A sucker list is a list of people who have previously fallen for a

scam A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, confidence, irresponsibility, and greed. Researchers hav ...

such as a

telemarketing fraud Telemarketing fraud is fraudulent selling conducted over the telephone. The term is also used for telephone fraud ''not'' involving selling. Telemarketing fraud is one of the most persuasive deceptions identified by the Federal Trade Commission ...

, lottery scam,

high-yield investment program A high-yield investment program (HYIP) is a type of Ponzi scheme, an investment scam that promises unsustainably high return on investment by paying previous investors with the money invested by new investors. Mechanics Operators generally set ...

get-rich-quick scheme A get-rich-quick scheme is a plan to obtain high rates of return for a small investment. The term "get rich quick" has been used to describe shady investments since at least the early 20th century. Most schemes create an impression that parti ...

, or work-at-home schemes, or, as used by charities, someone who made a

donation A donation is a gift for charity, humanitarian aid, or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including money, alms, services, or goods such as clothing, toys, food, or vehicles. A donation may satisfy medical needs such as ...

. The lists are usually sold to scammers or charities. After the list is sold, the victims may be called by scammers promising to recover the money they lost or the prize or merchandise they never received, in an

advance-fee scam An advance-fee scam is a form of fraud and is one of the most common types of confidence tricks. 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 frauds ...

. An early example of sucker lists is mentioned an 18 November 1929 article in ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...

'' which described a list of people who contributed to a

lobbyist In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

fund. Yet another usage was described in the movie ''Sucker List'', a part of the 1941 United States series '' Crime Does Not Pay''. The subject of the movie are fraudulent

racetrack A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also use ...

tout A tout is any person who solicits business or employment in a persistent and annoying manner (generally equivalent to a ''solicitor'' or '' barker'' in American English, or a '' spruiker'' in Australian English). An example would be a person wh ...

s, who, in particular, used to call people known to be in deep debt and give them false tips.

References

{{Scams and confidence tricks Confidence tricks Direct marketing Fraud

See also

References