Nobody wants to fall victim to a heinous scam, and conmen who take advantage of people in this way should be stopped. One way to prevent them achieving their goal is to be aware of how people try to con others. With this knowledge, it should help innocent “marks” keep hold of their hard-earned money rather than hand it over to these seemingly genuine scammers. Here are two of the most daring scams ever.
Bellagio Dealer $1 Million Craps Scam
The Bellagio, owned by MGM, is one of the most iconic casinos in the world, and has appeared in Ocean’s Eleven and Ocean’s Twelve. As one of the predominant spots on the infamous Las Vegas strip, you might expect scammers to steer clear of the place. The security is tight with CCTV cameras, guards, and floor people all constantly on alert for hustlers who try to cheat the games. But that didn’t stop James Cooper and his associates from running a cheating scheme on the craps table between 2012 and 2014. According to Top5pokersites.com, Cooper was the croupier at a craps table where he took mumbled verbal bets from his co-conspirators and paid them out no matter what the outcome was. Over the two-year period the team of con artists raked in over $1 million, but MGM realized something was amiss because the odds of them winning that amount were an astonishing 452 billion to 1.
Gregor MacGregor’s Island Scam
In the early 1800s, a Scottish scam artist came up with one of the most audacious cons in history. He claimed to be a prince of a fictitious land called Poyais, which he said was a little larger than Wales. He created a detailed and highly appealing backstory for this uninhabited island, claiming that the land was fertile, the water was purer than any in existence, and the river beds were lined with gold. The trees were bursting with fruit to be picked, and the forests were packed with wildlife to hunt and eat. MacGregor painted this attractive picture and then claimed he required investors to help him harvest the country’s resources. People fell for the scam hook, line, and sinker, and MacGregor managed to raise over £1.3 million in his lifetime. People even went to settle in this promised land, but when they got there they found out they had been duped, and it was nothing but wasteland.
There are some pretty outrageous modern-day scams as well. One company created a smartphone app that sold for $999.99, and all it did was show a glowing red gem in the center of the screen. The I am Rich app only claimed to be there to let people know you were rich. The fools who decided to purchase it probably deserved to be conned. Another company decided to make the most of people voting on Britain’s Got Talent and I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, and bought a load of similar numbers so that when people tried to vote and misdialled they could claim the high network fees. Unfortunately, scammers are everywhere, so it’s always wise to be on your guard.
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