered trademark">registered trademarks</a> are also mined as a source of addresses for fraudulent directory solicitations. </p><p>The intent is that a small fractional percentage of businesses either mistake the solicitations for invoices (paying them) or mistake them for a request for corrections and updates to an existing listing (a tactic to obtain a businessperson's signature on the document, which serves as a pretext to bill the victim). </p><p>One such vendor, World Trade Register (aka European Trade Register, World Company Register, World Business Directory, all related to EU Business Services Ltd), claims "To update your company profile, please print, complete and return this form. Updating is free of charge. Only sign if you want to place an insertion." Only later does it become clear that signing the form incurs a nearly €1000/year fee for an advertisement of questionable value.<sup id="cite_ref-77" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-77"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>77<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Jam_auction">Jam auction</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=54" title="Edit section: Jam auction"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In this scam, the confidence artist poses as a retail sales promoter, representing a manufacturer, distributor, or set of stores. The scam requires assistants to manage the purchases and money exchanges while the pitchman maintains a high energy level. Passersby are enticed to gather and listen to a pitchman standing near a mass of appealing products. The trickster entices by referring to the high-end products, but claims to be following rules that he must start with smaller items. The small items are described, and "sold" for a token dollar amount – with as many audience participants as are interested each receiving an item. </p><p>The pitchman makes an emotional appeal such as saying "Raise your hand if you're happy with your purchase", and when hands are raised, directs his associates to return everyone's money (they keep the product). This exchange is repeated with items of increasing value to establish the expectation of a pattern. Eventually, the pattern terminates by ending the "auction" without reaching the high-value items, and stopping midway through a phase where the trickster retains the collected money from that round of purchases. Marks feel vaguely dissatisfied, but they have goods in their possession and the uplifting feeling of having demonstrated their own happiness several times. The marks do not realize that the total value of goods received is significantly less than the price paid in the final round. Auction/refund rounds may be interspersed with sales rounds that are not refunded, keeping marks off-balance and hopeful that the next round will refund. The jam auction has its roots in <a href="/wiki/Carny" title="Carny">carny</a> culture. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Money_exchange">Money exchange</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=55" title="Edit section: Money exchange"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>This scam occurs when exchanging foreign currency. If a large amount of cash is exchanged the victim will be told to hide the money away quickly before counting it ("You can't trust the locals"). A substantial amount will be missing. </p><p>In some cases, insisting on counting to make sure the money is all there is the basis for a clever scam. The scam is sometimes called the Santo Domingo Sting, after an incident that took place in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. A journalist, Joe Harkins, reported his involvement in the early 1990s.<sup id="cite_ref-78" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-78"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>78<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It works in countries where only banks and other designated parties are allowed to hold and exchange the local currency for US dollars at an "official" rate that is significantly lower than the "street" rate. It also requires a greedy tourist who wants to beat the official rate by dealing with illegal money changers. A person posing as an illegal money changer will approach the tourist with an offer to buy dollars at an illegal rate that may be even higher than the street rate. The changer offers to buy only large US currency, typically, a 100 dollar bill. As soon as the victim (the "mark") shows his $100 bill, the changer will actually count out and clearly show the promised amount of local currency. He then will push the local currency into the hands of the "mark" and urge they be counted as he takes the $100. "See, you've got the money. I'll wait while you make sure. Count it out loud so there is no mistake." And as the mark's careful count exceeds "street" rate, the changer pretends to realise he has overpaid the mark, and he becomes irrationally agitated and angry, accusing the mark of cheating. He grabs his money back, pushes the mark's bill back into his hands and takes back the pesos. The scam has been completed. The tourist has just lost $99. The mark has been handed back a prefolded $1 bill that has been swapped for the mark's $100 bill while he was distracted counting the local currency. (Until recently, US currency was largely uniform in size and color, meaning that when folded, a $1 and a $100 bill were almost indistinguishable. Even in 2014, careful folding of a US$100 bill easily conceals the switch).<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (July 2014)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> The money changer's pretended, but very credible, anger is a ruse to confuse the mark and delay his unfolding of the single bill until the scammer has departed. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Mystery_shopping">Mystery shopping</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=56" title="Edit section: Mystery shopping"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>This trick, a form of <a href="/wiki/Advance-fee_scam" title="Advance-fee scam">advance-fee scam</a>, is perpetrated on people who wish to be <a href="/wiki/Mystery_shopping" title="Mystery shopping">mystery shoppers</a>. A person is sent a <a href="/wiki/Money_order" title="Money order">money order</a>, often from <a href="/wiki/Western_Union" title="Western Union">Western Union</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-spotscams_79-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-spotscams-79"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>79<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> or a check for a larger sum than a mystery purchase he is required to make, with a request to deposit it into his <a href="/wiki/Bank_account" title="Bank account">bank account</a>, use a portion for a mystery purchase and fee, and wire the remainder through a <a href="/wiki/Wire_transfer" title="Wire transfer">wire transfer</a> company such as Western Union or MoneyGram; the money is to be wired immediately as response time is being evaluated. The cheque is fraudulent, and is returned unpaid by the victim's bank, after the money has been wired.<sup id="cite_ref-80" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-80"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>80<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> One scam involved fraudulent <a href="/wiki/Website" title="Website">websites</a> using a misspelled <a href="/wiki/Uniform_Resource_Locator" class="mw-redirect" title="Uniform Resource Locator">URL</a> to advertise online and in newspapers under a legitimate company's name.<sup id="cite_ref-81" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-81"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>81<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It should be remembered that this is not the only type of mystery shopping scam taking place which involves money being paid, as it has been widely reported in the UK that shoppers should "Watch out for some online mystery shopping scams which will cost you money for either training or for signing up without the promise of any work."<sup id="cite_ref-82" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-82"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>82<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Valid mystery shopping companies do not normally send their clients cheques prior to work being completed, and their <a href="/wiki/Advertisement" class="mw-redirect" title="Advertisement">advertisements</a> usually include a contact person and phone number. Some fraudulent cheques can be identified by a financial professional. On February 3, 2009, the <a href="/wiki/Internet_Crime_Complaint_Center" title="Internet Crime Complaint Center">Internet Crime Complaint Center</a> issued a warning on this scam.<sup id="cite_ref-83" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-83"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>83<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> A legitimate company that occasionally sends prepayment for large transactions says "We do occasionally fund upfront for very large spend purchases but we use cheques or direct bank transfers which should mean you can see when they are cleared and so can be sure you really do have the money."<sup id="cite_ref-spotscams_79-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-spotscams-79"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>79<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It is standard practice for mystery shopping providers evaluating services such as airlines to arrange for the airfare to be issued beforehand at their own expenses (usually by means of a <a href="/wiki/Frequent_flyer" class="mw-redirect" title="Frequent flyer">frequent flyer</a> reward ticket). In any case, it is unlikely that any bona-fide provider would allocate a high-value assignment to a new shopper or proactively recruit new ones for that purpose, preferring instead to work with a pool of existing pre-vetted experienced shoppers. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Pay_up_or_be_arrested_scam">Pay up or be arrested scam</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=57" title="Edit section: Pay up or be arrested scam"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In this scam, done by phone, the caller threatens the victim with a fictitious arrest warrant. To make this threat seem real, the <a href="/wiki/Caller_ID_spoofing" title="Caller ID spoofing">caller ID</a> identifies the caller as that of local law enforcement. Victims are told they must pay a <a href="/wiki/Fine_(penalty)" title="Fine (penalty)">fine</a> to avoid arrest. Fines are in the hundreds, or sometimes thousands, of dollars. The payment is requested through <a href="/wiki/Western_Union" title="Western Union">Western Union</a>, <a href="/wiki/Green_Dot_Corporation" title="Green Dot Corporation">Green Dot</a> <a href="/wiki/Prepaid_debit_card" class="mw-redirect" title="Prepaid debit card">prepaid card</a>, or a similar form of untraceable currency exchange. </p><p>Cases have been reported in <a href="/wiki/Florida" title="Florida">Florida</a>, <a href="/wiki/Georgia_(U.S._state)" title="Georgia (U.S. state)">Georgia</a>, <a href="/wiki/Kansas" title="Kansas">Kansas</a> and <a href="/wiki/Oregon" title="Oregon">Oregon</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-84" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-84"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>84<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Pigeon_drop">Pigeon drop</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=58" title="Edit section: Pigeon drop"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The <a href="/wiki/Pigeon_drop" title="Pigeon drop">pigeon drop</a> (also called the Jamaican Switch), which is depicted early in the film <i><a href="/wiki/The_Sting" title="The Sting">The Sting</a></i>, involves the mark or pigeon assisting an elderly, weak or infirm stranger to keep a large sum of money safe for him.<sup id="cite_ref-85" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-85"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>85<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-86" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-86"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>86<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In the process, the stranger (actually a confidence trickster) puts his money with the mark's money in an envelope or briefcase, with which the mark is then to be entrusted. The container is first switched for an identical one which contains no money, and a situation is engineered giving the mark the opportunity to escape, with the money, from a perceived threat (e.g., local police or rowdies). If the mark does so, he is fleeing from his own money, which the con artist will have kept or handed off to an accomplice. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Pizza_delivery_scam">Pizza delivery scam</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=59" title="Edit section: Pizza delivery scam"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The pizza delivery scam firstly involves the scammer, who pretends to be a person who ordered the pizza. This scammer will then claim they are unable to pay for the pizza and will ask a stranger for help. The scammer will say that the delivery driver does not accept cash and only accepts cards. When the victim offers to pay, their card is skimmed and the PIN is captured. This scam is known to happen in the <a href="/wiki/Greater_Toronto_Area" title="Greater Toronto Area">Greater Toronto Area</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-87" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-87"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>87<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Predatory_journals">Predatory journals</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=60" title="Edit section: Predatory journals"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>A number of <a href="/wiki/Predatory_journal" class="mw-redirect" title="Predatory journal">predatory journals</a> target academics to solicit manuscripts for publication. The journals charge high publication fees but do not perform the functions of legitimate academic journals—editorial oversight and peer review—they simply publish the work for cash. In this case, the mark's need for publications is the incentive for them to pay the fees. In some cases, predatory journals will use fictional editorial boards or use respected academics' names without permission to lend a veneer of credibility to the journal. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Promotional_cheque">Promotional cheque</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=61" title="Edit section: Promotional cheque"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The victim is sent a document which looks, on its face, to be a <a href="/wiki/Coupon" title="Coupon">coupon</a> or a <a href="/wiki/Cheque" title="Cheque">cheque</a> for some small amount as "prize winnings".<sup id="cite_ref-88" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-88"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>88<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Buried in the fine print is something entirely different; an authorisation to <a href="/wiki/Telephone_slamming" title="Telephone slamming">slam</a> the victim to an alternative telephone provider or even an authorisation for monthly direct withdrawals from the victim's bank account for "services" which were neither used nor desired. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Psychic_surgery">Psychic surgery</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=62" title="Edit section: Psychic surgery"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><a href="/wiki/Psychic_surgery" title="Psychic surgery">Psychic surgery</a> is a con game in which the trickster uses <a href="/wiki/Sleight_of_hand" title="Sleight of hand">sleight of hand</a> to apparently remove malignant growths from the mark's body. A common form of medical fraud in <a href="/wiki/Developing_country" title="Developing country">underdeveloped countries</a>, it imperils victims who may fail to seek competent medical attention. The movie <i><a href="/wiki/Man_on_the_Moon_(film)" title="Man on the Moon (film)">Man on the Moon</a></i> depicts comedian <a href="/wiki/Andy_Kaufman" title="Andy Kaufman">Andy Kaufman</a> undergoing psychic surgery. It can also be seen in an episode of <i><a href="/wiki/Jonathan_Creek" title="Jonathan Creek">Jonathan Creek</a></i> and the movie <i><a href="/wiki/Penn_and_Teller_Get_Killed" class="mw-redirect" title="Penn and Teller Get Killed">Penn and Teller Get Killed</a></i>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Public_transport_ticket_control_scam">Public transport ticket control scam</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=63" title="Edit section: Public transport ticket control scam"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In this scam, the artists pose as ticket control staff on public transport connections. They tend to look for tourists as easy marks, and therefore target train connections from the airport. They will ask to see the passenger's tickets, and once they have found a suitable mark, will claim that something is wrong with the ticket they hold. They will then claim that an instant payment is required to avoid further legal troubles. In some cases, this scam is even committed by actual public transport staff seeking to rip off tourists.<sup id="cite_ref-89" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-89"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>89<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In a variant on the scheme, the artists target tourists who are struggling with a ticketing machine, and offer to buy them the ticket they need. They select a relatively expensive ticket from the machine (for example a subscription) and pretend to buy that for the tourist with their own credit card, after which they ask the tourist to reimburse. However, in reality artists cancel the payment at the last moment and the ticket they 'take from the machine' is already in their hands. This ticket is usually a children's ticket, which opens the turnstiles, but will lead to the tourist running the risk of getting a fine in addition to being scammed.<sup id="cite_ref-90" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-90"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>90<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Rain_making">Rain making</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=64" title="Edit section: Rain making"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Rainmaking is a simple scam in which the trickster promises to use their power or influence over a complex system to make it do something favourable for the mark. </p><p>Classically this was promising to make it rain,<sup id="cite_ref-91" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-91"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>91<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> but more modern examples include getting someone's app "featured" on an <a href="/wiki/App_store" title="App store">app store</a>, obtaining pass marks in a university entrance exam, or obtaining a job. It may be a politician implying that they can use their influence to get a contract awarded to the mark. </p><p>The trickster has no actual influence on the outcome, but if the favourable outcome happens anyway, they will then claim credit. If the event does not happen, the trickster may be able to claim they need more money until the event does happen. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Recovery_room">Recovery room</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=65" title="Edit section: Recovery room"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="/wiki/Reloading_scam" title="Reloading scam">Reloading scam</a></div> <p>A recovery room scam is a form of <a href="/wiki/Advance-fee_fraud" class="mw-redirect" title="Advance-fee fraud">advance-fee fraud</a> where the scammer (sometimes posing as a law enforcement officer or attorney) calls investors who have been sold worthless shares (for example in a <a href="/wiki/Boiler_room_(business)" title="Boiler room (business)">boiler-room scam</a>), and offers to buy them, to allow the investors to recover their investments.<sup id="cite_ref-WWang06_92-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-WWang06-92"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>92<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> A Nigerian <a href="/wiki/419_scam" class="mw-redirect" title="419 scam">419 scam</a> victim might receive a solicitation claiming to be from the Nigeria Economic and Financial Crimes Commission or another government agency.<sup id="cite_ref-93" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-93"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>93<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The scam involves requiring an advance fee before the payment can take place, for example a "court fee".<sup id="cite_ref-isbn0-7407-5708-3_94-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-isbn0-7407-5708-3-94"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>94<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The red flag in the 'recovery scam' is that the supposed investigative agency, unsolicited, approaches the victim.<sup id="cite_ref-95" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-95"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>95<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> A legitimate law enforcement agency would normally allow the victim to make the first contact, and will not solicit an advance fee. The recovery scam has the victim's number only because it is operated by an accomplice of the original scammer, using a "sucker list" from the earlier fraud.<sup id="cite_ref-96" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-96"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>96<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Rental_scams">Rental scams</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=66" title="Edit section: Rental scams"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>An apartment is listed for rent, often on an online forum such as <a href="/wiki/Craigslist" title="Craigslist">Craigslist</a> or <a href="/wiki/Kijiji" title="Kijiji">Kijiji</a>, at or just below market value.<sup id="cite_ref-97" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-97"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>97<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The vendor asks for first and last month's rent upfront, sometimes also asking for references or personal information from the prospective tenants. The rent payment clears the bank, the new tenants arrive with a truckload of worldly possessions on moving day to find that the same unit has been rented to multiple other new tenants and that the supposed "landlord" is not the owner of the property and is nowhere to be found.<sup id="cite_ref-98" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-98"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>98<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> This kind of scam is often performed online on students planning to study abroad and seeking accommodation, as their means of checking the property are limited.<sup id="cite_ref-99" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-99"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>99<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Rip_deal">Rip deal</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=67" title="Edit section: Rip deal"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The Rip Deal is a swindle very popular in <a href="/wiki/Europe" title="Europe">Europe</a> and is essentially a <a href="/wiki/Pigeon_drop" title="Pigeon drop">pigeon drop</a> confidence trick. In a typical variation scammers will target, say, a jeweler, and offer to buy some substantial amount of his wares at a large markup <i>provided</i> he perform some type of under-the-table cash deal, originally exchanging Swiss francs for euros. This exchange goes through flawlessly, at considerable profit for the mark. Some time later the scammers approach the mark with a similar proposition, but for a larger amount of money (and thus a larger return for the mark). His confidence and greed inspired by the previous deal, the merchant agrees—only to have his money and goods taken, by sleight-of-hand or violence, at the point of exchange.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (December 2010)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> This scam was depicted in the movie <i><a href="/wiki/Matchstick_Men_(film)" class="mw-redirect" title="Matchstick Men (film)">Matchstick Men</a></i>. </p><p>The same term is used to describe a crime where a vendor (especially a drug dealer) is killed to avoid paying for goods.<sup id="cite_ref-isbn1-84310-384-2_100-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-isbn1-84310-384-2-100"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>100<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Unsolicited_goods">Unsolicited goods</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=68" title="Edit section: Unsolicited goods"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Various schemes exist to bill victims for unsolicited goods or services.<sup id="cite_ref-101" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-101"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>101<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>A common scam targeting businesses is the <b>toner bandit</b> swindle; an unsolicited caller attempts to trick front-office personnel into providing manufacturer/model or serial numbers for office equipment and/or the name of the employee answering the call. Often, the call will be misrepresented as a "survey" or a "prize" award.<sup id="cite_ref-102" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-102"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>102<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The business then receives inflated invoices for unsolicited copy paper, copy machine toner, cleaning supplies, light bulbs, trash bags or other supplies, using the name of the person who answered the call to falsely claim this person ordered the items. When the business objects, the workers are threatened with lawsuits or harassed by bogus collection agencies.<sup id="cite_ref-103" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-103"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>103<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Another, targeting the elderly, claims a <b>free medical alert device</b> has been ordered for a patient by a family member or medical doctor. An automated message says "that someone has ordered a free medical alert system for you, and this call is to confirm shipping instructions" before the call is transferred to a live operator who requests the elderly patient's credit card and identity card numbers. The device is not free; there is a high monthly charge for "monitoring". The family did not buy or order it, nor did a practitioner; the call is fraudulent.<sup id="cite_ref-104" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-104"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>104<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-105" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-105"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>105<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Wedding_planner_scam">Wedding planner scam</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=69" title="Edit section: Wedding planner scam"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Wedding planner scams prey on the vulnerability of young couples, during a time when they are generally distracted, to embezzle funds for the planner's personal use. In the first type of fraud, the wedding planner company may offer a free wedding in a tie-up with a media station for a couple in need of charity, and collect the donations from the public that were meant for the wedding. In a second type of fraud, the planner asks couples to write checks to vendors (tents, food, cakes) but leave the name field empty, which the planner promises to fill in. As most vendors were never hired nor paid, the scam would then be exposed on the day of the wedding. A real life example is a Kansas TV station story of a wedding planner, Caitlin Hershberger Theis, who scammed three couples through her wedding planner consultancy, <i>Live, Love and be Married</i> using these two schemes.<sup id="cite_ref-106" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-106"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>106<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=70" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1235681985">.mw-parser-output .side-box{margin:4px 0;box-sizing:border-box;border:1px solid #aaa;font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em;background-color:var(--background-color-interactive-subtle,#f8f9fa);display:flow-root}.mw-parser-output .side-box-abovebelow,.mw-parser-output .side-box-text{padding:0.25em 0.9em}.mw-parser-output .side-box-image{padding:2px 0 2px 0.9em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .side-box-imageright{padding:2px 0.9em 2px 0;text-align:center}@media(min-width:500px){.mw-parser-output .side-box-flex{display:flex;align-items:center}.mw-parser-output .side-box-text{flex:1;min-width:0}}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .side-box{width:238px}.mw-parser-output .side-box-right{clear:right;float:right;margin-left:1em}.mw-parser-output .side-box-left{margin-right:1em}}</style><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1237033735">@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox{display:none!important}}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox img[src*="Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg"]{background-color:white}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox img[src*="Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg"]{background-color:white}}</style><div class="side-box side-box-right plainlinks sistersitebox"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1126788409">.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul{line-height:inherit;list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol li,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul li{margin-bottom:0}</style> <div class="side-box-flex"> <div class="side-box-image"><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg/40px-Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg.png" decoding="async" width="40" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg/60px-Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg/80px-Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="193" data-file-height="193" /></span></span></div> <div class="side-box-text plainlist">Wikivoyage has a travel guide for <i><b><a href="https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Common_scams#Q19649967" class="extiw" title="wikivoyage:Common scams">Common scams</a></b></i>.</div></div> </div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Great_Reality_TV_Swindle" class="mw-redirect" title="Great Reality TV Swindle">Great Reality TV Swindle</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kansas_City_Shuffle" title="Kansas City Shuffle">Kansas City Shuffle</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_criminal_enterprises,_gangs,_and_syndicates" title="List of criminal enterprises, gangs, and syndicates">List of criminal enterprises, gangs, and syndicates</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Manipulation_(psychology)" title="Manipulation (psychology)">Manipulation (psychology)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Psychiatry" title="Psychiatry">Psychiatry</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Scambaiting" class="mw-redirect" title="Scambaiting">Scambaiting</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sick_baby_hoax" title="Sick baby hoax">Sick baby hoax</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=List_of_scams&action=edit&section=71" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist reflist-columns references-column-width" style="column-width: 30em;"> <ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-:0-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-:0_1-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:0_1-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:0_1-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite id="CITEREFLustigGarrett2011" class="citation book cs1">Lustig, Betty Jean; Garrett, Nanci (2011). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=h20BCwAAQBAJ&q=victor+lustig+money+box&pg=PT27"><i>From Paris to Alcatraz: The true, untold story of one of the most notorious con-artists of the twentieth century – Count Victor Lustig</i></a>. Xlibris Corporation. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1462893836" title="Special:BookSources/978-1462893836"><bdi>978-1462893836</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=From+Paris+to+Alcatraz%3A+The+true%2C+untold+story+of+one+of+the+most+notorious+con-artists+of+the+twentieth+century+%E2%80%93+Count+Victor+Lustig&rft.pub=Xlibris+Corporation&rft.date=2011&rft.isbn=978-1462893836&rft.aulast=Lustig&rft.aufirst=Betty+Jean&rft.au=Garrett%2C+Nanci&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3Dh20BCwAAQBAJ%26q%3Dvictor%2Blustig%2Bmoney%2Bbox%26pg%3DPT27&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AList+of+scams" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-:1-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-:1_2-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:1_2-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFKing" class="citation news cs1">King, Gilbert. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-smoothest-con-man-that-ever-lived-29861908/">"The Smoothest Con Man That Ever Lived"</a>. <i>Smithsonian</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2017-12-25</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Smithsonian&rft.atitle=The+Smoothest+Con+Man+That+Ever+Lived&rft.aulast=King&rft.aufirst=Gilbert&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.smithsonianmag.com%2Fhistory%2Fthe-smoothest-con-man-that-ever-lived-29861908%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AList+of+scams" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Dan Plazak <i>A Hole in the Ground with a Liar at the Top</i> (Salt Lake: Univ. of Utah Press, 2006) <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0874808407" title="Special:BookSources/978-0874808407">978-0874808407</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/the-grandparent-scam">"Don't Let Grandparent Scam Happen to You"</a>. <i>FBI</i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=FBI&rft.atitle=Don%27t+Let+Grandparent+Scam+Happen+to+You&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fbi.gov%2Fnews%2Fstories%2Fthe-grandparent-scam&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AList+of+scams" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://extraphunceleb.in/dating-app-scam-girls-suggest-restaurants-earn-commission-then-block-you/">"Dating App scam: Girls Suggest Restaurants, Earn Commission, Then Block Yo"</a>. <i>extraphunceleb</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">30 April</span> 2024</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=extraphunceleb&rft.atitle=Dating+App+scam%3A+Girls+Suggest+Restaurants%2C+Earn+Commission%2C+Then+Block+Yo&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fextraphunceleb.in%2Fdating-app-scam-girls-suggest-restaurants-earn-commission-then-block-you%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AList+of+scams" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/facebook-info-sharing-created-zoosk-com-dating-profile-for-married-woman-1.2844953">"Facebook info sharing created Zoosk.com dating profile for married woman"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Canadian_Broadcasting_Corporation" title="Canadian Broadcasting Corporation">CBC News</a>. 24 November 2014.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Facebook+info+sharing+created+Zoosk.com+dating+profile+for+married+woman&rft.pub=CBC+News&rft.date=2014-11-24&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbc.ca%2Fnews%2Fcanada%2Ftoronto%2Ffacebook-info-sharing-created-zoosk-com-dating-profile-for-married-woman-1.2844953&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AList+of+scams" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-7">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">W. W. Zellner, William M. Kephart, <i>Extraordinary groups: an examination of unconventional lifestyles</i> (Macmillan, 2000; <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/1572599537" title="Special:BookSources/1572599537">1572599537</a>), pp. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=izrSSWrKu8cC&dq=bujo+gypsy+scam&pg=PA121">121–122</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Spiritual Psychic Science Church v. City of Azusa</i> (1985) 39 Cal.3d 501, 217 Cal.Rptr. 225; 703 P.2d 1119</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-WCDA1-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-WCDA1_9-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-WCDA1_9-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.westchesterda.net/pressreleases/001108mkarraign.htm">"Heir to Schlumberger OILfield services fortune fleeced of at least six million dollars"</a>. <i>Press Release</i>. Westchester County District Attorney. November 8, 2010<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">10 November</span> 2010</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Press+Release&rft.atitle=Heir+to+Schlumberger+OILfield+services+fortune+fleeced+of+at+least+six+million+dollars&rft.date=2010-11-08&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.westchesterda.net%2Fpressreleases%2F001108mkarraign.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AList+of+scams" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-EL-GHOBASHY-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-EL-GHOBASHY_10-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFEl-Ghobashy2010" class="citation news cs1">El-Ghobashy, Tamer (November 9, 2010). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703957804575602993406810012">"Virus Leads to $20 Million Scam"</a>. <i>The Wall Street Journal</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">10 November</span> 2010</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+Wall+Street+Journal&rft.atitle=Virus+Leads+to+%2420+Million+Scam&rft.date=2010-11-09&rft.aulast=El-Ghobashy&rft.aufirst=Tamer&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsj.com%2Farticles%2FSB10001424052748703957804575602993406810012&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AList+of+scams" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Fernandez-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Fernandez_11-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFFernandez2010" class="citation news cs1">Fernandez, Manny (9 November 2010). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/09/nyregion/09fraud.html?partner=rss&emc=rss">"Man Held in Defrauding Roger Davidson, Musician"</a>. <i>The New York Times</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">10 November</span> 2010</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+New+York+Times&rft.atitle=Man+Held+in+Defrauding+Roger+Davidson%2C+Musician&rft.date=2010-11-09&rft.aulast=Fernandez&rft.aufirst=Manny&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2010%2F11%2F09%2Fnyregion%2F09fraud.html%3Fpartner%3Drss%26emc%3Drss&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AList+of+scams" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Zetter-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Zetter_12-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFZetter2010" class="citation news cs1">Zetter, Kim (November 9, 2010). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/11/pianist-composer-bilked">"Computer Virus Leads to $20 Million Scam Targeting Pianist Composer"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Wired_News" class="mw-redirect" title="Wired News">Wired News</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">10 November</span> 2010</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Wired+News&rft.atitle=Computer+Virus+Leads+to+%2420+Million+Scam+Targeting+Pianist+Composer&rft.date=2010-11-09&rft.aulast=Zetter&rft.aufirst=Kim&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wired.com%2Fthreatlevel%2F2010%2F11%2Fpianist-composer-bilked&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AList+of+scams" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Brewer,_1898-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Brewer,_1898_13-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Brewer, <i>Dictionary of Phrase and Fable</i>, 1898.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-14">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBess_Levin2023" class="citation web cs1">Bess Levin (10 October 2023). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/10/donald-trump-triplex-fraud-trial">"Oops: Court Documents Show Trump Knew His Manhattan Triplex Isn't Actually 30,000 Feet"</a>. <i>vanityfair.com</i>. Vanity Fair<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">24 April</span> 2024</span>. <q>Trump has claimed in official bank statements the triplex is 30,000 square feet, when in reality it is approximately one-third that size. Which, clearly, is a very big difference. And according to a document revealed by prosecutors on Tuesday, Trump is fully aware of that fact.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=vanityfair.com&rft.atitle=Oops%3A+Court+Documents+Show+Trump+Knew+His+Manhattan+Triplex+Isn%27t+Actually+30%2C000+Feet&rft.date=2023-10-10&rft.au=Bess+Levin&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vanityfair.com%2Fnews%2F2023%2F10%2Fdonald-trump-triplex-fraud-trial&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AList+of+scams" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-15">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFAllen2009" class="citation web cs1">Allen, Danny (August 14, 2009). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://m.gizmodo.com/5337290/cops-bust-guy-selling-oven-door-disguised-as-hdtv">"Cops Bust Guy Selling Oven Door Disguised as HDTV"</a>. gizmodo.com<span class="reference-accessdate">. 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Retrieved <span class="nowrap">25 August</span> 2010</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=What+factors+impact+auto+insurance+rates%3F&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ifaauto.com%2Ffaq%2Frate.asp&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AList+of+scams" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-vill_Look-40"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-vill_Look_40-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFStaff2014" class="citation web cs1">Staff (2014-11-24). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.villagevoice.com/2014/11/24/look-out-for-these-eleven-new-york-city-scams/">"Look Out for These Eleven New York City Scams"</a>. <i>villagevoice.com</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. 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Retrieved <span class="nowrap">February 3,</span> 2022</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+Guardian&rft.atitle=China%27s+new+diplomacy+in+Europe+has+a+name%3A+broken+porcelain&rft.date=2018-10-17&rft.aulast=Bandurski&rft.aufirst=David&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fcommentisfree%2F2018%2Foct%2F17%2Fchina-new-diplomacy-broken-porcelain-sweden&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AList+of+scams" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-46"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-46">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBellos2014" class="citation web cs1">Bellos, Alex (June 13, 2014). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jun/13/how-not-to-be-wrong-hidden-maths-jordan-ellenberg-review">"How Not to Be Wrong: The Hidden Maths of Everyday Life by Jordan Ellenberg – review"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/The_Guardian" title="The Guardian">The Guardian</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 5,</span> 2019</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=The+Guardian&rft.atitle=How+Not+to+Be+Wrong%3A+The+Hidden+Maths+of+Everyday+Life+by+Jordan+Ellenberg+%E2%80%93+review&rft.date=2014-06-13&rft.aulast=Bellos&rft.aufirst=Alex&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fbooks%2F2014%2Fjun%2F13%2Fhow-not-to-be-wrong-hidden-maths-jordan-ellenberg-review&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AList+of+scams" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-47"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-47">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFSante2003" class="citation book cs1">Sante, Luc (2003). <i>Low life: lures and snares of old New York</i> (1st ed.). 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(December 2022)">page needed</span></a></i>]</sup></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-101"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-101">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://ocp.ga.gov/news/press-releases/view/fraudulent-invoices-on-the-rise">"Fraudulent Invoices on the Rise"</a>. ocp.ga.gov.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Fraudulent+Invoices+on+the+Rise&rft.pub=ocp.ga.gov&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Focp.ga.gov%2Fnews%2Fpress-releases%2Fview%2Ffraudulent-invoices-on-the-rise&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AList+of+scams" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-102"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-102">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFWJXT2014" class="citation web cs1">WJXT (16 September 2014). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.news4jax.com/news/is-that-invoice-a-scam/28068176">"Is that invoice a scam?"</a>. <i>News4Jax</i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=News4Jax&rft.atitle=Is+that+invoice+a+scam%3F&rft.date=2014-09-16&rft.au=WJXT&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.news4jax.com%2Fnews%2Fis-that-invoice-a-scam%2F28068176&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AList+of+scams" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-103"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-103">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/1996/07/small-businesses-churches-nursing-homes-are-targets-bogus">"Small Businesses, Churches, Nursing Homes Are Targets of Bogus Business Supply Companies"</a>. 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Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 1,</span> 2011</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=KAKE.com&rft.atitle=Newlyweds+Say+Wedding+Planner+Scammed+Them&rft.date=2011-06-30&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kake.com%2Fhome%2Fheadlines%2FNewly_Weds_Say_Wedding_Planner_Scammed_Them_124814899.html%3FstorySection%3Dstory&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AList+of+scams" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div> <div class="navbox-styles"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374">.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist li{margin:0;display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl 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.navbox-image img{max-width:none!important}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .navbox{display:none!important}}</style></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="Scams_and_confidence_tricks" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks mw-collapsible expanded navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239400231">.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:inline;font-size:88%;font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .navbar-collapse{float:left;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .navbar-boxtext{word-spacing:0}.mw-parser-output .navbar ul{display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;line-height:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::before{margin-right:-0.125em;content:"[ "}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::after{margin-left:-0.125em;content:" ]"}.mw-parser-output .navbar li{word-spacing:-0.125em}.mw-parser-output .navbar a>span,.mw-parser-output .navbar a>abbr{text-decoration:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-mini abbr{font-variant:small-caps;border-bottom:none;text-decoration:none;cursor:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-full{font-size:114%;margin:0 7em}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-mini{font-size:114%;margin:0 4em}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}@media(prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}}@media print{.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:none!important}}</style><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Scams_and_confidence_tricks" title="Template:Scams and confidence tricks"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Scams_and_confidence_tricks" title="Template talk:Scams and confidence tricks"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Scams_and_confidence_tricks" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Scams and confidence tricks"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Scams_and_confidence_tricks" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em">Scams and confidence tricks</div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Terminology</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Scam" title="Scam">Scam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Error_account" title="Error account">Error account</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shill" title="Shill">Shill</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shyster" title="Shyster">Shyster</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sucker_list" title="Sucker list">Sucker list</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Variants</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Advance-fee_scam" title="Advance-fee scam">Advance-fee scam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Art_student_scam" title="Art student scam">Art student scam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Badger_game" title="Badger game">Badger game</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bait-and-switch" title="Bait-and-switch">Bait-and-switch</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Black_money_scam" title="Black money scam">Black money scam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Blessing_scam" title="Blessing scam">Blessing scam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bogus_escrow" title="Bogus escrow">Bogus escrow</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Boiler_room_(business)" title="Boiler room (business)">Boiler room</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bride_scam" title="Bride scam">Bride scam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Charity_fraud" title="Charity fraud">Charity fraud</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Clip_joint" title="Clip joint">Clip joint</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Coin-matching_game" title="Coin-matching game">Coin-matching game</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Coin_rolling_scams" title="Coin rolling scams">Coin rolling scams</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Drop_swindle" title="Drop swindle">Drop swindle</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Embarrassing_cheque" title="Embarrassing cheque">Embarrassing cheque</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Exit_scam" title="Exit scam">Exit scam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Extraterrestrial_real_estate" title="Extraterrestrial real estate">Extraterrestrial real estate</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fiddle_game" class="mw-redirect" title="Fiddle game">Fiddle game</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fine_print" title="Fine print">Fine print</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Foreclosure_rescue_scheme" title="Foreclosure rescue scheme">Foreclosure rescue scheme</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Foreign_exchange_fraud" title="Foreign exchange fraud">Foreign exchange fraud</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fortune_telling_fraud" title="Fortune telling fraud">Fortune telling fraud</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gem_scam" title="Gem scam">Gem scam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Get-rich-quick_scheme" title="Get-rich-quick scheme">Get-rich-quick scheme</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Green_goods_scam" title="Green goods scam">Green goods scam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hustling" title="Hustling">Hustling</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Indian_coal_allocation_scam" title="Indian coal allocation scam">Indian coal allocation scam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/IRS_impersonation_scam" title="IRS impersonation scam">IRS impersonation scam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Scams_in_intellectual_property" title="Scams in intellectual property">Intellectual property scams</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kansas_City_Shuffle" title="Kansas City Shuffle">Kansas City Shuffle</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Locksmith_scam" title="Locksmith scam">Locksmith scam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Long_firm_fraud" title="Long firm fraud">Long firm</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mismarking" title="Mismarking">Mismarking</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mock_auction" title="Mock auction">Mock auction</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Moving_scam" title="Moving scam">Moving scam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Overpayment_scam" title="Overpayment scam">Overpayment scam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Patent_safe" title="Patent safe">Patent safe</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pig_in_a_poke" title="Pig in a poke">Pig in a poke</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pigeon_drop" title="Pigeon drop">Pigeon drop</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pork_barrel" title="Pork barrel">Pork barrel</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pump_and_dump" title="Pump and dump">Pump and dump</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Redemption_movement" title="Redemption movement">Redemption/A4V schemes</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Reloading_scam" title="Reloading scam">Reloading scam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Return_fraud" title="Return fraud">Return fraud</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Salting_(confidence_trick)" title="Salting (confidence trick)">Salting</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shell_game" title="Shell game">Shell game</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sick_baby_hoax" title="Sick baby hoax">Sick baby hoax</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/SIM_swap_scam" title="SIM swap scam">SIM swap scam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Slavery_reparations_scam" title="Slavery reparations scam">Slavery reparations scam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Spanish_Prisoner" title="Spanish Prisoner">Spanish Prisoner</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/SSA_impersonation_scam" title="SSA impersonation scam">SSA impersonation scam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/SSC_Scam" title="SSC Scam">SSC Scam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Strip_search_phone_call_scam" title="Strip search phone call scam">Strip search phone call scam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Swampland_in_Florida" title="Swampland in Florida">Swampland in Florida</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tarmac_scam" title="Tarmac scam">Tarmac scam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Technical_support_scam" title="Technical support scam">Technical support scam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Telemarketing_fraud" title="Telemarketing fraud">Telemarketing fraud</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Thai_tailor_scam" title="Thai tailor scam">Thai tailor scam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Thai_zig_zag_scam" title="Thai zig zag scam">Thai zig zag scam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Three-card_monte" title="Three-card monte">Three-card monte</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Trojan_horse_(business)" title="Trojan horse (business)">Trojan horse</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wash_trading" class="mw-redirect" title="Wash trading">Wash trading</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/White_van_speaker_scam" title="White van speaker scam">White van speaker scam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Work-at-home_scheme" title="Work-at-home scheme">Work-at-home scheme</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Internet_fraud" title="Internet fraud">Internet scams</a> and<br />countermeasures</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Avalanche_(phishing_group)" title="Avalanche (phishing group)">Avalanche</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pig_butchering_scam" title="Pig butchering scam">Pig Butchering</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Carding_(fraud)" title="Carding (fraud)">Carding</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Catfishing" title="Catfishing">Catfishing</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Click_fraud" title="Click fraud">Click fraud</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Clickjacking" title="Clickjacking">Clickjacking</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Cramming_(fraud)" title="Cramming (fraud)">Cramming</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Category:Cryptocurrency_scams" title="Category:Cryptocurrency scams">Cryptocurrency scams</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Cybercrime" title="Cybercrime">Cybercrime</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/CyberThrill" title="CyberThrill">CyberThrill</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/DarkMarket" title="DarkMarket">DarkMarket</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Domain_name_scams" class="mw-redirect" title="Domain name scams">Domain name scams</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Email_authentication" title="Email authentication">Email authentication</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Email_fraud" title="Email fraud">Email fraud</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Internet_vigilantism" title="Internet vigilantism">Internet vigilantism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lenny_(bot)" title="Lenny (bot)">Lenny anti-scam bot</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lottery_scam" title="Lottery scam">Lottery scam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/PayPaI" title="PayPaI">PayPai</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Phishing" title="Phishing">Phishing</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Referer_spoofing" title="Referer spoofing">Referer spoofing</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ripoff_Report" title="Ripoff Report">Ripoff Report</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rock_Phish" title="Rock Phish">Rock Phish</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Romance_scam" title="Romance scam">Romance scam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Russian_Business_Network" title="Russian Business Network">Russian Business Network</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/SaferNet" title="SaferNet">SaferNet</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Scam_baiting" title="Scam baiting">Scam baiting</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/419eater.com" title="419eater.com">419eater.com</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Jim_Browning_(YouTuber)" title="Jim Browning (YouTuber)">Jim Browning</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kitboga_(streamer)" title="Kitboga (streamer)">Kitboga</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Scammer_Payback" title="Scammer Payback">Scammer Payback</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/ShadowCrew" title="ShadowCrew">ShadowCrew</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Spoofed_URL" title="Spoofed URL">Spoofed URL</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Spoofing_attack" title="Spoofing attack">Spoofing attack</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Stock_Generation" title="Stock Generation">Stock Generation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Voice_phishing" title="Voice phishing">Voice phishing</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Reputation_management" title="Reputation management">Website reputation ratings</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Pyramid_scheme" title="Pyramid scheme">Pyramid</a> and<br /><a href="/wiki/Ponzi_scheme" title="Ponzi scheme">Ponzi schemes</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Aman_Futures_Group" class="mw-redirect" title="Aman Futures Group">Aman Futures Group</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bernard_Cornfeld" title="Bernard Cornfeld">Bernard Cornfeld</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Caritas_(Ponzi_scheme)" title="Caritas (Ponzi scheme)">Caritas</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dona_Branca" title="Dona Branca">Dona Branca</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Earl_Jones_(investment_advisor)" title="Earl Jones (investment advisor)">Earl Jones</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ezubao" title="Ezubao">Ezubao</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Foundation_for_New_Era_Philanthropy" title="Foundation for New Era Philanthropy">Foundation for New Era Philanthropy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Franchise_fraud" title="Franchise fraud">Franchise fraud</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/High-yield_investment_program" title="High-yield investment program">High-yield investment program (HYIP)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Investors_Overseas_Service" title="Investors Overseas Service">Investors Overseas Service</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kapa_investment_scam" class="mw-redirect" title="Kapa investment scam">Kapa investment scam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kubus_scheme" title="Kubus scheme">Kubus scheme</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Madoff_investment_scandal" title="Madoff investment scandal">Madoff investment scandal</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Make_Money_Fast" title="Make Money Fast">Make Money Fast</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Matrix_scheme" title="Matrix scheme">Matrix scheme</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/MMM_(Ponzi_scheme_company)" title="MMM (Ponzi scheme company)">MMM</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Petters_Group_Worldwide" title="Petters Group Worldwide">Petters Group Worldwide</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pyramid_schemes_in_Albania" title="Pyramid schemes in Albania">Pyramid schemes in Albania</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Reed_Slatkin" title="Reed Slatkin">Reed Slatkin</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Saradha_Group_financial_scandal" title="Saradha Group financial scandal">Saradha Group financial scandal</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Secret_Sister" title="Secret Sister">Secret Sister</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Scott_W._Rothstein" title="Scott W. Rothstein">Scott W. Rothstein</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Stanford_Financial_Group" title="Stanford Financial Group">Stanford Financial Group</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Welsh_Thrasher_faith_scam" title="Welsh Thrasher faith scam">Welsh Thrasher faith scam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/WinCapita" title="WinCapita">WinCapita</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Lists</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_con_artists" title="List of con artists">Con artists</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_confidence_tricks" class="mw-redirect" title="List of confidence tricks">Confidence tricks</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_criminal_enterprises,_gangs,_and_syndicates" title="List of criminal enterprises, gangs, and syndicates">Criminal enterprises, gangs and syndicates</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_impostors" title="List of impostors">Impostors</a></li> <li>In the media <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Confidence_tricks_in_film_and_television" title="Confidence tricks in film and television">Film and television</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Confidence_tricks_in_literature" title="Confidence tricks in literature">Literature</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_Ponzi_schemes" title="List of Ponzi schemes">Ponzi schemes</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236075235"></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="Manipulation_(psychology)" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239400231"><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Manipulation_(psychology)" title="Template:Manipulation (psychology)"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Manipulation_(psychology)" title="Template talk:Manipulation (psychology)"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Manipulation_(psychology)" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Manipulation (psychology)"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Manipulation_(psychology)" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/Manipulation_(psychology)" title="Manipulation (psychology)">Manipulation (psychology)</a></div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Positive manipulation</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Big_lie" title="Big lie">Big lie</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Brainwashing" title="Brainwashing">Brainwashing</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bribery" title="Bribery">Bribery</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Child_grooming" class="mw-redirect" title="Child grooming">Child grooming</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Disinformation" title="Disinformation">Disinformation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Flattery" title="Flattery">Flattery</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Love_bombing" title="Love bombing">Love bombing</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Predatory_marriage" title="Predatory marriage">Predatory marriage</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Propaganda" title="Propaganda">Propaganda</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Seduction" title="Seduction">Seduction</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Negative manipulation</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Bullying" title="Bullying">Bullying</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Character_assassination" title="Character assassination">Character assassination</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Coercion" title="Coercion">Coercion</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Intimidation" title="Intimidation">Intimidation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mind_games" title="Mind games">Mind games</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mobbing" title="Mobbing">Mobbing</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Smear_campaign" title="Smear campaign">Smear campaign</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Social_rejection" title="Social rejection">Social rejection</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Other manipulation</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Entrapment" title="Entrapment">Entrapment</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gaslighting" title="Gaslighting">Gaslighting</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Good_cop,_bad_cop" title="Good cop, bad cop">Good cop, bad cop</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Indoctrination" title="Indoctrination">Indoctrination</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Influence-for-hire" title="Influence-for-hire">Influence-for-hire</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Interrogation" title="Interrogation">Interrogation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Spin_(propaganda)" title="Spin (propaganda)">Spin (propaganda)</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Related manipulation topics</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Crowd_manipulation" title="Crowd manipulation">Crowd manipulation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Confidence_trick" class="mw-redirect" title="Confidence trick">Confidence trick</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Internet_manipulation" title="Internet manipulation">Internet manipulation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Market_manipulation" title="Market manipulation">Market manipulation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Media_manipulation" title="Media manipulation">Media manipulation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nudge_theory" title="Nudge theory">Nudge theory</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shill" title="Shill">Shill</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Undue_influence" title="Undue influence">Undue influence</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div>    </div><noscript><img src="https://login.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none; position: absolute;"></noscript> <div class="printfooter" data-nosnippet="">Retrieved from "<a dir="ltr" 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