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dates back at least to ancient Greece. William Thompson (1821-1856) was the original "confidence man". Thompson was a clumsy swindler who asked his victims to express confidence in him by giving him money or their watch rather than gaining their confidence in a more nuanced way. A few people trusted Thompson with their money and watches. Thompson was arrested in July 1849. Reporting on this arrest, James Houston, a reporter for the New York Herald,

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