Episode 7 The Real Hustle

This is The Real Hustle: New Recruits.

The Hustlers are back. This time, they've brought in two new faces

to help them with their scams.

New recruits Polly and Jazz...

..join original hustlers Paul, Jess and Alex.

Working together as a team, they'll carry out scams

that are more cunning and devious than ever before.

On tonight's show:

this lady has misplaced her TV...

I can't believe I was so stupid.

Paul meets his match...

Snap them off so you've got a tiny bit of wood left like that.

..and Sarah Jayne Dunn is worried about Alex's health.

-Have you got a doctor?

-I don't need a doctor. I'm OK.

The Hustlers have invited celebrity friends to help with their scams.

They'll be thrown in at the deep end. No training and no practice,

just straight in.

Today's celebrity guest Hustler

is a British actress best known for her starring role in Hollyoaks,

Sarah Jayne Dunn.

I don't have any strategy as such to get through today

because I don't know what my hustle is. I've got a million possibilities of what I might be doing.

The skills that I've got that might help me today are that I'm an actress,

so I'm used to playing a different role.

Hopefully I'll be able to get into some kind of character to help me.

I'm a bit anxious and apprehensive but very excited to know what I'm going to be doing.

Sarah has been told to go to the foyer of an up-market business hotel.

Right on cue, here's someone to give her the hustle briefing.

-Hi.

-Hello.

-Are you ready to get your scam on?

-I think so!

-Do you want to know a bit about it?

-Love to.

You know that sometimes we sell people things that aren't real.

That's an easy scam.

But some people are wise to that, so we sell them something that's genuine,

-worth a great deal of money, but we sell it to them for a much cheaper price.

-OK.

-But how do you get away with the money and the goods?

-No idea.

-Isn't that impossible?

-We're going to find out!

How exciting!

-Why don't you meet the gang?

-Perfect.

-Let's go that way.

Sarah's going to have to hold her nerve in The Choke.

This hotel is right next to Heathrow Airport

and is full of people having business meetings

and preparing to fly off to foreign shores.

Both are likely to be carrying sums of money on them,

making them very attractive to hustlers.

This lady takes a seat near the hotel bar,

unaware she's about to become today's mark.

She barely has time to settle in with her friend

before some more hotel guests make their entrance.

It's Alex and Sarah,

posing as business travellers.

But their luggage is a little unusual.

Judging by the metal briefcase strapped to Alex's wrist,

he's carrying more than his passport and something to read.

As they carry their drinks towards some empty seating, it's down to Sarah to cause a scene.

Sorry!

Sorry!

I've managed to spill everything. Sorry.

She's spilled their sparkling water all over the sofa.

Where will they sit now?

The little accident was an excuse for them to be able to sit next to the mark and her friend.

Excuse me. Do you mind if we sit here while he cleans up my mess?

-Sorry. Managed to throw everything on the floor.

-Sorry.

-On my boots.

Alex is making sure the ladies notice the briefcase and the handcuff.

You can never be too sure.

Why, do I look like a criminal?

Don't say that!

Criminal?! As if!

This is me. We sell watches.

-We have TAG Heuer.

-They are beautiful.

-You like them?

-Gorgeous watches.

This is the most popular model at the moment.

-We're selling quite a lot of these.

-That's my favourite one.

-Yes.

Or that. This is a Breitling.

Alex lets the mark take a closer look at the goods.

-They are very popular at the moment.

-Or you can have it as a necklace.

They're certainly nice watches. That's because they're worth a lot of money.

That's 2,145.

That's not cost price, that's retail.

I'll close that before people get some interesting ideas.

-Hence the paraphernalia. It looks a bit scary.

-It looks dramatic!

They all seem to be getting on very well.

Time for Jess to cause a bit of an interruption.

Sorry to interrupt. Hello, I have a message for you.

Mr Marx has missed his flight from Paris and won't be able to get here.

OK. Thank you.

-Sorry about that.

-That's not good.

What time is our flight? ..Six.

-He's missed it completely?

-Missed it completely.

Sounds like an important business meeting has been cancelled.

And Alex doesn't look too happy about it.

What are we going to do? We can't take them with us.

I'd have to pay import duty on these.

The cancelled meeting clearly had something to do with those watches.

-Have we got enough time to go into town?

-No.

-No?

-Not at all. We're pushing it anyway.

We're just going to have to try and find somebody to approach.

I couldn't interest you in a watch?

Doesn't look like it.

He explains his predicament.

We've got a bit of a strange situation.

We have a dealer who was going to come here and buy these.

He's agreed to pay four grand for them, but he's not coming.

We're going to Los Angeles at, what time?, six o'clock.

And I can't take these with me because the price of import duty to Los Angeles

would be phenomenal.

So I want to get rid of them for cost price.

Cost price for me is £1,500.

The whole thing retail would give you about 5,500,

-maybe 6,000.

-Nearer 6,000, I'd say.

If you're interested, you could take the watches, and make a big profit.

So he's offering the mark three luxury watches for the wholesale price of just £1,500.

Things like this, you could go to any jeweller.

Yeah, if you want to do that.

You know.

Do you want me to tell you which ones you have?

The mark wants to know exactly what the time-pieces are worth.

The TAG is called the TAG Carrera, if you wanted to look that up.

That should be about 2,100 in retail.

She looks the watches up online.

Sure enough, they seem to check out.

But even that amazing bargain on offer isn't good enough for this lady.

It would have to be 1,500 because then I would feel fair.

She's playing hardball.

It's the bargain of the century!

-1,500 is the bargain of the century.

-I like them, too, but 1,500 is the bargain of the century.

Oh, my good Lord!

Do you have it cash?

Do you have to go and get it or do you have it here?

Deal done, then.

Alex decides to let her have them for the knock-down price of £1,100.

This must really be her lucky day!

And there's the cash. The mark hands over £1,100 to two people she's only just met.

But here's the thing. Those watches really are worth £6,000 in the shops.

Who's hustling who here?

All that's left is to hand over the watches.

But here comes Jess to throw a spanner in the works.

Mr Steel, sorry, there's been a bit of confusion at the other end.

Mr Marx got another flight. He'll be in in five minutes.

-Really sorry.

-What?

-He'll be here in about five minutes.

There's been some confusion the other end. His PA's just called.

He's on his way now. He said he'll meet you in your usual suite.

So the business meeting is back on.

Mr Marx, the original buyer, will be here shortly

and he'll want those watches.

Alex pays for all their drinks but unfortunately for the mark,

the amazing deal is off.

Right. I think you might have your money back.

-No, you can't do that.

-I think that's cheating.

Sarah's job is to side with the mark and make Alex keep his word.

-You can't do that.

-This man is going to pay me £4,000 for these watches.

-Send him my way!

-He's not going to deal with you because he's my client.

-But I will do the deal with him and you get your profit.

-No. Can't do that.

Wanting to do the right thing, Alex offers to sell the watches to Mr Marx for her

and let her have the profits.

You don't want to make any money?

She wants out altogether.

-No, you come with me.

-Come with us.

I'm not going to run off. He's coming here. We've come together.

I will sell them on your behalf and you will make...

..£2,400 profit.

We'll go upstairs, sit there, and Mr Marx should be here in two minutes. Want to come?

The mark has agreed to let Alex sell on the watches,

promising her a healthy profit.

But she's still suspicious about what's going on.

And so she should be, because it's all about to go horribly wrong.

Are you OK?

When hustlers go out, they don't bring money.

They bring prop bets.

The proposition bet only has one rule.

And that's that the hustler always wins.

-When was the last time you bought a guy a drink?

-Never.

-OK.

This will be the first time. Have you ever bought a guy a drink?

Never bought a guy a drink in your whole life?

Tonight I'm going to buy you all drinks or you all have to buy me a drink.

Fair enough? OK.

I've got a little challenge, OK?

It uses three matches. Take that.

Snap them off so you've got a tiny bit of wood left. Just about that.

There's one. There's two, and one more.

OK?

So, we have to make them float in the bottle at this level here.

More or less.

First of all, I'll mark the level so we know exactly what we're talking about.

There. Would you say that's right?

Yeah.

If we drop them in, they'll float at that level. So to make it more difficult, we'll top it up.

This makes it more difficult. And there are a couple of rules.

First, you can't lift the bottle off the table.

And you can't tilt it and you can't remove any water at all.

So, to win a drink, Paul's friends need to make three broken match heads

float level with the line on the bottle.

Either all together or one at a time.

But they can't remove any water or tilt the bottle.

I was going to cover the top and put it to the side.

-Would that not work?

-Not really. They'd be floating at this level.

Yeah. You're right.

You couldn't put your hand over it and turn it?

No. It wouldn't be upright and you'd probably spill some.

It's going to be so easy when we find out the answer!

I just don't see any possible way of doing that

without taking the water out.

-And you can't tip the bottle.

-No.

OK. Let's see you do it, then.

-Ready?

-Yep.

Press.

Oh, no!

There we go. Go.

There's one at that level.

Wow!

There's two at that level.

Yeah!

And there's...

three at that level.

Paul filled the bottle right up to the very top.

He then pushed down on the liquid using the palm of his hand.

This changed the water pressure, allowing him to make the matchsticks float

to any height in the bottle.

Each one required a slightly different pressure

to hit the winning line.

So, that'll be three Martinis.

The bar's over there.

Cool.

That was three Martinis. One each.

A weekday morning. A shopping precinct on a local high street.

And a couple of shoppers doing what shoppers do - shopping.

This is The Shop Lift.

20 minutes later, the shoppers exit, having made a purchase.

And that's why this lady has just become the mark.

She doesn't get far before she and her husband are stopped by a man in a fluorescent jacket.

I think I have them here. Is it a Toshiba?

-Excuse me. Sorry. Did you just buy that from Taylors?

-Yes.

They just asked me to stop you. There's a problem with the TV.

And here comes a sales assistant to sort out the confusion.

Sorry. Sorry.

We've given you the wrong one. That's a refurb.

Sorry. Can you put that down?

Sounds like there's been a mistake in the shop.

They've been given the wrong box.

There's a guy coming to pick this up. That's a refurb for a hotel.

-He's coming to pick it up.

-This is your delivery van?

Yes, the white van that comes here.

I can only wait for two minutes, OK?

Come into the shop and I'll give you the one you're meant to have. Sorry.

The security guard is willing to watch the box for a while.

That'll be picked up. It belongs to someone else. It's a refurb.

You need a brand-new one.

The mark is happy with the official taking charge of the TV

and heads back into the shop with the assistant.

We've mixed up the box. So I had to rush and get you.

If you go up and wait by the couch area. Oh, I've got to give him the invoice. I'll be one second.

Can't forget the paperwork!

The couple head up to the television department of the shop.

They're soon noticed by the employee that sold them the TV.

It was a refurb TV. The guy told us to wait. We're waiting for the telly.

-I don't know...

-Is there a guy in here with glasses?

There's no employee matching that description.

Now seriously concerned, the mark heads back downstairs to find the man with the glasses.

Unfortunately, he's nowhere to be seen.

Nor is their brand-new flat screen TV.

So how did the hustlers convince the mark to hand over her new goods

to complete strangers on the pavement?

The hustlers were in position and on the look-out long before the mark arrived.

Paul was outside looking for customers entering the electrical store.

And Alex was already waiting inside.

To the genuine shop staff, he looked like a customer.

Just having a look around. Thanks.

But when the mark walked in, he made sure to fiddle with some price labels

establishing himself as someone that worked there.

Having observed the direction the couple arrived from, Paul positioned himself in their path,

ready to intercept.

Excuse me. Did you just buy that from Taylor's?

-Sorry...

-There's a problem with the TV.

Sorry, can you put that down? Sorry, that's my fault. You need the other one.

Once the mark had been separated from the box...

..Paul loaded it into the waiting hustle van.

If you go upstairs and wait by the couch area, I'll be with you.

Oh, I've got to give him the invoice. One second.

Then Alex hopped aboard. Before the mark even realised anything was wrong,

they were gone.

I was going to wait with the guy, but he wanted both of us to go back.

I can't believe we were so stupid.

He walked us to the shop and said, "Wait there for the TV."

We thought he worked in the shop and that we'd picked up the wrong TV.

We assumed he worked in the shop because he was in the shop when we bought the TV.

And now we realise that they've gone with the TV.

This scam is so convincing because the mask is faced with two figures of authority -

a security guard and a shop employee.

The natural reaction is to assume they're both legit and do as they ask.

Never get separated from your possessions, even something you've just bought.

If there's a problem, take it back to the shop yourself and sort things out,

even if it's really heavy.

Earlier today, actress Sarah Jayne Dunn helped rope in a mark in a hotel lobby.

Excuse me. Do you mind if we sit here while he cleans up my mess?

Together with Alex, she persuaded her to help them out by buying expensive watches

at a fraction of the real cost.

1,500 is the bargain of the century.

But now Alex's original business partner is turning up

expecting to pick up all the time-pieces.

Mr Marx got another flight. He'll be about five minutes.

I will sell them on your behalf and you will make £2,400 profit.

The mark has agreed to let Alex sell on the watches,

promising her a healthy profit.

In The Choke, part two.

Alex and Sarah take the ladies upstairs to a conference room in the same hotel.

Have a seat.

They prepare themselves for the arrival of Mr Marx,

the business contact.

He's a very fussy client, so Alex gives the ladies an excuse to be in the room for the deal.

Would you mind if I say you're friends of Oona's mother?

That gives us a good excuse of why there's two strangers in the room.

So at least he doesn't start asking questions.

Alex lets the mark see that the genuine expensive watches

are still in the briefcase.

Of course they are. They've been chained to his wrist since he entered the hotel.

-Do you mind getting me a bit of water?

-Yeah.

All the excitement seems to be taking its toll on Alex.

He looks a little under the weather.

Hopefully that glass of water will perk him up.

Because here comes his client, Mr Rob Marx, also known as hustler Paul.

-Hi.

-Hello.

-Always with the left, with us.

These are some friends of Oona's parents.

-You don't mind, do you?

-They're here now.

-Yeah.

-OK.

Right now, Alex has the watches and the mark's money.

She's keeping a very close eye on him.

Perfect.

Again, Alex looks unwell. It must be too hot in the room.

I'll sit down, actually.

Do you want some... You've got your water.

-Are you all right?

-I feel a bit light-headed.

Paul checks over the watches, making sure they're up to his high standards.

Tell the ladies that the Breitling retails at around three and a half.

In my shop, it retails at about four!

Well, yeah, that's your shop.

KNOCK AT DOOR

-Hi.

-Hello.

Jess arrives with more refreshments.

-Are you OK?

-You don't have a doctor, do you?

Sarah is getting increasingly concerned about Alex's health.

We haven't got a doctor. We've got a paramedic.

I don't need a doctor! Don't be silly. I'm fine.

-Can you send up the paramedic?

-OK.

-Do you mind?

-That's fine.

Just to check. We've got a long flight.

Jess goes off to get a medic who happens to be in the hotel.

I'll be fine. I'll be fine.

-These are fine.

-Yeah?

-Yep.

But this doesn't stop the business deal going ahead.

Paul hands over £4,000 in cash for the watches, currently owned by the mark.

-So we said four.

-Yep.

OK.

Now just to unlock the handcuffs and hand Paul the briefcase.

But Alex is so unwell, he's struggling to find the key.

Have I given you the keys?

No. Are you OK?

-Yeah.

-Are you sure?

And then disaster.

-Alex collapses to the floor.

-Are you OK?

Go and see if she's getting the paramedic! Go and see!

Sarah is beside herself with worry and it's all happening at the mark's feet.

Alex must be having some kind of seizure. He's even foaming at the mouth.

She's bringing someone now.

At last, here comes the medic.

He's just collapsed.

Move out the way, please.

What happened here?

She looks an awful lot like new hustler Polly!

Ian, can you hear me? Can you hear me?

She can't find a pulse.

She has to get out her defibrillator and restart his heart.

What's this? Have you got the key? Undo that, please.

But there's a problem.

Who's got the keys?

She can't give Alex a shock with a metal box chained to his wrist.

What they need right now is the key to the handcuff.

There was a key handed in ten minutes ago at reception.

Do you know what the key looks like?

Sarah's too busy looking after her husband.

The only other person who's seen the key is the mark.

-Do you know what the key looks like?

-We need to get this off him now.

He'll be fine. We need the keys.

The marks are shell-shocked, but do as they're told

and go to reception to get the key.

But no key has been handed in here.

Moments later, by the time they get back upstairs...

..it's too late.

Oh, for God's sake!

The paramedic, the businessman and the friendly couple they met in the lobby are gone.

Along with the mark's money and those expensive watches.

We're going to Los Angeles at six o'clock.

Of course, those airline tickets were as phoney as the whole set-up.

They were actually knocked up by new hustler Jazz on a computer.

And that foam coming from Alex's mouth should actually have perked him up a bit.

It was produced by an antacid tablet slipped into his mouth by Sarah.

He'll be fine. We just need the key. Someone get the key. We need the key!

As soon as they'd walked down the stairs, Paul gave everyone left in the room

the signal to get out.

Whilst the ladies were busy talking to the reception staff,

the whole troupe of hustlers left the hotel by the fire escape.

That was nerve-wracking

and it was scary how easily it can be done.

This isn't going to be a new career path for me.

I'd feel too guilty. My conscience wouldn't allow me.

Once was enough. I'm glad I've done the hustle, but no more!

In this scam, the marks are put in a very stressful situation.

They think Alex is having a heart attack.

So the last thing on their mind is the cash in his pocket or the watches chained to his wrist.

This was a very elaborate scam.

The underlying message here is you should never buy high-value goods

like jewellery or watches or electrical equipment from somebody you don't know.

And certainly never part with cash in those circumstances.

It sounds too good to be true? It isn't true.

If you want to know more about how the show is made,

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