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* Alexander Courage, the composer for the theme to ''Series/StarTrek'' signed what he thought was a boilerplate document about using his music on the show. When the first season ended, he found out that he had agreed, through the document, to have Creator/GeneRoddenberry write lyrics to the theme. This meant that half the profits from the first season were given to Roddenberry, even though the lyrics were never meant to be sung on the show. Courage never wrote any more music for the series.
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* ''Radio/BleakExpectations:'' Pip Bin gets tricked by a money lender into signing a lease with grotesquely inflated interest, fluctuating wildly and randomly in the money lender's favour, via reverse-psychology. As Pip was signing the form, the man instructed him to ''not'' sign a specific part. At which point Pip signed it.
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* Attempted in the Creator/TimothyZahn novel ''The Manta's Gift''. Unfortunately for the villain, the person they try this on (in order to implicate him in a fictitious rebellion against the government) is ''far'' to clever for them and makes them look like idiots: he signs it left-handed (so the signature doesn't match his handwriting) while wearing gloves (so his fingerprints and DNA aren't on the paper) using the name of a corporate mascot instead of himself. When they try to use the "signed" paper against him without having double-checked it, they're completely discredited.
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* ''Series/DrakeAndJosh'': In "Really Big Shrimp", Josh is tricked into signing away the creative rights to Drake's latest song. In a variation of this trope, the papers aren't disguised; Josh was given the titular shrimp which was so delicious, he wouldn't even bother to read them.
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Rule Of Cautious Editing Judgment: Even if this is true, we don't need one more example enough to be worth the amount of friction this particular example is likely to cause.
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* Donald Trump reportedly signed an executive order giving Steve Bannon a seat on the National Security Council while apparently being unaware that this was what he was agreeing to.
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* Donald Trump reportedly signed an executive order giving Steve Bannon a seat on the National Security Council while apparently being unaware that this was what he was agreeing to.
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* In ''ComicBook/TheSensationalSheHulk'' #12, the villain uses the old "can I have your autograph?" trick to get Jen's signature on a release form allowing him to make a film of her life.
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* Inverted in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "Bart the Fink": Instead of trying to get Krusty's signature in the guise of an autograph, Bart tries to get Krusty's autograph in the guise of a signature. He gives Krusty a check, expecting that Krusty will have to endorse it with his signature, but the plan fails because Krusty endorses his checks with the name of his Cayman Islands holding corporation.
** Played straight in the episode "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes." Burns discovers that Homer is sterile because of the radiation from the plant. He gets Homer to sign a liability waver and accept $2000 as compensation by telling him he's won an award and needs to sign paperwork for it (although Homer does insist on an awards ceremony).
** Played straight in the episode "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes." Burns discovers that Homer is sterile because of the radiation from the plant. He gets Homer to sign a liability waver and accept $2000 as compensation by telling him he's won an award and needs to sign paperwork for it (although Homer does insist on an awards ceremony).
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* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** Inverted in''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "Bart the Fink": Instead of trying to get Krusty's signature in the guise of an autograph, Bart tries to get Krusty's autograph in the guise of a signature. He gives Krusty a check, expecting that Krusty will have to endorse it with his signature, but the plan fails because Krusty endorses his checks with the name of his Cayman Islands holding corporation.
**Played straight in the episode In "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes." Dimes", Burns discovers that Homer is sterile because of the radiation from the plant. He gets Homer to sign a liability waver and accept $2000 as compensation by telling him he's won an award and needs to sign paperwork for it (although Homer does insist on an awards ceremony).
** Inverted in
**
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** Played straight in the episode "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes." Burns discovers that Homer is sterile because of the radiation from the plant. He gets Homer to sign a liability waver and accept $2000 as compensation by telling him he's won an award and needs to sign paperwork for it (although Homer does insist on an awards ceremony).
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[[/folder]]
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[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneySpiritOfJustice'' has this happen to Trucy in the 2nd case. A TV producer asks Trucy to sign a contract for her magic show to be televised on his network and she does so. Later on, the same producer starts demanding several million dollars in compensation because Trucy's show ended in disaster due to her accidentally murdering someone on stage and that she's responsible for it due to her signing the contract with those clauses. Apollo doesn't buy it because he knows Trucy would never sign such a contract. [[spoiler: And he is right. The contract Trucy signed was on carbon paper, which copied her signature on a different contract behind it and she had no knowledge of it. She also didn't kill the victim. It was all done by the producer to get Trucy's life ruined due to what her grandfather did to him in the past.]]
* ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneySpiritOfJustice'' has this happen to Trucy in the 2nd case. A TV producer asks Trucy to sign a contract for her magic show to be televised on his network and she does so. Later on, the same producer starts demanding several million dollars in compensation because Trucy's show ended in disaster due to her accidentally murdering someone on stage and that she's responsible for it due to her signing the contract with those clauses. Apollo doesn't buy it because he knows Trucy would never sign such a contract. [[spoiler: And he is right. The contract Trucy signed was on carbon paper, which copied her signature on a different contract behind it and she had no knowledge of it. She also didn't kill the victim. It was all done by the producer to get Trucy's life ruined due to what her grandfather did to him in the past.]]
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* In the live action film adaptation of ''Film/TheFlintstones'', Fred is given a superfluous executive position and asked to sign a bunch of bulky forms. Fred questions it at first, but he is bribed by his superior, Cliff Vandercave. Later, [[AccquiredSituationalNarcissism after the money changes Fred]], he unwittingly signs requisition forms which authorize laying off his coworkers.
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* In the live action film adaptation of ''Film/TheFlintstones'', Fred is given a superfluous executive position and asked to sign a bunch of bulky forms. Fred questions it at first, but he is bribed by his superior, Cliff Vandercave. Later, [[AccquiredSituationalNarcissism [[AcquiredSituationalNarcissism after the money changes Fred]], he unwittingly signs requisition forms which authorize laying off his coworkers.
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* In the live action film adaptation of ''Film/TheFlintstones'', Fred is given a superfluous executive position and asked to sign a bunch of bulky forms. Fred questions it at first, but he is bribed by his superior, Cliff Vandercave. Later, [[AccquiredSituationalNarcissism after the money changes Fred]], he unwittingly signs requisition forms which authorize laying off his coworkers.
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I just saw this episode on Net Flix. It was Yakko that did this.
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* ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' have an episode where the Warners are taking the place of Plotz's sick secretary. So either Wakko or Yakko gives Plotz a few documents to sign, hiding among them a check for $80 billion. He then shouts to his brother and sister, "We're rich!" Plotz takes the check away, to which the brother merely says, "We're poor!"
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* ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' have an episode where the Warners are taking the place of Plotz's sick secretary. So either Wakko or Yakko gives Plotz a few documents to sign, hiding among them a check for $80 billion. He then shouts to his brother and sister, "We're rich!" Plotz takes the check away, to which the brother merely says, "We're poor!"
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* In the ''Series/{{Gotham}}'' episode "Mad Gray Dawn", Eddie Nygma asks a policeman to sign a routine form at the scene of a bombing. He's actually signed [[spoiler: a statement that he saw Jim kill Galavan, which Eddie later uses to frame Jim for the policeman's murder]].
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* In the ''Series/{{Gotham}}'' episode "Mad Gray Dawn", Eddie Nygma asks a policeman to sign a routine form at the scene of a bombing. He's actually signed [[spoiler: a statement that he saw Jim kill Galavan, which Eddie later uses to frame Jim for the policeman's murder]].
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* In the Marisa Berenson episode of ''Series/TheMuppetShow'', Miss Piggy plots to marry Kermit by casting him in a wedding skit and hiring a real priest. Her accomplice Scooter gets Kermit's signature on the marriage licence by telling him a sob story about a dear little old lady in the audience who wants his autograph for her sick grandson.
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* In the Marisa Berenson episode of ''Series/TheMuppetShow'', Miss Piggy plots to marry Kermit by casting him in a wedding skit and hiring a real priest. Her accomplice Scooter gets Kermit's signature on the marriage licence by telling him a sob story about a dear little old lady in the audience who wants his autograph for her sick grandson.
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* In the ''Series/{{Gotham}}'' episode "Mad Gray Dawn", Eddie Nygma asks a policeman to sign a routine form at the scene of a bombing. He's actually signed [[spoiler: a statement that he saw Jim kill Galavan, which Eddie later uses to frame Jim for the policeman's murder]].
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* In the ''Series/{{Gotham}}'' episode "Mad Gray Dawn", Eddie Nygma asks a policeman to sign a routine form at the scene of a bombing. He's actually signed [[spoiler: a statement that he saw Jim kill Galavan, which Eddie later uses to frame Jim for the policeman's murder]].
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* In the ''Series/{{Gotham}}'' episode "Mad Gray Dawn", Eddie Nygma asks a policeman to sign a routine form at the scene of a bombing. He's actually signed [[spoiler: a statement that he saw Jim kill Galavan, which Eddie later uses to frame Jim for the policeman's murder]].
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Web Links Are Not Examples. An example should be written so that it's comprehensible without having to click on the link, or in case the link breaks.
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* Happens [[http://zeropercentdiscountcomic.tumblr.com/post/61247775889 in this strip]] of ''Webcomic/ZeroPercentDiscount''.
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* Happens In [[http://zeropercentdiscountcomic.tumblr.com/post/61247775889 in this strip]] of ''Webcomic/ZeroPercentDiscount''.''Webcomic/ZeroPercentDiscount'', a magician calls for an audience volunteer, then reveals that the audience member has volunteered not for a part in the show but to do volunteer work in the community.
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* Happens [[http://zeropercentdiscountcomic.tumblr.com/post/61247775889 in this strip]] of ''Webcomic/ZeroPercentDiscount''.
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* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'', the trio need a signed permission slip from a teacher in order to check out a book from the restricted section of the library. They pick the dumbest teacher [[MilesGloriosus Gilderoy Lockhart]] to get the signature from. While they ''do'' tell him the truth that it's for checking out a book, Lockhart clearly doesn't care and happily signs it as though it were yet another autograph.
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* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'', the trio need a signed permission slip from a teacher in order to check out a book from the restricted section of the library. They pick the dumbest teacher [[MilesGloriosus Gilderoy Lockhart]] to get the signature from. While they ''do'' tell him the truth that it's for checking out a book, Lockhart clearly doesn't care enough to notice ''which'' book they're checking out and happily signs it as though it were yet another autograph.
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alphabetical order
* On ''WesternAnimation/DastardlyAndMuttleyInTheirFlyingMachines'', in the episode "Home Sweet Homing Pigeon", Dick Dastardly asks Muttley, Klunk and Zilly to sign his memory book. They actually signed four-year enlistment renewals.
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* On ''WesternAnimation/DastardlyAndMuttleyInTheirFlyingMachines'', in the episode "Home Sweet Homing Pigeon", Dick Dastardly asks Muttley, Klunk and Zilly to sign his memory book. They actually signed four-year enlistment renewals.
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* ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' have an episode where the Warners are taking the place of Plotz's sick secretary. So one of them gives Plotz a few documents to sign, hiding among them a check for 80 billion. He then shouts to his brother and sister "We're rich!" Plotz takes the check away, to which the brother merely says "We're poor!"
to:
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' have an episode where the Warners are taking the place of Plotz's sick secretary. So one of them either Wakko or Yakko gives Plotz a few documents to sign, hiding among them a check for 80 $80 billion. He then shouts to his brother and sister sister, "We're rich!" Plotz takes the check away, to which the brother merely says says, "We're poor!"
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* In one ''WesternAnimation/{{Droopy}}'' cartoon, a competitor in a sports contest set up a fake psychic reading tent and asked for Droopy's signature to get a reading off it. Turns out he tricked him into signing a document confessing to cheating and forfeiting.
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* In one the ''WesternAnimation/{{Droopy}}'' cartoon, cartoon "The Chump Champ", a competitor in a sports contest set up a fake psychic reading tent and asked for Droopy's signature to get a reading off it. Turns out he tricked him Droopy into signing a document confessing to cheating and forfeiting.
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* In ''WesternAnimation/WabbitALooneyTunesProduction'', Bugs tricks Vladimir Angelo Chafong Reginald [=McMurthy=] into signing a trade contact by pretending to be a tourist and make him autograph several things without him noticing. This makes it legal for Vladimir to join the Alaskan Halibuts.
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* In ''WesternAnimation/WabbitALooneyTunesProduction'', Bugs tricks Vladimir Angelo Chafong Reginald [=McMurthy=] into signing a trade contact by pretending to be a tourist and make him autograph several things without him [Vladimir] noticing. This makes it legal for Vladimir to join the Alaskan Halibuts.Halibuts.
* On ''WesternAnimation/DastardlyAndMuttleyInTheirFlyingMachines'', in the episode "Home Sweet Homing Pigeon", Dick Dastardly asks Muttley, Klunk and Zilly to sign his memory book. They actually signed four-year enlistment renewals.
* On ''WesternAnimation/DastardlyAndMuttleyInTheirFlyingMachines'', in the episode "Home Sweet Homing Pigeon", Dick Dastardly asks Muttley, Klunk and Zilly to sign his memory book. They actually signed four-year enlistment renewals.
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* Creator/DouglasAdams claimed that the BBC did this to him to get the rights to release the unfinished ''Series/DoctorWho'' story "Shada", which he wanted buried, on home video.
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* Creator/DouglasAdams claimed that the BBC Creator/TheBBC did this to him to get the rights to release the unfinished ''Series/DoctorWho'' story "Shada", which he wanted buried, on home video.
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[[folder:Real Life]]
* Creator/DouglasAdams claimed that the BBC did this to him to get the rights to release the unfinished ''Series/DoctorWho'' story "Shada", which he wanted buried, on home video.
[[/folder]]
* Creator/DouglasAdams claimed that the BBC did this to him to get the rights to release the unfinished ''Series/DoctorWho'' story "Shada", which he wanted buried, on home video.
[[/folder]]
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* In the episode "The Signature" of ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'', Richard learns that his mother is getting married to Louie and moving to Florida. To prevent this, Richard tells Louie to sign a wedding guest list that's actually adoption papers--ones that make Louie Richard's ''son'', and thus gives him the authority to forbid Louie from seeing his fiancé anymore. Louie takes revenge by telling Richard's wife to sign school sign-up papers that make her ''his'' daughter so she has to obey the command of not seeing Richard anymore.
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* In the episode "The Signature" of ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'', Richard learns that his mother is getting married to Louie and moving to Florida. To prevent this, Richard tells Louie to sign a wedding guest list that's actually adoption papers--ones that make Louie Richard's ''son'', and thus gives him the authority to forbid Louie from seeing his fiancé anymore. Louie takes revenge by telling Richard's wife to sign school sign-up enrollment papers that make her ''his'' daughter so she has to obey the command of not seeing Richard anymore.
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* In ''Manga/{{Sabagebu}}'', the club president of titular [[{{UsefulNotes/Airsoft}} airsoft club]] catches Momoka the central heroine off-guard after a spurred-on match by [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_name#Characters asking her name, then calling it a pretty unusual one and then asking to write it down]] on ''this'' piece of paper, here you go. Too late to realize it was a club application form, Momoka is allowed a respite since to join she would have to hand the application in person. Then again, a not quite conscious person knocked out by a spiked melon bun, as it turns out, works.
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* In ''Manga/{{Sabagebu}}'', the club president of the titular [[{{UsefulNotes/Airsoft}} airsoft club]] catches Momoka the central heroine off-guard after a spurred-on match by [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_name#Characters asking her name, then calling it a pretty unusual one and then asking to write it down]] on ''this'' piece of paper, here you go. Too late to realize it was a club application form, Momoka is allowed a respite since to join she would have to hand the application in person. Then again, a not quite conscious person knocked out by a spiked melon bun, as it turns out, works.
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%%
%% Examples in each section are in alphabetical order.
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%% Please insert new examples in the appropriate place,
%% not just add them at the end.
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%% Examples in each section are in alphabetical order.
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%% Please insert new examples in the appropriate place,
%% not just add them at the end.
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* ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'' had Will try this on Uncle Phil, sliding a receipt for a bad behaviour letter from his school in with some other paperwork. Uncle Phil was distracted by Will's fast talking, so Will got away with it... until Carlton blabbed about it.
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* ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'' had Will try this on Uncle Phil, sliding a receipt for a bad behaviour letter from his school in with some other paperwork and got away with it, as Uncle Phil was distracted by Will's fast talking. Well, got away with it until Carlton blabbed about it at least.
* In the WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck cartoon ''The Flying Jalopy'', Don buys an airplane from an unscrupulous HonestJohn type who makes him sign an insurance policy, but folds the paper to hide the fact that he, not Donald, is the beneficiary.
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* In the WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck cartoon ''The Flying Jalopy'', Don buys an airplane from an unscrupulous HonestJohn type who makes him sign an insurance policy, but folds the paper to hide the fact that he, not Donald, is the beneficiary.
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* In the episode "The Signature" of ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'', Richard learns that his mother is getting married to Louie, so he (Richard) tricks Louie getting adopted so that he has the authority to command him (Louie) to no longer see his (Louie's) fiancé anymore. Louie takes revenge by tricking Richard's wife into being adopted by him (Louie) so that she has to obey the command of not seeing Richard anymore.
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* In the episode "The Signature" of ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'', Richard learns that his mother is getting married to Louie, so he (Richard) tricks Louie getting adopted so and moving to Florida. To prevent this, Richard tells Louie to sign a wedding guest list that's actually adoption papers--ones that he has make Louie Richard's ''son'', and thus gives him the authority to command him (Louie) to no longer see forbid Louie from seeing his (Louie's) fiancé anymore. Louie takes revenge by tricking telling Richard's wife into being adopted by him (Louie) so to sign school sign-up papers that make her ''his'' daughter so she has to obey the command of not seeing Richard anymore.
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* In the WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck cartoon ''The Flying Jalopy'', Don buys an airplane from an unscrupulous HonestJohn type who makes him sign an insurance policy, but folds the paper to hide the fact that he, not Donald, is the beneficiary.
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* ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'' had Will try this on Uncle Phil, sliding a receipt for a bad behaviour letter from his school in with some other paperwork and got away with it, as Uncle Phil was distracted by Will's fast talking. Well, got away with it until Carlton blabbed about it at least.
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[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/WabbitALooneyTunesProduction http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wabbit_autograph.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:That's one way to get a transfer contract signed.]]
You've got an important document you need signed, but the mark will refuse if you tell them what it is. What to do?
You lie to them about what it is, or disguise it among more innocuous papers and hand it to them while they're busy and distracted.
If they're famous, handing it to them in the middle of a busy autograph-signing session will often work. If they're extremely famous (or just extremely vain), you might not even need the busy autograph-signing session: they'll automatically autograph anything put in front of them.
Compare ReadTheFinePrint, where the person knows they are signing a contract, but do not or cannot read all of the clauses.
----
!!Examples:
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Advertising]]
* There was an old series of advertisements for a mobile phone service where an American filmstar is tricked into autographing a document that basically agrees to make him a skanky woman's slave. "Get more minutes without signing your life away."
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* In ''Manga/{{Sabagebu}}'', the club president of titular [[{{UsefulNotes/Airsoft}} airsoft club]] catches Momoka the central heroine off-guard after a spurred-on match by [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_name#Characters asking her name, then calling it a pretty unusual one and then asking to write it down]] on ''this'' piece of paper, here you go. Too late to realize it was a club application form, Momoka is allowed a respite since to join she would have to hand the application in person. Then again, a not quite conscious person knocked out by a spiked melon bun, as it turns out, works.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Comic Books]]
* In an ''Franchise/{{Archie Comic|s}}'', Reggie decides to write up a petition protesting litter on the beach. Archie is eager to be the first to sign it, so Reggie has him sign it with a nice and large signature before he's even drawn up the petition content. Evil-hearted Reggie then writes up a love note to an anonymous girl. With Archie's signature below it, the note is sure to unleash Betty and Veronica's wrath.
* In one ''ComicBook/JoZetteAndJocko'' story, the two children are signing autographs after a heroic feat, when unbeknownst to them a prewritten confession saying they didn't do anything is given their signature.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Film]]
* ''Film/CloudAtlas'' has a nurse ask Timothy Cavendish to sign what he thinks is a hotel contract. The next day, he finds out that he's actually been locked in a nursing home and the papers he signed were the legal documents allowing them to keep him locked up.
* In ''Film/DoubleIndemnity'', Walter Neff sells Mr. Dietrichson car insurance, then tricks him into signing a life insurance contract under the pretence that he needs him to sign two copies of the car insurance contract.
* In ''Film/ErnestGoesToCamp'', [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Krader]] tricks the owner of Camp Kikakee, Chief Saint Cloud, into signing ownership of the camp over to him so that he can bulldoze it down.
* In the film version of ''Film/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'', the President of the Galaxy (the vain Zaphod Beeblebrox) signed the document authorizing the destruction of Earth while thinking he was giving an autograph.
* In Creator/CharlieChaplin's satire ''Film/AKingInNewYork'', an autograph request is used to trick King Shahdov into attending his hearing at the HUAC tribunal.
* Used in ''Film/TheSpanishPrisoner'' as part of a FrameUp. The hero is rushed to sign a club membership form which turns out to be a request for political asylum from the Republic of Venezuela. It gives away the impression that he is about to skip the country with a fortune. And [[PoliceAreUseless the police fall for it]].
* An autograph request is used to get Eddie Cantor to sign a contract in ''Thank Your Lucky Stars'' (1943).
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Literature]]
* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'', the trio need a signed permission slip from a teacher in order to check out a book from the restricted section of the library. They pick the dumbest teacher [[MilesGloriosus Gilderoy Lockhart]] to get the signature from. While they ''do'' tell him the truth that it's for checking out a book, Lockhart clearly doesn't care and happily signs it as though it were yet another autograph.
* In ''Literature/JohannesCabalTheNecromancer'', Cabal has one year to get 100 people to sell their souls to the Devil in order to get his own soul back and is shown tricking a miserly and greedy farmer into selling his soul by making the man think he's signing a land contract. The guy does question the reference to himself as the "Damnee", but Cabal tells his that it is antiquated legal jargon. It's noted in the text that some of the fine print in the contract indicates that signatures are valid/signees are damned even if they don't know what they are signing.
* Attempted in the Literature/LordPeterWimsey novel ''Unnatural Death''. Mary Whittaker tries to trick her great-aunt Agatha Dawson into signing a will by burying it in a bunch of other papers than need a signature - and by having two of the housemaids ready to witness the signing of the will without Agatha realizing it. However, Agatha notices the will and refuses to sign.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* The "[[Recap/ArrestedDevelopmentS3E13DevelopmentArrested Development Arrested]]" episode of ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'' had Maeby trying to get the family to sign away their life-rights for a movie she needed to make. Lucille needed them to sign a paper promising them money if they didn't sell their shares, so Maeby just puts those papers under hers and starts offering the family money to sign.
* In ''Series/BigTimeRush'', James got conned with an autograph request from his self-proclaimed "biggest fan". Then Katie did it to him again at the end of the episode.
* ''Series/TheDickVanDykeShow'': Every year Rob is coerced and/or corralled into directing and starring in the local PTA's annual fundraising show. After the show one year, which he stated would be absolutely the last time he'd do it, the president of the PTA asks for his autograph on her program to commemorate the show. He gives her the autograph, after which she announces that he'd just signed a contract to direct the next year's show.
* One time on ''Series/HogansHeroes'' Kinch had pulled the "put a blank piece of paper in a big pile of papers to sign" trick on Col. Klink, so he just happens to have a blank paper with Klink's signature for the plot du jour.
* On ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet'' a courier who needs the detectives to sign for a package turns out to be a process server working with Georgia Rae Mahoney's lawsuit against the city.
* In ''Series/IClaudius'', Claudius is tricked by his freedmen into signing Messalina's death warrant. They shove a bunch of mostly innocuous papers at him while he's drunk.
* ''Series/JonathanCreek'': In "Gorgons Wood", Carla is signing copies of her new work-out video and a woman with a small child asks if she could take a picture of her with her nephew on Carla's knee. Turns out that the "nephew" is a grown man. The whole thing is distraction so she wouldn't notice that she is signing a contract allowing them to [[spoiler:license "all forms of sexual erotica, however explicit, bearing my name, face or likeness"]].
* In the Marisa Berenson episode of ''Series/TheMuppetShow'', Miss Piggy plots to marry Kermit by casting him in a wedding skit and hiring a real priest. Her accomplice Scooter gets Kermit's signature on the marriage licence by telling him a sob story about a dear little old lady in the audience who wants his autograph for her sick grandson.
* An episode of ''Series/{{Leverage}}'' has the heroes trick the mark into signing controlling interest of their family business by claiming it's a contract for a business deal.
* In the "Boys at Ranch" episode of ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'', the kids trick Hal into signing a permission slip to allow them to ride [=ATVs=] by passing it off as a permission slip for playing ping-pong.
* ''Series/{{MASH}}''
** In the first three seasons, Henry Blake was often tricked into signing some kind of requisition, or pass, or anything for whatever ZanyScheme Hawkeye and Trapper had cooked up.
** Radar apparently made a habit of having Col. Potter sign blank pieces of paper, which he could then use to submit routine letters or requests without bothering Potter about them. Unusually, Potter apparently knew what he was doing and didn't mind.
* ''Series/TheOfficeUS'' "Stress Relief": Dwight resorts to increasingly desperate tactics to get people to sign a letter of recognition that he paid due apologies for pretending there was a fire in the office, such as pretending they need to sign the paper for a delivery or need to sign in to a party.
* ''Series/OnlyFoolsAndHorses'' has an episode where Del tricks a pub singer into signing a contract by making it look like he's asking for an autograph (he doesn't even have to lie that much either, he just lets the singer '''assume''' it's an autograph). Ironically, towards the end of the episode, it's the singer who threatens Del with the contract to get what he wants (i.e his pay).
* ''Series/{{Reaper}}'': In "My Brother's Reaper", Sam had to get a guy to sign the [[DealWithTheDevil contract for his soul]], so he slipped it in with a delivery receipt. Unfortunately for Sam, the guy knew what he was up to and signed it with an alias.
* An episode of the sitcom ''Series/{{Reba}}'' had Reba being fooled into signing excused absence slips by her daughter, who pretended she wanted her mother's autograph. The ruse wasn't discovered until a letter from the school arrived about how much school the daughter had been missing.
* ''Series/{{Turn}}'' has a variation. Capt. Ben Tallmadge needs to get a vital intelligence report sent to Gen. Washington but Gen. Scott refuses to forward it to headquarters because he does not trust the source. Ben creates a fake report that has little actual military value but which Scott will approve of and forward to Gen. Washington. He then places the real report as page three of the fake report, relying on the fact that Scott never reads the reports past the second page. Scott signs off on the fake report and adds the entire stack of papers to the official dispatches.
* ''Series/WhiteCollar'': In the "Vested Interest" episode, Neal needs to fool Peter into signing a form authorising FBI surveillance but Peter carefully reads anything before he signs it and counts the forms he has signed to check that one hasn't been slipped in. [[spoiler: Neal secretly releases Mozzie's pet rat into the office so that everyone is distracted with the rat, Neal can swap out one of the forms Diana gave Peter for his.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Radio]]
* In ''Radio/TheGoonShow'' episode "The Policy", Grytpype-Thynne and Moriarty ask Neddie to give them his autograph on a piece of paper that's actually a will leaving them all his money. When he asks why the piece of paper has "Will" written at the top, Grytpype-Thynne explains that that's its name.
* In the original radio version of ''Radio/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'':
** The Frogstar Prisoner Relations Officer pretends he wants Zaphod's autograph to trick Zaphod into signing a release form agreeing to be shoved into the Total Perspective Vortex.
** A cloning machine accident results in a large number of clones of a young woman named Lintilla. The company's clean-up plan involves an equally large number of attractive male clones and a set of "Agreements to Cease to Be" disguised as marriage certificates.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Video Games]]
* In ''VideoGame/DayOfTheTentacle'' there is a puzzle requiring Bernard to get Dr. Fred's signature on a contract that he refuses to sign because he's preoccupied with trying to think of a way to defeat Purple Tentacle.. One of the four possible solutions involves tricking him by claiming it's the cancellation form for a record club.
* In the ''VideoGame/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade'' adventure game, you can get Hitler to autograph a travel pass that will get you past all the Nazi-controlled checkpoints later on.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Webcomics]]
* In ''Webcomic/BadMachinery'', two of the protagonists get a bully to sign a form by telling her it's a petition to lower the drinking age.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Web Original]]
* There was a demotivational poster to this effect: The picture was Ronaldo giving autographs while the caption said: "During an autograph session with Polish fans, Ronaldo unexpectedly signed a life contract with Arka Gdynia."
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Western Animation]]
* In the episode "The Signature" of ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'', Richard learns that his mother is getting married to Louie, so he (Richard) tricks Louie getting adopted so that he has the authority to command him (Louie) to no longer see his (Louie's) fiancé anymore. Louie takes revenge by tricking Richard's wife into being adopted by him (Louie) so that she has to obey the command of not seeing Richard anymore.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' have an episode where the Warners are taking the place of Plotz's sick secretary. So one of them gives Plotz a few documents to sign, hiding among them a check for 80 billion. He then shouts to his brother and sister "We're rich!" Plotz takes the check away, to which the brother merely says "We're poor!"
* In ''WesternAnimation/BuzzLightyearOfStarCommand'' the L.G.M.s got Commander Nebula (who hates robots) to approve the creation of XR by slipping the authorization form in with their vacation requests. (It's also implied they've successfully pulled this trick more than once before.)
* In one ''WesternAnimation/{{Droopy}}'' cartoon, a competitor in a sports contest set up a fake psychic reading tent and asked for Droopy's signature to get a reading off it. Turns out he tricked him into signing a document confessing to cheating and forfeiting.
* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Fillmore}}'', the title character tricks Commissioner Vallejo into singing a requisition form for an expensive new set of walkie-talkies by almost knocking a lamp down on him and then confusing him with slang. ItMakesSenseInContext.
* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'', a producer entices Bloo into signing an acting contract. However, Bloo didn't ReadTheFinePrint, and it turned out that he had been tricked into signing an adoption paper. [[spoiler:The papers ended up being null and void because it wasn't run through Mr. Herriman first.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': In "[[Recap/GravityFallsS1E11LittleDipper Little Dipper]]", Lil' Gideon tries to trick Stan into signing away the deed to the Mystery Shack by hiding it in [[GiantNoveltyCheck a giant novelty sweepstakes check]]. Stan was onto him and signed it "Go suck a lemon, little man."
* An early plot of ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain'' hinges on UsefulNotes/BillClinton believing he was signing an autograph, not signing over American land.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle'' story line "Painting Theft", Boris uses the autograph trick to get Bullwinkle to sign a will making Boris the moose's sole heir.
* Inverted in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "Bart the Fink": Instead of trying to get Krusty's signature in the guise of an autograph, Bart tries to get Krusty's autograph in the guise of a signature. He gives Krusty a check, expecting that Krusty will have to endorse it with his signature, but the plan fails because Krusty endorses his checks with the name of his Cayman Islands holding corporation.
* In ''WesternAnimation/WabbitALooneyTunesProduction'', Bugs tricks Vladimir Angelo Chafong Reginald [=McMurthy=] into signing a trade contact by pretending to be a tourist and make him autograph several things without him noticing. This makes it legal for Vladimir to join the Alaskan Halibuts.
[[/folder]]
----
[[caption-width-right:350:That's one way to get a transfer contract signed.]]
You've got an important document you need signed, but the mark will refuse if you tell them what it is. What to do?
You lie to them about what it is, or disguise it among more innocuous papers and hand it to them while they're busy and distracted.
If they're famous, handing it to them in the middle of a busy autograph-signing session will often work. If they're extremely famous (or just extremely vain), you might not even need the busy autograph-signing session: they'll automatically autograph anything put in front of them.
Compare ReadTheFinePrint, where the person knows they are signing a contract, but do not or cannot read all of the clauses.
----
!!Examples:
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Advertising]]
* There was an old series of advertisements for a mobile phone service where an American filmstar is tricked into autographing a document that basically agrees to make him a skanky woman's slave. "Get more minutes without signing your life away."
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* In ''Manga/{{Sabagebu}}'', the club president of titular [[{{UsefulNotes/Airsoft}} airsoft club]] catches Momoka the central heroine off-guard after a spurred-on match by [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_name#Characters asking her name, then calling it a pretty unusual one and then asking to write it down]] on ''this'' piece of paper, here you go. Too late to realize it was a club application form, Momoka is allowed a respite since to join she would have to hand the application in person. Then again, a not quite conscious person knocked out by a spiked melon bun, as it turns out, works.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Comic Books]]
* In an ''Franchise/{{Archie Comic|s}}'', Reggie decides to write up a petition protesting litter on the beach. Archie is eager to be the first to sign it, so Reggie has him sign it with a nice and large signature before he's even drawn up the petition content. Evil-hearted Reggie then writes up a love note to an anonymous girl. With Archie's signature below it, the note is sure to unleash Betty and Veronica's wrath.
* In one ''ComicBook/JoZetteAndJocko'' story, the two children are signing autographs after a heroic feat, when unbeknownst to them a prewritten confession saying they didn't do anything is given their signature.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Film]]
* ''Film/CloudAtlas'' has a nurse ask Timothy Cavendish to sign what he thinks is a hotel contract. The next day, he finds out that he's actually been locked in a nursing home and the papers he signed were the legal documents allowing them to keep him locked up.
* In ''Film/DoubleIndemnity'', Walter Neff sells Mr. Dietrichson car insurance, then tricks him into signing a life insurance contract under the pretence that he needs him to sign two copies of the car insurance contract.
* In ''Film/ErnestGoesToCamp'', [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Krader]] tricks the owner of Camp Kikakee, Chief Saint Cloud, into signing ownership of the camp over to him so that he can bulldoze it down.
* In the film version of ''Film/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'', the President of the Galaxy (the vain Zaphod Beeblebrox) signed the document authorizing the destruction of Earth while thinking he was giving an autograph.
* In Creator/CharlieChaplin's satire ''Film/AKingInNewYork'', an autograph request is used to trick King Shahdov into attending his hearing at the HUAC tribunal.
* Used in ''Film/TheSpanishPrisoner'' as part of a FrameUp. The hero is rushed to sign a club membership form which turns out to be a request for political asylum from the Republic of Venezuela. It gives away the impression that he is about to skip the country with a fortune. And [[PoliceAreUseless the police fall for it]].
* An autograph request is used to get Eddie Cantor to sign a contract in ''Thank Your Lucky Stars'' (1943).
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Literature]]
* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'', the trio need a signed permission slip from a teacher in order to check out a book from the restricted section of the library. They pick the dumbest teacher [[MilesGloriosus Gilderoy Lockhart]] to get the signature from. While they ''do'' tell him the truth that it's for checking out a book, Lockhart clearly doesn't care and happily signs it as though it were yet another autograph.
* In ''Literature/JohannesCabalTheNecromancer'', Cabal has one year to get 100 people to sell their souls to the Devil in order to get his own soul back and is shown tricking a miserly and greedy farmer into selling his soul by making the man think he's signing a land contract. The guy does question the reference to himself as the "Damnee", but Cabal tells his that it is antiquated legal jargon. It's noted in the text that some of the fine print in the contract indicates that signatures are valid/signees are damned even if they don't know what they are signing.
* Attempted in the Literature/LordPeterWimsey novel ''Unnatural Death''. Mary Whittaker tries to trick her great-aunt Agatha Dawson into signing a will by burying it in a bunch of other papers than need a signature - and by having two of the housemaids ready to witness the signing of the will without Agatha realizing it. However, Agatha notices the will and refuses to sign.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* The "[[Recap/ArrestedDevelopmentS3E13DevelopmentArrested Development Arrested]]" episode of ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'' had Maeby trying to get the family to sign away their life-rights for a movie she needed to make. Lucille needed them to sign a paper promising them money if they didn't sell their shares, so Maeby just puts those papers under hers and starts offering the family money to sign.
* In ''Series/BigTimeRush'', James got conned with an autograph request from his self-proclaimed "biggest fan". Then Katie did it to him again at the end of the episode.
* ''Series/TheDickVanDykeShow'': Every year Rob is coerced and/or corralled into directing and starring in the local PTA's annual fundraising show. After the show one year, which he stated would be absolutely the last time he'd do it, the president of the PTA asks for his autograph on her program to commemorate the show. He gives her the autograph, after which she announces that he'd just signed a contract to direct the next year's show.
* One time on ''Series/HogansHeroes'' Kinch had pulled the "put a blank piece of paper in a big pile of papers to sign" trick on Col. Klink, so he just happens to have a blank paper with Klink's signature for the plot du jour.
* On ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet'' a courier who needs the detectives to sign for a package turns out to be a process server working with Georgia Rae Mahoney's lawsuit against the city.
* In ''Series/IClaudius'', Claudius is tricked by his freedmen into signing Messalina's death warrant. They shove a bunch of mostly innocuous papers at him while he's drunk.
* ''Series/JonathanCreek'': In "Gorgons Wood", Carla is signing copies of her new work-out video and a woman with a small child asks if she could take a picture of her with her nephew on Carla's knee. Turns out that the "nephew" is a grown man. The whole thing is distraction so she wouldn't notice that she is signing a contract allowing them to [[spoiler:license "all forms of sexual erotica, however explicit, bearing my name, face or likeness"]].
* In the Marisa Berenson episode of ''Series/TheMuppetShow'', Miss Piggy plots to marry Kermit by casting him in a wedding skit and hiring a real priest. Her accomplice Scooter gets Kermit's signature on the marriage licence by telling him a sob story about a dear little old lady in the audience who wants his autograph for her sick grandson.
* An episode of ''Series/{{Leverage}}'' has the heroes trick the mark into signing controlling interest of their family business by claiming it's a contract for a business deal.
* In the "Boys at Ranch" episode of ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'', the kids trick Hal into signing a permission slip to allow them to ride [=ATVs=] by passing it off as a permission slip for playing ping-pong.
* ''Series/{{MASH}}''
** In the first three seasons, Henry Blake was often tricked into signing some kind of requisition, or pass, or anything for whatever ZanyScheme Hawkeye and Trapper had cooked up.
** Radar apparently made a habit of having Col. Potter sign blank pieces of paper, which he could then use to submit routine letters or requests without bothering Potter about them. Unusually, Potter apparently knew what he was doing and didn't mind.
* ''Series/TheOfficeUS'' "Stress Relief": Dwight resorts to increasingly desperate tactics to get people to sign a letter of recognition that he paid due apologies for pretending there was a fire in the office, such as pretending they need to sign the paper for a delivery or need to sign in to a party.
* ''Series/OnlyFoolsAndHorses'' has an episode where Del tricks a pub singer into signing a contract by making it look like he's asking for an autograph (he doesn't even have to lie that much either, he just lets the singer '''assume''' it's an autograph). Ironically, towards the end of the episode, it's the singer who threatens Del with the contract to get what he wants (i.e his pay).
* ''Series/{{Reaper}}'': In "My Brother's Reaper", Sam had to get a guy to sign the [[DealWithTheDevil contract for his soul]], so he slipped it in with a delivery receipt. Unfortunately for Sam, the guy knew what he was up to and signed it with an alias.
* An episode of the sitcom ''Series/{{Reba}}'' had Reba being fooled into signing excused absence slips by her daughter, who pretended she wanted her mother's autograph. The ruse wasn't discovered until a letter from the school arrived about how much school the daughter had been missing.
* ''Series/{{Turn}}'' has a variation. Capt. Ben Tallmadge needs to get a vital intelligence report sent to Gen. Washington but Gen. Scott refuses to forward it to headquarters because he does not trust the source. Ben creates a fake report that has little actual military value but which Scott will approve of and forward to Gen. Washington. He then places the real report as page three of the fake report, relying on the fact that Scott never reads the reports past the second page. Scott signs off on the fake report and adds the entire stack of papers to the official dispatches.
* ''Series/WhiteCollar'': In the "Vested Interest" episode, Neal needs to fool Peter into signing a form authorising FBI surveillance but Peter carefully reads anything before he signs it and counts the forms he has signed to check that one hasn't been slipped in. [[spoiler: Neal secretly releases Mozzie's pet rat into the office so that everyone is distracted with the rat, Neal can swap out one of the forms Diana gave Peter for his.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Radio]]
* In ''Radio/TheGoonShow'' episode "The Policy", Grytpype-Thynne and Moriarty ask Neddie to give them his autograph on a piece of paper that's actually a will leaving them all his money. When he asks why the piece of paper has "Will" written at the top, Grytpype-Thynne explains that that's its name.
* In the original radio version of ''Radio/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'':
** The Frogstar Prisoner Relations Officer pretends he wants Zaphod's autograph to trick Zaphod into signing a release form agreeing to be shoved into the Total Perspective Vortex.
** A cloning machine accident results in a large number of clones of a young woman named Lintilla. The company's clean-up plan involves an equally large number of attractive male clones and a set of "Agreements to Cease to Be" disguised as marriage certificates.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Video Games]]
* In ''VideoGame/DayOfTheTentacle'' there is a puzzle requiring Bernard to get Dr. Fred's signature on a contract that he refuses to sign because he's preoccupied with trying to think of a way to defeat Purple Tentacle.. One of the four possible solutions involves tricking him by claiming it's the cancellation form for a record club.
* In the ''VideoGame/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade'' adventure game, you can get Hitler to autograph a travel pass that will get you past all the Nazi-controlled checkpoints later on.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Webcomics]]
* In ''Webcomic/BadMachinery'', two of the protagonists get a bully to sign a form by telling her it's a petition to lower the drinking age.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Web Original]]
* There was a demotivational poster to this effect: The picture was Ronaldo giving autographs while the caption said: "During an autograph session with Polish fans, Ronaldo unexpectedly signed a life contract with Arka Gdynia."
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Western Animation]]
* In the episode "The Signature" of ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'', Richard learns that his mother is getting married to Louie, so he (Richard) tricks Louie getting adopted so that he has the authority to command him (Louie) to no longer see his (Louie's) fiancé anymore. Louie takes revenge by tricking Richard's wife into being adopted by him (Louie) so that she has to obey the command of not seeing Richard anymore.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' have an episode where the Warners are taking the place of Plotz's sick secretary. So one of them gives Plotz a few documents to sign, hiding among them a check for 80 billion. He then shouts to his brother and sister "We're rich!" Plotz takes the check away, to which the brother merely says "We're poor!"
* In ''WesternAnimation/BuzzLightyearOfStarCommand'' the L.G.M.s got Commander Nebula (who hates robots) to approve the creation of XR by slipping the authorization form in with their vacation requests. (It's also implied they've successfully pulled this trick more than once before.)
* In one ''WesternAnimation/{{Droopy}}'' cartoon, a competitor in a sports contest set up a fake psychic reading tent and asked for Droopy's signature to get a reading off it. Turns out he tricked him into signing a document confessing to cheating and forfeiting.
* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Fillmore}}'', the title character tricks Commissioner Vallejo into singing a requisition form for an expensive new set of walkie-talkies by almost knocking a lamp down on him and then confusing him with slang. ItMakesSenseInContext.
* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'', a producer entices Bloo into signing an acting contract. However, Bloo didn't ReadTheFinePrint, and it turned out that he had been tricked into signing an adoption paper. [[spoiler:The papers ended up being null and void because it wasn't run through Mr. Herriman first.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': In "[[Recap/GravityFallsS1E11LittleDipper Little Dipper]]", Lil' Gideon tries to trick Stan into signing away the deed to the Mystery Shack by hiding it in [[GiantNoveltyCheck a giant novelty sweepstakes check]]. Stan was onto him and signed it "Go suck a lemon, little man."
* An early plot of ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain'' hinges on UsefulNotes/BillClinton believing he was signing an autograph, not signing over American land.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle'' story line "Painting Theft", Boris uses the autograph trick to get Bullwinkle to sign a will making Boris the moose's sole heir.
* Inverted in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "Bart the Fink": Instead of trying to get Krusty's signature in the guise of an autograph, Bart tries to get Krusty's autograph in the guise of a signature. He gives Krusty a check, expecting that Krusty will have to endorse it with his signature, but the plan fails because Krusty endorses his checks with the name of his Cayman Islands holding corporation.
* In ''WesternAnimation/WabbitALooneyTunesProduction'', Bugs tricks Vladimir Angelo Chafong Reginald [=McMurthy=] into signing a trade contact by pretending to be a tourist and make him autograph several things without him noticing. This makes it legal for Vladimir to join the Alaskan Halibuts.
[[/folder]]
----
