My favorite con from the 19th century is the Spanish Prisoner which is now a staple of the modern Nigerian 419 scams:<p><a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Prisoner" rel="nofollow">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Prisoner</a><p><a href="https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/nigerian-letter-or-419-fraud" rel="nofollow">https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes...</a>