Confidence trick

A confidence trick, confidence game, or con for short (also known as a scam) is an attempt to intentionally mislead a person or persons (known as the mark) usually with the goal of financial or other gain. The confidence trickster, con man, scam artist or con artist often works with an accomplice called the shill, who tries to encourage the mark by pretending to believe the trickster. In a traditional con, the mark is encouraged to believe that they will obtain money dishonestly by cheating a third party, and is stunned to find that due to what appears to be an error in pulling off the scam they are the one who loses money; in more general use, the term con is used for any fraud in which the victim is tricked into losing money by false promises of gain.

References

• Blundell, Nigel. 1982. The World's Greatest Crooks and Conmen and other mischievous malefactors. Octopus Books, London. Reprint: 1984. ISBN 0-7064-2144-2
• Maurer, David W. 1940. The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man and the Confidence Game. New York: The Bobbs Merrill company. ISBN 0-3854-9538-2
• Maurer, David W. 1974. The American Confidence Man. Springfield: Charles C. Thomas, Publisher. ISBN 0-3980-2974-1