Green’s Dictionary of Slang

amuse v.

[pun on SE amuse, to beguile with entertaining tales or to ‘throw dust in one’s eyes’]

(UK Und.) to fool shopkeepers and other tradesmen in order to cheat or rob them.

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[[UK]W. Caxton Ovid’s Metamorphoses XII iii: I never amused my husband].
[UK]New Canting Dict. n.p.: To amuse, in a Canting Sense; to fling Dust in the Eyes; to invent strange Tales to delude Shop-keepers and others, from being upon their Guard.
[UK]Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. n.p.: To amuse [in a Canting sense] [...] to invent strange Tales to delude Shop-keepers and others, from being upon their Guard.
, , [UK]Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: To amuse, (in a canting sense) to sling dust or snuff in the eyes of a person intended to be robbed. Also to invent some plausible tale, to delude shopkeepers and others, thereby to put them off their guard.
[UK]Lex. Balatronicum.
W. Cobbett Year’s Residence in America 230: It becomes the people of America to guard their minds against ever being, in any case, amused with names [F&H].
[UK]‘Jon Bee’ Dict. of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, etc.
[US]Matsell Vocabulum 8: To amuse, to invent plausible stories and thereby rob or cheat unsuspecting persons.

In derivatives

amuser (n.)

(UK Und.) one who throws dust (sometimes snuff or pepper) in a victim’s eyes and then runs off; a companion then appears and, while ostensibly offering sympathy, picks the victim’s pockets.

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[US]Matsell Vocabulum 8: amusers fellows who carry snuff or pepper in their pockets, which they throw into a person’s eyes and then run away. The accomplice rushing up to the victim, pretending to assist, robs him while suffering with pain.
[UK]E. de la Bédollière Londres et les Anglais 312/1: amusers, Ce sont les tireurs, qui ont en poche de la poussière ou du tabac, qu’ils jettent dans les yeux de leurs victimes. Un complice arrive au secours du malheureux aveuglé, et le vole en faisant semblant de le plaindre.
[US]Dly Dispatch (Richmond, VA) 1 Nov. 3/3: ‘Amusers’ are oprators, who throw snuff or pepper into a victim’s eyes, when an accomplice robs him under the pretence of rendering him assistance.
[Aus]C. Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict 4: Amusers, accomplices of robbers who shake pepper or snuff on a person's face in order to facilitate the robbery.
[Aus] (ref. to 1890s) ‘Gloss. of Larrikin Terms’ in J. Murray Larrikins 201: amusers: thieves’ assistants who throw pepper or snuff in a victim’s face.