Confidence tricks: the Spanish Prisoner
Long before the internet...
This con, originating in 1897, is an early iteration of the Nigerian email scam. In the Spanish Prisoner scheme, victims receive a letter (postmarked from Barcelona) from an imprisoned individual who writes:
I beseech you to help recover" a large sum of money "my portmanteau containing a secret pocket... As compensation I will give up to you the third part of the sum, viz, £25,000.
The letter goes on to say,
I cannot receive your answer in the prison, but in case you accept my offer you can send a telegram to a person of my confidence...
There are many references about this confidence trick to explore on Trove
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