Best Ever Cons The Real Hustle

This is The Real Hustle... best-ever cons.

Since 2006, Jess, Alex and Paul

have travelled the world, from the streets of the UK

to the beaches of Ibiza and the bright lights of Las Vegas.

The team have exposed over 280 scams, and shown the extremes

to which conmen will go to get what they're after.

-Stop there, police.

-What?

On tonight's show, we'll reveal the top ten best-ever cons as voted for by you on the Real Hustle website.

Have your favourites made it? Keep watching to find out.

In at 10...

So I wanna know whose idea was it for us

to do one of the most complicated pickpocketing sequences we've ever done in the middle of London.

-It was our idea.

-Yeah, it was ours.

The thing that makes it really difficult

is we have to make sure that the cameras can see us when we actually hit the marks.

So we're gonna pick our marks' pockets

and along come the Hare Krishnas, Japanese tourists, buses.

Eventually, we manage to get it right.

This is the three-way pickpocket.

London's Piccadilly Circus is always crowded and with crowds come plenty of wallets,

purses, music players, phones and cameras, all designed to fit easily into pockets and bags.

But for the hustlers, they're just as easily taken out again.

This is their most intricate pickpocket scam yet. The three-way lift.

Our hustlers are in position either side of a busy crossing.

Jess and Alex are stationed on the left of the junction.

Paul is operating alone on the right.

And when the lights go green, they all cross with the rest of the pedestrians.

Watch carefully.

And in less than 30 seconds, they're up by £800 in wallets and phones.

No-one saw them do it, but you can.

Remember that Jess and Alex are positioned together on the left.

The girl with the dark hair in front of them is the target.

While Jess acts as a human shield to prevent anyone nearby seeing,

Alex makes swift work of stealing this woman's phone.

So far, they've got a phone worth £150.

Not bad, but there's a lot more going on here.

Let's rewind back to the start.

Jess is also working with Paul, who's on the other side.

Paul has identified his mark, the girl to his left.

He's after the contents of her pocket.

Another phone.

For the moment she's unaware, but Paul still has to get rid

of the stolen property quickly and that's where Jess comes in.

As they cross, he deftly hands the goods to his accomplice.

The stolen phone joins Alex's in Jess' bag and she melts into the crowd before anything's been missed.

So far, they've lifted belongings worth £270.

But there was also one more, much bigger steal going on.

Let's rewind for the third and final lift.

Back in first positions.

Alex identifies the third victim, the man wearing the lilac shirt stood to Paul's right.

As Paul puts a mobile phone into Jess' bag, Alex is unusually clumsy.

I'm so sorry. Are you all right?

As he bangs into the mark, Alex dips the man's wallet from his jacket,

immediately passes it off to Paul and the three-way lift is complete.

So that's two mobile phones and a wallet full of cash and credit cards

in one beautifully-choreographed steal.

-My phone's missing.

-There's nothing there. I used to have a wallet in there.

Money, some credit cards, driver's licence.

He came directly at me, bumped straight into me...

Oh, I'm so sorry, are you all right?

It was only after I'd crossed the road I thought

there's something wrong here, I've lost my wallet.

At nine...

I'll never forget this scam,

cos I got to drive one of my favourite cars, the Porsche GT3,

and I remember being told when you get in it,

drive somewhere round the corner, park it, just be safe.

As I was driving, I looked down,

and there was this big, shiny red button. I thought, I wonder what that does?

I was tempted but I didn't press it and when we're talking to the guy afterwards, he said,

"That was a nitro button. Had you pressed that, the whole of Vegas would have heard you

"and you would have probably died by crashing somewhere."

And naturally, mine didn't go to plan at all, but... we always try and figure a way out.

This is the valet distraction.

Valet parking is becoming more common all over the world.

Instead of parking yourself, you hand your keys to a valet and get a ticket.

The valet parks your car for you and returns it when you need it.

The hustlers have targeted this restaurant because it has a large car park,

meaning that the valets can leave their posts for as long as five minutes to park a car.

Alex and Paul arrive in these old bangers, but if all goes to plan,

they'll soon be swapping them for something a little more bling.

Good evening.

Thank you very much.

Not bad.

Take care of that. She's a classic.

Their cars are parked, but there's a problem.

The post is still manned and the other valets will be back in about four minutes.

Here's Jess - problem solved.

Excuse me. Sorry to bother you.

I just wondered if you could help me, please. My key doesn't work.

Do you think you just come and have a little look for me?

I can't get home.

It's just up here.

I'm pressing it like that...

With the post unmanned, a couple of new valets step into cover.

-Tuck yourself in.

-Yeah.

-You're a disgrace to the valet profession.

Do you think so?

It's just the silver one just here, just parked here.

With their blazers and badges on, the boys look the real deal.

Jess is deliberately using the wrong key fob to buy Alex and Paul some time.

Is it the way you point it, maybe?

If Alex and Paul are going to get their new cars,

then it's got to happen before the real valets return. They're in luck.

How you doing? Go ahead and self park, sir. Go ahead and self park. Thank you.

Paul doesn't think the people carrier is up to scratch.

Oh!

I really wanna get in. I'm cold.

Two more minutes.

If no-one comes, we're gonna have to call it off.

Maybe this will suit them better - a Porsche.

Hi.

Good evening.

Alex hands her a ticket.

And he's off.

Thanks to a blazer and badge combination, he's landed himself a £95,000 motor.

Unless another car comes soon, Paul's going to be driving home in his old Mercury Tracer.

This is more like it - a top of the range Cadillac Escalade.

Disaster - he's self-parking.

Paul is forced to think on his feet and approaches the driver.

Hey, sir, how are you?

We do have a private party in tonight, but with a car like this,

I can put it right up front. How does that sound?

You want to drive it, we'll hold the keys for you. It's OK.

If Paul can get the keys, he's home and dry.

He directs him to the safest spot.

Jess can't keep the valet for much longer, so Paul needs to get a move on.

Perfect.

I'll look after those.

Don't worry about it, it's perfectly safe there.

With the car keys in Paul's possession, it's about to be stolen for the third time.

All Paul has to do is wait until he's inside the restaurant.

As Paul flees in his brand-new Cadillac that's worth over £50,000,

Jess uses the genuine key fob in her pocket to open her car.

Oh! What did you do?

And then leaves to meet up with Alex and Paul.

The valet returns to his post after playing the Good Samaritan,

unaware that two top of the range cars have been stolen whilst his back was turned.

Things are about to get worse for the valets.

Here's the Porsche owner.

The valet brings over the car that matches his ticket.

But it's no Porsche, it's Alex's old banger.

That's because Alex gave them the valet ticket for his old Honda.

Enjoy your evening.

What was supposed to be a romantic meal out for these couples

has turned into an eye-wateringly expensive evening.

The truck was parked here because he likes to keep it close where he can see it.

So needless to say, when we came out, he was looking for his truck

which is not in immediate eyesight... Which could happen, it could have been moved.

He enquires with these gentlemen here, a new shift of valet guys.

So we're waiting for the police.

Someone jacked it or something's going on.

I don't know.

You guys found my car?

Going crazy.

At eight...

You know, I get asked about this scam a lot

and what everybody wants to know is did Jess slap me as hard as it looked?

-And...you did, didn't you?

-I did,

and I quite enjoyed it.

Yeah, it's essential to cover the switch.

The harder she hits you the more cover I get, so we had to rehearse it quite a lot

just to make sure she got the technique down.

This is the slap swindle.

A flashy designer watch is the ultimate status symbol, but they don't come cheap.

A top of the range model can cost several thousand pounds.

The hustlers are in Birmingham's jewellery quarter with more than just window shopping in mind.

-Pleased with the Rolex, right?

-Yeah.

-Rolex.

A very expensive watch.

To pull off this scam, all our hustlers need to be in on the action.

Let's go and buy you a birthday present.

This is the slap swindle.

-Hello.

-Alex and Jess, posing as a couple, arrive at a jeweller's stall.

They're shopping for a present for Jess.

Hello. If there's anything you want to have a look at...

-I like girly...

-You like girly?

-Well, what about something like that?

-No, but I like girly ones, he likes really posh ones.

They can't agree on what kind of watch to buy and begin to argue.

Well, try that on. Seeing as I'm getting it for you, why don't you try that on?

-No, I don't want to.

-It's personal.

The assistant politely tries to help them out.

It's a small shop with no other sales staff on duty

and they're about to make her life increasingly difficult.

Yeah, but I think it's about time we moved on with this stuff, and, anyway,

if I'm buying it for you I've gotta like it as well, all right?

There's a pinky one there similar to that.

They're every shop assistant's worst nightmare.

As the disagreement continues, a customer arrives.

Another hustler.

You can wear pink with most things, though, can't you?

-A nice primary colour.

-Yeah.

Are you ok, sir?

Yeah, I am just now.

I think I'll have a quick little look, thank you.

-Yes, of course, with pleasure.

-That's nice there.

But it's for a 14-year-old girl, Mandy.

-If there's anything you want to have a look at I'll get out.

-Thank you.

I think I'll have a look at the Omega, please.

-Omega?

-Yeah.

Sparks continue to fly and the heated argument is getting out of control.

All around Birmingham, right, it's cloudy...

Yes.

Trying to ignore the commotion on the other side of the shop,

Paul asks to try on a top-of-the-range watch.

Playboy thing.

-That's the...

-Yeah, but that's what I like, that.

Second-hand, yeah?

-Yes, second-hand.

-Well, I'm sorry.

It's 1,200, which is a good price.

-It's worth £1,200.

-I'm not interested in a watch like that.

-All right, OK.

-I buy what my mum would wear.

The disturbance is distracting the shop assistant.

Look at the one that you like.

-You guys can size it for me?

-Yes, of course.

-I'll pick something, you pay for it.

-What I just said to you...

-I'm not getting that one.

-A bit of class or something.

Excuse me, do you mind?

-All right, mate. Easy, relax.

-See what I mean, you're just embarrassing.

Stop trying to look like a footballer's wife, for God's sake.

I've had it with you, will you stop trying to make me into somebody I'm not?!

Will you calm down? We are in public. I'm sorry. Will you calm down?

-Will you stop trying to make me into something I'm not?

-Are you OK?

Just calm down, all right?

After handing the watch back, Paul promises to return when the shop is quieter.

Are you not going to have a look at one of these?

-No, I don't want...

-The argument has lost the assistant a possible sale.

-I'm so sorry.

-OK.

Paul leaves the shop to get away from all the aggravation.

You're not going to have a watch.

Jess and Alex finally take the argument outside.

I'm so sorry.

Surprised and flustered by the row, when the manager returns,

the assistant can't wait to tell him all about the argument.

I had a fella...and a girl come in.

She wanted sort of a girly watch, very pretty girl.

-Right. Yeah.

-Then a fella rang the bell, let him in.

Said, "Can I have a look round?" I said, "Yes, of course."

He said, "Is that a Rolex?" I said, "Yes."

-Rolex.

-Showing it to him, and all of a sudden, biggest barney I've ever heard in me life.

Stop trying to look like a footballer's wife for God...

-I've had it with you!

-Anyway, the fella said, "Do you mind?" And they're still carrying on.

-While the customer...

-Yes, he said, "Would you mind?"

She can't believe what's just happened, but there's an even bigger shock in store.

-That isn't the same watch, this is a copy.

-You are joking?

The £1,200 watch has turned into a cheap fake.

-I didn't leave him, Gary.

-No, it's all right.

So how was it done?

Alex and Jess enter the shop first.

They'll be providing the distraction.

If you're like 12.

As planned, their bickering gets the assistant's full attention.

-Let me see that.

-Meanwhile, outside, Paul hides the fake watch up his sleeve,

and Alex subtly gives him the signal to enter the shop.

I just don't want you getting

-something that's like...

-Paul knows exactly what he wants, the watch that matches his cheap fake.

The arguing couple are an irresistible distraction,

and the concerned assistant can't help but watch.

This is all Paul needs.

Excuse me, do you mind?

-All right, mate, easy.

-When he asked them to quieten down, it's a signal that he's ready to make his move.

Stop trying to look like a footballer's wife, for God's...

Watch carefully as Paul brings the fake watch out of his sleeve.

He's swapped his dodgy £50 fake for the real deal and walks away with a profit of over £1,000.

My eyes don't go from a customer.

I just...it was when I heard the slap and the shouting...

He already turned round.

I just must have gone like that.

A split second. I am still shaken.

Due to a tie, we have joint sixth.

It's really hard to do these scams when someone's panicking or upset, you just feel incredibly guilty.

-You had the easy job.

-No, it wasn't that easy.

All I remember from that day is having to leg it through a crowded shopping arcade, down the escalators,

through doors, just to make it to the van in time for you to call.

-I had the hard job.

-This is the bag and pin snatch.

Alex, Jess and Paul arrive at the service entrance

of a large London shopping arcade.

-All right?

-Let's go.

They make their way to the cafe area on the second floor, a suitable hunting ground for our team.

-See you later.

-Bye.

They split up to take up their positions for today's scam, the bag and pin snatch.

Alex and Jess are pretending to be tourists, whilst keeping an eye out for a suitable victim.

They have chosen this woman, and it's her handbag that's the target.

The bag is gonna be snatched, but that's only half the plan.

The stakes are much higher, as you will soon see.

Alex and Jess wait for an opportunity to make their move

while Paul watches proceedings from the back of the cafe.

This is their chance.

The woman's friend leaves the table and the mark is now alone and vulnerable.

-I've gotta go.

-OK. No problem.

-Are you coming too?

Yeah, I come too.

But when will I see you? When I come back?

Does your number work here?

Yeah, no, hang on, we take one photo, OK?

-One second. Excuse me, can you take a photo?

-Sure.

Alex and Jess distract the mark and manoeuvre her into turning her back on her handbag.

Like this.

There's Paul, he's going in for the steal.

-Have to put it on here. One second. I think it's like this, OK.

-Thank you.

Instead of doing a runner, Paul takes a seat near the mark's table.

Alex and Jess have their photo, but the mark turns back to realise her bag is gone.

Out of sight of the mark, Alex has to get somewhere fast.

I've gotta go to the van. Bye.

Sorry.

The mark is distressed.

You OK?

Paul talks to her, but she doesn't suspect that her handbag is less

than two metres away in Paul's briefcase. This is the big hit.

The team are gonna try and fool the mark into giving them her card pin as well as her personal details.

Do you have anything valuable in it?

-Do you have like bank cards or anything?

-I have my bank cards, my phone, my iPod, everything.

-What bank are you with?

-Barclays.

-I work for Barclays.

-You do?

-Yeah, let's cancel your bank cards, have a seat, don't worry, have a seat.

Alex wants to sound like he's in a call centre and not in a

cab of a van, so he plays in a sound effect CD of office noise.

All right, that's the bank call centre there, speak to them, cancel your cards, OK?

-Hello?

-My bag has just been stolen and I have everything in my bag.

I'm very sorry to hear about that, but I can certainly assist you with this call.

-Yeah please.

-Do you know your account number and sort code?

I think it's... Oh, yeah,

My sort code is...

With the help of the sound effects, Alex has convinced the mark that he's a bank call centre operator

and she dutifully gives him her bank details.

-OK. Now I need your full name and your postcode, please.

-It's Michelle...

She still has no idea it was Paul who took her handbag and is hiding it in his case on the next table.

OK. Now, I've got the card details here.

It doesn't look like anyone's tried to use it, so it's a good job you called us straight away.

Now the last thing I need from you in order to cancel your card is your four digit pin number.

Now, I can't take this off you myself cos we're not allowed to take pin

numbers, so I'm going to have to put you through to the automated service, OK?

OK, thanks.

Alex now plays back a message from Jess recorded earlier.

'After the tone, please enter your four digit pin number followed by the hash key.'

Alex records the tones, which could easily be decoded later to reveal the pin.

'Your card has now been cancelled. Thank you for calling. Goodbye.'

The mark is grateful to the Good Samaritan.

All right, yeah.

But Paul's walking away with her handbag. Worse still, she thinks her account

is now safe whereas in reality, the real hustlers have done enough to completely empty her finances.

I can pretty much carry my whole life in my handbag anyway.

My cards and oh, man, everything, so the person on the phone, that's just a whole scam? Everything's a scam.

Then they're just gonna get all my details, then, aren't they,

and just...then they can do whatever they want.

Argh, well, thank goodness it's only you this time. Oh, no.

Joint sixth.

Course the most important thing about this scam is cracker jack timing, you've gotta be right on the

button and we rehearsed it to death, but I think when we were done we got it down to less than a second.

It was really good as well because I knew that I was gonna win every single time.

I actually started to convince myself that I was really, really good at playing blackjack.

-You're a very lucky girl.

-I am indeed. This is switching the shoe.

Alex and Paul have got hot dates, and they're treating them to a night at the casino.

But it's not romance they're after, it's money.

Blackjack is often dealt from a shoe that holds multiple decks.

If you can predict the cards' order, you'll make some serious cash,

and that's exactly what the hustlers plan to do.

They're going to switch the casino shoe for one of their own,

and there's only one way to do this, that's right under the dealer's nose in the middle of this busy casino

which is covered by 24 hour surveillance.

This scam requires the largest team the hustlers

have ever put together for what could be their biggest ever pay day.

All the players at the table are part of the team, and they each have a vital role to play.

-Oh!

-Paul's date has the duplicate shoe hidden in her handbag...

which earlier she smuggled into the casino.

Yeah!

The team play a few rounds of blackjack.

-How much I've lost in the last round...

-I told you she said that.

-Justice, mate.

-With everyone settled, the duplicate shoe is passed under the table to Alex.

Here it is again from under the table.

This woman's job is crucial.

She has to block the view of this man, the pit boss who is responsible for spotting cheats.

Now Alex has the shoe, all they need is for the dealer to look away from the table.

Steph, what are you doing?

You can't go in there. God, you're so silly. Don't go in there.

They're supposed to be here.

What are you doing?

And it's done.

They've switched the shoe.

But what actually happened?

Alex signals to the guys at the end of the table to change some cash for chips.

It's a cue for these girls to cos a distraction.

Steph, what are you doing? You can't go in there.

Acting drunk, one girl enters the casino pit, which is strictly off limits to members of the public.

They draw the pit boss away from the table.

The dealer only looks away for a second, but that's all it takes.

We're gonna get in so much trouble. We're getting kicked out.

Whilst the dealer is distracted, Paul snatches the casino shoe and passes it to his date.

Alex instantly replaces it with their own shoe.

And the casino shoe is put back in the handbag.

No wonder Alex is looking pleased with himself.

With the shoe now switched, the hustlers can play with their own decks and are guaranteed to win big.

But with possible surveillance footage, plus the shoe in the bag

as evidence, the boys need to make a sharp exit and allow the final member of the team to clean up.

And here she is. It's Jess and an accomplice.

That's me done. Thank you.

Let's get out of here. As quickly as possible before we get arrested.

Please can I get in on this?

All the players at the table now know the exact order of the cards.

If the spare chair gets filled, one of the team will leave so the card order remains the same.

Even if security rewind the tapes Jess can't be connected with the shoe switch.

The first hand out and what a surprise, Jess hits two blackjacks.

Thank you very much.

-Who'd have thought it? Two more blackjacks.

-I'm a lucky girl.

Those green chips are worth 25 each, and the black ones 100.

As the next few hands are played, Jess's winning streak continues and

the other members of the team are not doing badly either.

You looking at my chips?

-Well, yeah.

-Look good, don't they?

-Very nice.

-That stack of chips won't go unnoticed for long by

casino security, and so Jess needs to get out of there sharp.

I'm done, are you done?

-I'm gonna have a problem carrying these.

-If she can escape in time,

she'll have virtually emptied the dealer's tray and made hundreds of thousands of dollars for the team.

Let's get our night started.

That's for you, cheers.

Good luck, boys. Enjoy yourself. Bye.

Mission accomplished.

We've got to the halfway stage.

At number ten, the hustler who's made hundreds of

pounds just by crossing the road, in the three way lift.

Oh, I'm so sorry, are you all right?

At number nine, thanks to a jacket and badge, Alex

and Paul stole the cars of their dreams in the valet distraction.

Number eight.

Alex and Jess's domestic distracted this assistant just long enough for

Paul to gain a new Rolex in the slap swindle.

Joint 6th, a good deed led to this lady loosing almost every penny

she owns in the bag and pin snatch.

-Steph, what you doing?

-And with the largest team they've ever assembled,

the hustlers make their biggest ever score in this shoe switch.

Now it's time to see which cons made your top five.

You know, when we first started this show, I really never thought I'd end

up dressed as a sheikh, walking out of a jewellery store, with thousands of dollars worth of jewels.

Just never thought I'd reach that stage.

Well, you know, when we were in the bathroom and I was waiting

for my cue to come out and it was for you to shout my name, Fatima.

I just couldn't walk out cos I was just giggling so much, cos I just

thought the whole situation was just absurd. This is mystery millionaire.

This jeweller has come to an hotel suite to make an important delivery.

-Doing good.

-Stand there, please.

Warm day.

-Would you please?

-Too hot for this.

Put it on the table.

The jewels are laid out.

How you doing, sir?

Good afternoon.

Thank you for coming down, I'm Sheikh Khalil.

So why is Alex dressed as a sheikh?

To find out the answer, we need to go back 24 hours.

The cast for this scam are...

Yes, please.

May I see this ring, please?

-Yes, we would like to have this ring.

-OK.

We can pay for this now, Mr Crook.

Alex hands over a cloned credit card to pay for the ring.

Justin.

Would you like to run this through?

This is the convincer.

The jeweller now believes that Alex is an affluent Arab.

I'd like to look at the one with the ruby, I like rubies. You like rubies?

Of course she does. Especially if they're free.

There you are. This is ruby and diamond and 18ct yellow gold.

This is very, very nice.

OK, there's also a matching set of earrings.

A broach, with rubies, diamonds and diamond ring also matches this set.

This is all 80,000.

A very fair price. OK. I would like to purchase this.

What I would like is, I would like these delivered to my suite tomorrow afternoon.

-Cash will be waiting there for you.

-That's fine.

We will be there at 2pm.

Well, that was easy.

So, now you know why Alex is posing as Sheikh Khalil.

Thank you, this is wonderful.

He shows the jeweller the money.

I have the money here.

What I would like to do is, I would like to get my wife to try, I'm just going to get this.

One second, please.

Fatima?

Like to try in the sun, if you come this way.

Mr Crook, pass me the necklace, please.

Thank you.

-You like it?

-Yes.

-OK.

Maybe we should try it on without.

One moment. My wife has to take the headscarf, if you accompany Mr Crook just outside, he will wait with you.

Not wanting to cause offence, and being unsure of cultural

differences, the jeweller follows Paul out of the room.

With the jeweller separated from his merchandise, Alex and Jess gather up the gems.

Jess slips into the adjoining room with the jewels and the money,

stashing them safely on the trolley before changing out of her disguise.

Alex brings Paul back into the suite.

Mr Crook, the telephone is ringing, can you come, please?

One second, please.

Fatima, are you ok?

The jeweller is left in the corridor, believing that he is covering the only exit.

And now to put the final part of the plan into action.

The jeweller turns and sees a couple of waiters leaving a room.

But what he doesn't see is his 80,000 worth of gems leaving with them.

Sir?

Hello?

Excuse me?

Hello? Hello?

Hello? Hello?

Hello? Hello?

In at four.

I still can't get over how well this one worked.

At one point there was a queue of people coming over to my stall and I

felt so bad for you two in the back, you must have been so, so busy.

We were incredibly busy, back there.

-Yeah and one of us was doing all the wrapping cos you did no wrapping at all.

-I was packing the boxes.

Besides, you're clearly much better with ribbons and bows than I am.

This is free gift wrapping.

It's Christmas time, the season of goodwill to all men.

And within the great festive spirit, the busy shopper is often treated to

such delights as this free gift wrap service.

Unfortunately, this one is run by...

How can I help you?

We'll have that wrapped for you.

Our hustlers have managed to erect a makeshift marquee

next to the Santa's grotto in this shopping centre.

Yes, what would you like gift wrapped? Oh, lovely.

Jess is happy taking shoppers' Christmas gifts to pass onto her busy

helpers who offer a very quick but unconventional gift wrapping service.

It's some beauty products.

The boys waste no time in un-wrapping the box and

removing the expensive contents, replacing them with a little festive present of their own.

Hello. Sorry.

While Jess receives more gifts, Alex and Paul neatly gift

wrap the satsuma-filled cosmetic box, which will be returned to the unknowing victim.

Tie a false knot.

Thank you very much. OK I'll see you in a bit.

Bye.

Hi. You all right there?

-We're doing a free gift wrap today, takes about 20 minutes.

-OK.

That's lovely.

-Is that all right?

-Yeah, no that's absolutely fine.

Can you bring like lots in like if I was to buy loads?

That shouldn't actually be a problem.

If you just wanna pop back in 20 minutes, it'll be absolutely no problem. OK?

-Excellent, thank you.

-See you in a bit, bye.

-What have you got?

-What did we get?

-Toys!

-Toys!

The boys weigh each gift as soon as it comes in before replacing the

contents with an equally weighted stash from their own festive store.

This time round it's wrapping paper, oranges and wood chippings.

-Hello. How are you?

-Fine, thank you.

-Have you got a few gifts there?

-Yeah.

Oh, nice I like it.

Next through the door is a toaster and to weigh down the box some oranges and potatoes.

That doesn't feel like a toaster.

Potatoes rattle a bit too much to make a convincing toaster so Paul

-and Alex decide to pad it out with some straw.

-Feels like a toaster.

Feels like a toaster.

Bingo. Another one gets wrapped.

Hello, how are you?

Realising a good offer when she sees one, this mark has returned with another gift to be wrapped.

Nice. Thank you very much, I'll see you in a bit. Bye.

This time, it's an expensive digital camera.

Ooooh!

And the boys seem to think that an orange,

potato and a piece of coal are a fair swap for a digital camera.

They weigh it, pad it, wrap it and give it back to Jess.

-Jess.

-Hello.

One by one, our happy shoppers return to collect their

freshly wrapped gifts ready to place under the Christmas tree.

There you go, Maggie, thank you very much. Have a lovely Christmas.

There you go. Is that ok for you?

Meanwhile, Alex and Paul are busy packing up their newly acquired

Christmas presents in their Santa sacks.

There we go, is that ok for you?

Thank you very much. Have a lovely Christmas.

-OK.

-Bye.

With the shopping centre winding down, the team call it a day and shut up shop.

The hustlers leave with their Santa sacks full of stolen presents,

and, as for the victims, they won't discover what's taken place until Christmas day.

These hustlers are far happier to receive than to give during the season of goodwill.

Due to another tie, we have joint second.

This scam worked so, so well, but it was just so uncomfortable

for me cos I was sat in a tiny little box for over two hours.

You know, the thing that really got to me was while we were building it, while Jess was still getting in

and out of the box, people were trying to use the machine, we were turning them away.

But you know, that shows you how convincing the box was.

This is called the cash machine con.

In the UK there are around 100 withdrawals from cash points every

second, and that high demand means that cash machines are springing up in shops, pubs and on the street.

We're all used to protecting our pin number from prying eyes, but what if

the whole machine is designed to hustle money from your bank account and into the pockets of con men?

This is the cash machine con.

That's lovely.

-Yeah.

-This is good, isn't it?

In the den, the boys assemble the fake cash machine...

-I'm gonna hook this up to the computer.

-Yeah.

-And then tap the screen from here and also here.

-Camera.

-Camera here.

-That's perfect.

..making sure every last detail looks authentic.

You hit the space bar, enter your pin, you get the pin from the keyboard there.

Please wait while we process your request, just wait as long as you want.

Right, come on, let's go.

Once the paint's dry, the hustlers assemble the plywood cash point

and place it in a spot with plenty of passing pedestrians.

But each time they put their card in, it's rejected.

The reason's simple - normal cash machines are supposed

to be full of money, but this one's designed to hide a hustler.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Oh.

-All right?

-Yeah.

-That's fine.

-Bye.

-Watch fingers.

Inside the cramped box, Jess has the laptop which controls

the display screen of the cash machine and a magnetic card reader

able to copy bank card details.

It's also equipped with a small camera to record pin number entries.

She doesn't have long to wait.

It only takes a few minutes for an unsuspecting victim to approach the machine.

As soon as he inserts his card, Jess springs into action.

While she quickly processes the card in the laptop,

Paul keeps watch outside, just in case the mark realises

the box is dodgy.

Jess quickly pokes the mark's card back out of the machine.

Frustrated that the cash point's not working,

he goes in search of another ATM, unaware that he's just been scammed.

Even though the cash point only appeared

in the street a few minutes ago, it takes just seconds for another mark to try to withdraw money.

Again, Jess takes the card and changes the display

to ask for a pin number.

Jess now has enough information to clone her card, clear out her bank

account, and go on a shopping spree at the mark's expense.

Another unsatisfied customer.

She's got her work cut out just keeping up.

In a very short time, this scam can earn the hustlers tens of thousands of pounds.

After just two hours,

the hustlers have collected the account information

and pin numbers of 25 unsuspecting card holders.

It told me after I'd put my card in, that it was unable to dispense cash.

It looks normal, all the functions, buttons.

I gave it a kick cos it had no money, it was solid.

I cannot see how anyone would know my pin number.

Is it not a real cash machine?

What a twit I look.

You could draw anything out me bank.

I could have been cleaned out then.

I could have been absolutely cleaned out. Oh dear.

While this cash machine never gives you any money, it does pay out a tidy sum to the scam artists.

And before anyone rumbles them, all they have to do is pack it up and move it to a street corner near you.

Joint second.

I'll always remember this scam, because it's the first one

the three of us did together.

I remember being so nervous before thinking "what if this goes wrong?"

"What if that goes wrong?" But it just went so well, it couldn't have gone any better.

Remember how much we rehearsed? It was early days

so we rehearsed every single eventuality.

What happens if this happens, and of course what happened on the day?

Something we hadn't rehearsed. This is the Jewellery Shop Scam.

The hustlers have selected a small high street jewellers as the perfect place to stage this scam.

Unbeknown to the shop staff, our hidden cameras had been placed

inside to cover the following action.

Jess enters the shop first, looking well-dressed and respectable.

-Hiya.

-Hi.

-Oh, it's so cold.

-I know, its horrible today.

I'm looking for a necklace.

She approaches the counter and talks to the staff about wanting to buy a new necklace.

Silver.

Definitely...

Alex comes into the shop shortly after.

He is apparently just another browsing shopper.

And where's the third member of our team?

Paul is outside, ready to step in on cue.

Got a nice one here.

After some browsing, they show Jess a necklace that takes her fancy.

Yeah, that's the sort of length.

-Yes.

-How much is this one?

-It's quite expensive, actually.

-Oh.

£624.

The necklace is worth around £600, which is a suitable bit of swag for this scam.

Jess seems happy with the choice, and says she'll buy it.

One, two, three,

four, that's a hundred.

One, two, three, four.

As she finishes counting the notes, Alex sweeps in.

-OK, stop there, police.

-What?

-Walthamstow Police.

Tracey, I'm placing you under arrest for deception and fraud.

Leave that money, let my colleague in.

Flashing the fake police badge, he arrests Jess for passing counterfeit money.

-Will the shopkeepers buy his act?

-We've been following her all day.

There's been counterfeit cash.

She's been passing it off for jewellers.

Can I have a look?

-Yeah, go ahead.

-The shocked shopkeepers have bought his line and the hook and sinker too.

The hustlers insist the cash is forged and must be bagged as evidence.

In fact, it's the gang's own hustled bank roll and it's not forged at all.

Has to all go in for evidence for her.

I'm afraid that's part of the evidence as well now.

You will get it back obviously.

And there it is, Alex the fake copper has convinced the shop keeper to bag up the £600 necklace as well.

If I could ask you just to pop that in here.

-Thank you.

-It's all going to plan.

With the necklace bagged, the scam is complete.

Our team of hustlers have cleverly choreographed a theft worth £600 from right under their noses.

-Bitch! You could have cost me my job, you know that?

-Yeah.

-The hustlers leave the shop claiming to be off to the police station.

-OK.

I'll be back in an hour. I'm going to take a full statement from you.

Obviously it will go down as evidence for her, yeah?

Had this been a real scam, it would have been the last time the shopkeepers ever saw their necklace.

Here it is - the scam you voted the Real Hustle's best ever con.

You know, the hardest part about this wasn't switching the till in and out,

it was carrying that thing into the store and then back out again.

Especially after it was filled with money. It weighed a tonne.

Remember after we set it up, it was quiet to begin with, and then it got really busy

and there was loads of people trying to pay at this fake till.

And we had to struggle for a quiet time to pack it all up and leave.

-It was too successful.

-It was! This is the fake till.

It's the Christmas rush, and to cope with the high demand

shops have to employ additional staff and open extra tills.

So under these perfect conditions,

the boys are gonna see if they can replicate a scam that happened in a London department store.

This is one of the toughest scams the hustlers have attempted.

The store is patrolled by security guards and management.

If the boys get recognised, the game's up.

They split up and Alex, who is gonna play the role of the till assistant, needs to look the part.

And where better to get your outfit from than the store itself?

He simply changes into his new uniform in an unmanned changing room.

Meanwhile, Paul heads to a cashier's desk at the back of the store

that they know won't be in use. But what's Paul got in the bag?

It's a fully functioning cashier till with a twist.

Earlier in the day the boys bought a cheap portable cash till

and programmed it to print out receipts with the store's name.

-Please call again.

-Please don't call the police.

Whilst Alex is making sure he looks the part, Paul is setting up a PDA with a card reader attached to it

which will record the details of any bank card that is swiped at the bogus till.

The till is up and running and ready for Alex.

They've gone unnoticed and now, as far as anyone is concerned,

Alex is just another cashier and Paul stays close to keep an eye out for security guards.

They've given themselves a few hours to get as much money as possible

and it's not long before their first customer approaches.

So how many have you got? Four.

That's 24, please.

Oh, buy one, get one free - I didn't see the sticker there. OK, well, that's...£12.

The instant Alex has opened the till a queue of people has formed.

-Thank you very much.

-Alex makes sure he takes off the security tags.

If a customer sets off the alarm, his cover could be blown.

This man wants to pay by credit card. This is great news for Alex.

He skims it in the card reader that Paul attached earlier

-which then records all of the man's card details.

-It's a new card.

-Have you authorised it already?

-Yeah, I have.

He then pretends that the card reader doesn't work

and asks the man if he can pay in cash, a double whammy.

Alex and Paul now have the details to clone this man's card

and potentially clean out his bank account.

Ready for my next customer, please. Thank you.

Over the next hour the guys totally clean up.

Getting numerous credit card details, bank account details,

cheques and cash transactions.

All the while, Paul is vigilantly keeping an eye out for security guards or anything suspicious.

This lady wants to pay by cheque - that's perfectly fine by Alex.

He can hand her his pen, and then ask for a cheque guarantee card,

which he swipes through the card reader to obtain her bank details.

She doesn't question the fact you don't need to do this when taking a cheque.

And the same goes for this gentleman.

He hands over his cheque guarantee card, Alex swipes it and has now got all his details.

This one?

-Or this one?

-Go away.

Another credit card followed by more cash.

They've been here an hour and a half and Paul is getting itchy feet.

-The longer they stay, the higher the risk of getting caught.

-What do you think? Another 5 minutes?

-Another 5 minutes.

-Make sure I can still lift that thing off the desk.

Yeah, no, we're doing good. Let's give it another 5.

Over the next 5 minutes, the guys get another 5 customers...

-Thanks very much. Bye-bye.

-..until Paul decides to call it a day.

This is the final run.

Alex must get out of his clothes and Paul has to get the till out of the shop without being spotted.

They've made it with a grand total of £1,860 and 15 swiped credit cards.

Our hustlers have pulled off the fake till scam.

So, those were the cons which you voted the best ever.

Remember, wherever you are or whoever you're with, if it sounds too good to be true...

it probably is.