Spanish Prisoner

For the film based on this term, see The Spanish Prisoner.
A newspaper clipping from 1904, detailing the attempted Spanish Prisoner scamming of a McKeesport, Pennsylvania man

The Spanish Prisoner is a confidence trick originating by at least the early 19th century, as Eugène François Vidocq described in his memoirs.[1][2]

  1. ^ "AN OLD SWINDLE REVIVED.; The "Spanish Prisoner" and Buried Treasure Bait Again Being Offered to Unwary Americans". The New York Times. 20 March 1898. p. 12. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  2. ^ Shilling, Erik (2016-08-03). "The 9 Lives of the Spanish Prisoner, the Treasure-Dangling Scam That Won't Die". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2020-06-20.