The Estray Swindle: A Rural Confidence Game
A clever ruse targets farmers by using public notice requirements to set up a rigged animal sale.
A new swindle has developed at Rosalia, Wash. The rogues watch the newspapers for astray notices. Then one goes to the farmer, says he has lost such an animal as the notice describes, and asks to see it. Of course, he is shown it, but says it is not his and goes away. Shortly after comes his confederate, who describes the animal he has lost in a way that exactly tallies with the appearance of the estray, which he, on seeing, at once claims. Then he says he cannot take it away, and offers to sell at a bargain. The farmer usually purchases, and when a little later the rightful owner comes, the farmer is just that much out.
“The rogues watch the newspapers for astray notices. Then one goes to the farmer, says he has lost such an animal as the notice describes, and asks to see it.”
This 1892 scam highlights how the commodification of livestock created vulnerabilities for farmers, a theme that resonates today in how modern digital 'lost and found' or marketplace platforms are weaponized for sophisticated social engineering and identity theft.
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