There are plenty of people who've fallen for con artists running all sorts of different scams. But I'm pretty sure no one has EVER fallen for this scam before.
A doctor in Uttar Pradesh, India recently went to the police after he realized he'd been conned into buying ALADDIN'S LAMP. For $41,600.
He says he was treating an older woman and her two sons would come along and, quote, "Gradually, they started telling me about a [genie] . . . they started brainwashing me."
Then they conjured up the genie from the lamp to meet the doctor . . . but it was all faked, of course. And the doctor says the genie even performed some miracles.
To help sell the con even more, the guys had ALADDIN come over to meet the doctor . . . and the doctor says he just figured out it was one of the guys in a costume.
They wanted $200,000 for the lamp, but the doctor agreed to make a down payment of $41,600. It was right after that he realized he'd been scammed.
The police have caught the two guys, but their mother is still on the run.