"Scam" is not a pleasant word, especially for those who have become its victims. Unfortunately, every day there are more and more people who want to cash in on someone else's grief. Although, if you think about it, then in the old days there were no less swindlers. It's just that few people knew about them, because such cases were covered with a veil of secrecy.
Therefore, let's not only understand what the word "scam" means, but also consider the most striking examples. And in the entire history of mankind, believe me, a huge number have gathered.
What is a scam?
So, the dictionary makes it clear to us that a scam is a dubious transaction aimed at enriching one of the parties. The sad thing is that only her, so to speak, the author will benefit, but the victim will be left with a nose. Simply put, a scam is a criminal scheme designed to extort money from other people.
Naturally, such activities are considered illegal. And therefore, in almost all countries of the world, a prison term is required for its use. However, those who like to make money on someone else's trust, such a prospectrarely stops.
Story of an old scam
At the beginning of the 18th century, the daughter of a simple English shoemaker named Mary Baker played a scam that many modern swindlers would envy. The girl was so bored with the life of an ordinary maid that she decided to turn into a princess from a distant land.
Disguised in oriental clothes, she entered the gates of her hometown at night. For the sake of conspiracy, Mary spoke in Portuguese, mixing it with made-up words. The swindler turned out to be a noble inventor. So, the girl said that she was the princess of the country of Karabu. On the way to England, the ship was attacked by pirates, and she herself was thrown overboard.
The locals were inspired by her story, which allowed Miss Baker to live off them like a real princess. However, her holiday did not last long. A couple of months later, the former mistress noticed the fraudster, who revealed the true identity of Mary.
Modern swindlers
Despite the fact that Mary's actions were illegal, yet they can not be called destructive to the people. After all, in fact, in those days people were already used to feeding monarchs with their own hands, and the fact that there was more than one did not greatly affect the general well-being.
But a modern scam is a completely different matter. Today, scammers seek to take everything to the last, not paying the slightest attention to who their victim is - a we althy businessman or a single mother who barely makes ends meet. At the same time, their creativity can only be envied. Every day theythey come up with more and more new schemes to deceive both gullible people and those who are used to being skeptical of everything.
Moreover, for some scammers, the scam is an art. For example, a certain Victor Lustig lived in France. He always wanted to become famous all over the world, but since he was only good at deceiving people, he decided to make a name for himself on this. The amazing thing is that he succeeded - he managed to sell to some dupe nothing more than … the Eiffel Tower. But the most amazing thing is that he repeated this trick twice!
However, such stories are more of a rarity than a pattern. Often, scammers do not act on such a large scale and sublimely. Most of them are engaged in swindling apartments from old people, blackmailing people, selling non-existent goods or forging documents. Fortunately, many of them have only one thing waiting for them - several years spent in a cell behind bars.
