A Rip Deal is a slow moving Long Con where the mark is slowly convinced that the operation is not a rip off, when in reality it is.
Background[]
A Rip Deal is a swindle very popular in Europe and is essentially a pigeon drop confidence trick. In a typical variation scammers will target, say, a jeweler, and offer to buy some substantial amount of his wares at a large markup provided he perform some type of under-the-table cash deal, originally exchanging Swiss francs for euros. This exchange goes through flawlessly, at considerable profit for the mark. Some time later the scammers approach the mark with a similar proposition, but for a larger amount of money (and thus a larger return for the mark). His confidence and greed inspired by the previous deal, the merchant agrees—only to have his money and goods taken, by sleight-of-hand or violence, at the point of exchange.
Application[]
In the moments before "The Bank Shot Job", the Leverage Team had been working an undisclosed Rip Job on Judge Roy. While the details are sketchy, the job included an undisclosed Post Office Box, fake phone lines, and some form of native headdresses.
According to Alec Hardison, this particular job took 2 weeks.
Roles[]
- Mark: Judge Roy
- Inside Man: Nathan Ford as "Carl"
- Floater: Sophie Devereaux as "Janet"
- Fixers: Eliot Spencer, Alec Hardison, and Parker - these three might have had additional roles but it is unknown during the episode.
Aftermath[]
In the opening moments of the "The Bank Shot Job", the deal breaks down, first Nathan and the Mark are trapped in a bank that is being robbed. Then the judge learns he's being conned, and the Leverage Consulting & Associates has to work a second angle.