Mock auction
Encyclopedia
A Mock auction is a scam usually operated in a street market
, disposal sale or similar environment, where cheap and low quality goods are sold at high prices by a team of confidence tricksters. In 19th Century New York
, mock auctions revolved around the sale of cigars, horses and high quality furniture. In more recent years the focus has been on electronic consumer goods.
Typically, during the sale, members of the gang
operating the scam will pose as customers; they will be given box
es of high-value goods for a very low price
, and will pretend to be very pleased with their bargain purchases. In reality, these goods are handed back and forth between the fake 'lucky customers' and the sellers, out of view of the real customers, after each time the con is completed. The fake
auctioneer, who is usually the gang's leader, will often be a skilled, practised orator, who will typically be able to win the confidence of a substantial proportion of his potential victims.
Commonly employed techniques include selling what appear to be boxed, high-quality branded goods, but which are actually very inferior, cheap fakes; or are rejects which have serious faults. Alternatively, the boxes may contain only blocks of wood
or breezeblock or bottles of water etc. The gang will have members in the audience throughout the deployment of the scam, and will not allow customers to open any of their purchases in the shop/market. They will quickly lock up, and/or escape before any of the victims realise that they've been conned.
No-one will be given genuine receipts or guarantees, although the gang may claim these documents are within the sealed boxes. In common with many confidence tricksters, the gangs very often move from town to town, city to city etc. to reduce the risk of them being caught. They have been known to use violence when a lone (prospective) victim confronts them.
A detailed description of how the Mock Auction works is available in Colin Clark and Trevor Pinch (1995) 'The Hard Sell: The language and Lessons of Streetwise Marketing', published by HarperCollins, Chapter 10.
Street market
A street market is an outdoor market such as traditionally held in a market square or in a market town, and often held only on particular days of the week...
, disposal sale or similar environment, where cheap and low quality goods are sold at high prices by a team of confidence tricksters. In 19th Century New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, mock auctions revolved around the sale of cigars, horses and high quality furniture. In more recent years the focus has been on electronic consumer goods.
Typically, during the sale, members of the gang
Gang
A gang is a group of people who, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen...
operating the scam will pose as customers; they will be given box
Box
Box describes a variety of containers and receptacles for permanent use as storage, or for temporary use often for transporting contents. The word derives from the Greek πύξος , "box, boxwood"....
es of high-value goods for a very low price
Price
-Definition:In ordinary usage, price is the quantity of payment or compensation given by one party to another in return for goods or services.In modern economies, prices are generally expressed in units of some form of currency...
, and will pretend to be very pleased with their bargain purchases. In reality, these goods are handed back and forth between the fake 'lucky customers' and the sellers, out of view of the real customers, after each time the con is completed. The fake
Fake
Fake means not real.Fake may also refer to:In music:* Fake , a Swedish synthpop band active in the 1980s*Fake?, a Japanese rock band* Fake , 2010 song by Ai featuring Namie Amuro...
auctioneer, who is usually the gang's leader, will often be a skilled, practised orator, who will typically be able to win the confidence of a substantial proportion of his potential victims.
Commonly employed techniques include selling what appear to be boxed, high-quality branded goods, but which are actually very inferior, cheap fakes; or are rejects which have serious faults. Alternatively, the boxes may contain only blocks of wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
or breezeblock or bottles of water etc. The gang will have members in the audience throughout the deployment of the scam, and will not allow customers to open any of their purchases in the shop/market. They will quickly lock up, and/or escape before any of the victims realise that they've been conned.
No-one will be given genuine receipts or guarantees, although the gang may claim these documents are within the sealed boxes. In common with many confidence tricksters, the gangs very often move from town to town, city to city etc. to reduce the risk of them being caught. They have been known to use violence when a lone (prospective) victim confronts them.
A detailed description of how the Mock Auction works is available in Colin Clark and Trevor Pinch (1995) 'The Hard Sell: The language and Lessons of Streetwise Marketing', published by HarperCollins, Chapter 10.