1. What were some common scams in the medieval age?
Fake relics, false miracles, and fraudulent pardons
- The Oxford Handbook of Medieval Christianity
2. How did people in the medieval age fall for scams?
Lack of education and superstition
- Medieval Lives: Birth, Marriage, Death by Helen Castor
3. What was the "miracle of the bleeding host" scam?
A scam where a priest would secretly puncture a host, causing it to bleed, and then claim it was a miracle
- The Oxford Handbook of Medieval Christianity
4. What was the "philosopher's stone" scam?
A scam where someone claimed to have discovered a substance that could turn base metals into gold
- Alchemy and Alchemists by Sean Martin
5. What was the "cuckold's cap" scam?
A scam where a man would sell a hat that he claimed would make a woman faithful to her husband
- The Oxford Handbook of Medieval Europe
6. What was the "pilgrimage" scam?
A scam where someone would claim to be a pilgrim and ask for money to fund their journey to a holy site
- The Oxford Handbook of Medieval Christianity
7. What was the "relic" scam?
A scam where someone would sell a fake relic, claiming it was a piece of a saint's body or an object associated with a biblical event
- The Oxford Handbook of Medieval Christianity
8. What was the "witchcraft" scam?
A scam where someone would claim to be a witch or a wizard and offer to cast spells or perform magical acts for money
- Witchcraft and Magic in Europe: The Middle Ages by Karen Jolly
9. What was the "prophesy" scam?
A scam where someone would claim to have received a divine revelation or prophesy and offer to share it for a fee
- Medieval Religion: New Approaches by Constance Brittain Bouchard
10. What was the "astrology" scam?
A scam where someone would claim to be able to predict the future based on the position of the stars and planets
- Astrology in the Middle Ages by Laura Ackerman Smoller
11. What was the "fortune-telling" scam?
A scam where someone would claim to be able to read a person's fortune or predict their future for a fee
- Medieval Women: An Encyclopedia by Eileen Power
12. What was the "quack medicine" scam?
A scam where someone would sell a fake cure or remedy for a disease or ailment
- The Oxford Handbook of Medieval Medicine
13. What was the "counterfeit coin" scam?
A scam where someone would make fake coins and pass them off as real
- Money and Its Use in Medieval Europe by Peter Spufford
14. What was the "forged document" scam?
A scam where someone would create a fake document, such as a will or a deed, and use it to gain money or property
- Forgery and Counterforgery: The Use of Literary Deceit in Early Christian Polemics by Bart D. Ehrman
15. What was the "stolen relic" scam?
A scam where someone would steal a genuine relic and sell it as a fake
- The Cult of Relics in Early Medieval Ireland by Rachel Moss
16. What was the "fake pilgrimage" scam?
A scam where someone would claim to have gone on a pilgrimage and offer to sell souvenirs or relics from the trip, but had never actually gone
- The Oxford Handbook of Medieval Christianity
17. What was the "false identity" scam?
A scam where someone would pretend to be a noble or a member of the clergy in order to gain money or influence
- The Oxford Handbook of Medieval Europe
18. What was the "bait and switch" scam?
A scam where someone would offer to sell a valuable item, but then switch it for a less valuable one when the buyer wasn't looking
- The Oxford Handbook of Medieval Europe
19. What was the "pyramid scheme" scam?
A scam where someone would recruit others to invest money in a business venture, promising high returns, but then use the money to pay off earlier investors instead of investing it
- The Oxford Handbook of Medieval Europe
20. What was the "confidence trick" scam?
A scam where someone would gain a person's trust, then use that trust to deceive them and take their money