“Hey, Mister. Want to buy a mobile phone? One careless owner. Good as new - except for where it fell off the back of the lorry....”
Most of us have been approached at least once with an offer to buy some “dodgy” merchandise. At a market, in the pub or just walking down the street.
It’s something for next-to-nothing. A deal too good to be true.
As a set-up for a scam, this is a real winner. Everyone wants a bargain and some people, perhaps more than you’d expect, are willing to buy stolen goods. The secret is to play the mark so they are attracted to the bargain but not worried or guilty about where that bargain came from.
The term “fell off the back of a lorry” is a simple, well established way of saying that something has been stolen or misappropriated with no harm done to a previous owner or individual. In my opinion, it’s just a more acceptable way of saying “this has been illegally obtained”.
Hustlers use this as way to explain why a deal is so attractive and by accepting this, the mark demonstrates that they are willing to engage in a crooked transaction. All the hustler has to do is reel them in - but where’s the scam?
People who sell stolen goods for real will simply try to get the best price for whatever “stock” they are supplied. Thieves pass it on for a fraction of the amount, allowing a healthy profit for the fence. It’s a simple, criminal, business transaction. In these cases, the crooks try to keep it contained by limiting how and where the goods are sold. In essence they set up a safe distribution chain made up of customers who are unlikely to report to the police.
If they do “go public”, they are hardly likely to advertise the true nature of their “suppliers”. Instead they are more likely to misrepresent the item as second hand, shop soiled or, my favorite, an “unwanted gift”.
Hustlers, however, want to drag their victims into a false scenario, where the mark is made to consciously take part in a crime. With charm and a good line of BS, the con artist makes the crime palatable; easy for the mark to accept. Usually this is about convincing them that no individual has been hurt and that the goods came about by “good fortune” (i.e. someone left their van unlocked - know what I mean?).
This helps the mark to believe in the bargain they’re being offered - it makes perfect sense - but it also distracts them mentally from what’s about to happen. Despite their willingness to consider buying, they need to be assured that they are insulated from any repercussions and this is cleverly woven into the con.
The mark is sorely tempted and trying to assess any potential dangers. Meanwhile, the hustler is putting their mind at ease and creating the perfect moment to switch that mobile phone or DVD Player for an identical box filled with potatoes or bottles of water!
From here, he can say or do anything to get their money. He can even drop the price drastically because anything over the price of a bag of spuds is pure profit.
Versions of this scam are legion but the mechanics are the same. Create a believable scenario with a tempting product that gets switched out while the mark is distracted.
The best part of this scam (from the hustlers perspective) is the “cool out”. Victims are much less likely to report the crime to the police since they were agreeing to buy stolen goods!
As with many con games, the golden rule applies: If it seems to good to be true, it probably is.
That said, consider this: most people would apply the golden rule as soon as they hear the price - until the scam artist gives them a believable reason to dismiss the rule and consider the proposition.
It all seems so feasible - until your left with nothing but “old tatties...”
