William Thompson (confidence man)

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William Thompson was an American criminal whose deceptions caused the term "confidence man" to be coined.

Operating in New York City in the late 1840s, a gently-dressed Thompson would approach an upper-class mark and begin a brief conversation. After initially gaining the mark's trust, Thompson would ask "Have you confidence in me to trust me with your watch until tomorrow?". On taking the watch (or, occasionally, money), Thompson would depart, never to be seen again.

Thompson was arrested and brought to trial in 1849, in a case that made newspaper headlines across the country. The New York Herald, recalling his explicit appeals to the victim's "confidence," dubbed him the "confidence man." Per the Oxford English Dictionary, the first known use of the term was printed in The New Orleans Picayune.

The Thompson case was a major inspiration and source for Herman Melville's 1857 novel The Confidence-Man.

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Confidence tricks
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Terminology

Confidence trickMarkShillSucker list

Notable Confidence Tricks

Badger gameBlack money scamBogus escrowBooster bag scamClip jointDrop SwindleEmbarrassing chequeEmployment scamsHustlingPenny and Dime ScamPig in a pokePigeon dropReloading scamShell gameSlavery Reparation ScamSpanish PrisonerThai gem scamThree-card MonteWhite van speakers

Internet Scams

Advance fee fraudBidding fee schemeClick fraudCyberThrillDomain slammingE-mail authenticationE-mail fraudEl Gordo de la Primitiva Lottery International Promotions ProgrammesEmployment scamsGrapefruit seed extractInternet crimeInternet vigilantismLottery scamPayPaIPhishingReferer spoofingRipoff ReportRock PhishRomance scamSafernetScam baitingSpear phishingSpoofed URLSpoofing attackStock GenerationUsername theftWeb-crammingWhitemail

Pyramid Schemes

Ponzi schemePyramid schemeDona BrancaCaritasCharles PonziBernard CornfeldFoundation for New Era PhilanthropyHigh Yield Investment ProgramInvestors Overseas ServiceMMMMake money fastReed Slatkin

Notable con artists

Frank AbagnaleStorme AerisonPhilip ArnoldNicky ArnsteinLou BlongerEd "Big Ed" BurnsDavid "Race" BannonTino De AngelisLouis EnrichtBillie Sol EstesArthur FergusonPeter FosterOscar HartzellKenny KimesSante KimesHenri LemoineVictor LustigGregor MacGregorSteven Jay RussellSoapy SmithTitanic ThompsonWilliam ThompsonJoseph WeilFictional con artists