The green goods scam, also known as the "green goods game", was a
fraud
In law, fraud is intent (law), intentional deception to deprive a victim of a legal right or to gain from a victim unlawfully or unfairly. Fraud can violate Civil law (common law), civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrato ...
scheme popular in the 19th-century United States in which people were duped into paying for worthless
counterfeit
A counterfeit is a fake or unauthorized replica of a genuine product, such as money, documents, designer items, or other valuable goods. Counterfeiting generally involves creating an imitation of a genuine item that closely resembles the original ...
money. It is a variation on the
pig-in-a-poke scam using money instead of other goods like a pig.
In the typical green goods scam, the mark, or victim, would respond to flyers circulated throughout the country by the scammers ("green goods men") which claimed to offer "genuine" counterfeit currency for sale. This currency was sometimes alleged to have been printed with stolen engraving plates. Victims, usually living outside major cities, would be enticed to travel to the location of the green goods men to complete the transaction. Victims were guided by a "
steerer" to be shown large amounts of genuine currency – represented to be counterfeit – which was then placed in a bag or
satchel
A satchel is a bag with a strap, traditionally used for carrying books.Satchel
The Cambridge Dictionary. ...
. Victims then received offers to purchase the money at a price much less than face value. While a victim negotiated a price or was otherwise distracted, another accomplice (the "ringer") would switch the bag of money for a bag containing sawdust, green paper, or other worthless items.
Green Goods Fraud By Machinery Now
''New York Times'', November 19, 1910 Victims would leave unaware of the switch, and were unwilling to report the crime, as attempting to purchase counterfeit currency was itself a crime and the victim risked arrest
An arrest is the act of apprehending and taking a person into custody (legal protection or control), usually because the person has been suspected of or observed committing a crime. After being taken into custody, the person can be question ...
.
See also
* Black money scam
* 419 scam
An advance-fee scam is a form of fraud and is a common confidence trick. The scam typically involves promising the victim a significant share of a large sum of money, in return for a small up-front payment, which the fraudster claims will be us ...
* George Appo
George Washington Appo (July 4, 1856 – May 17, 1930) was a pickpocket and fraudster whose manner of speech in a testimony became influential in depictions of criminals . George himself wrote an autobiography, unpublished, and became the subject ...
* Confidence tricks
A scam, or a confidence trick, is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using a combination of the victim's credulity, naivety, compassion, vanity, confidence, irrespons ...
* Victor Lustig
References
* Timothy J. Gilfolyle, ''A Pickpocket's Tale: The Underworld of Nineteenth-Century New York'' (2006).
Alas, Poor Innocent, An Old Trick at the Green Goods Game
''New York Times'', November 27, 1887
{{Scams and confidence tricks
Confidence tricks
Deception
Fraud