A person who pretends to be an ordinary customer but actually works for the seller, often used to make something look popular or drive up prices at auctions.
Origin uncertain, possibly from a shortening of 'shillaber' or from Irish, emerging in American English by the 1700s as carnival and auction house slang. The exact root remains debated by etymologists.
Shills are the original 'fake engagement'—long before social media bots, con artists hired people to bid at auctions and laugh at jokes to create false buzz. You can spot modern shills in online reviews and social media where fake accounts artificially boost popularity, proving the tactic is timeless.
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