Chapter Five
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5.10 Scams, Frauds, and Confidence Tricks
scams become harder to detect, and of course more successful. Some con artists will research their victim’s history, and find out things like what the person wants, what their weaknesses are, what events in their past cause them shame or anger, and so on. These facts are then used to manipulate the victim later. Yet all cons depend on a fairly small number of basic strategies. Here are a few of them:
Obe d ie n c e . Most people still defer, at least partially,
D ecep t ion . Effective con artists use lies and half-
Con for m ity. Taking advantage of the fact that most
truths to make themselves, or their situation, appear to
people will do what they see lots of other people doing,
be other than what it really is. Almost all confidence
the con artist and accomplices will do something in
tricks rely on some amount of deception. They might
order to make it easier for their victim to do it too.
dress in some kind of costume or disguise, for instance
Think of people who start crossing a road before the
to appear very rich or very poor. They might pretend to
lights have changed because two or three others have
be a professional in a field they actually know nothing
already started crossing ahead of them.
to lawyers, judges, police officers, professors, priests, rich people, and just about anyone who looks like they possess some kind of social authority or power. This is true even in societies that claim to be democratic and equal. Con men sometimes present themselves as persons with authority, in order exploit people’s willingness to defer and to obey.
about. They might set up a web site to make themselves look like a legitimate business. D is t r a ct io n . Con artists keep your attention focused on something unrelated, while they or an accomplice
Although all cons involve those basic psychological strategies, some specific applications of those strategies have been so successful that they have been given names. Here are a few of them:
steal from you when you’re not looking. Think of the person who steals your purse or your wallet while pre-
“Big Store” is named after the Marx Brothers movie,
tending to accidentally trip and knock you down, and
and it involves renting out a large building, such as a
then help you to your feet again.
storefront or a warehouse, and filling it with furniture and people to make it appear like a well established
Flat t e ry. Con men often open their game by being
business.
friendly and amiable, and quickly become admiring and deeply respecting. Some con men might pretend to fall
“P h ish in g” is when the con artist sends an email that
in love with their intended victim. Since most people
looks like it comes from a legitimate business, bank,
enjoy being praised and admired, this strategy helps
or government agency. The message asks the victim to
make the victim more receptive and agreeable to the
‘verify’ or ‘confirm’ personal details that may have been
con man’s claims and requests.
lost or subject to a computer virus attack, such as email passwords and bank account numbers.
Tim e p r es su r e . People who have been lead to believe that an important decision must be made in a very short
“Sh e l l gam e” and “Th r e e Card Mon ty” is a
amount of time tend to make bad decisions.
sleight-of-hand trick in which a pebble or other small object is placed under one of three cups or shells or sim-
Vulner a b i l i ty. The con artist might present himself
ilar objects. The position of the cups is then mixed up
as someone in pain or in a position of weakness, for
at random by sliding them across the table quickly, and
instance as someone suffering a serious disease, or some-
then the victim is asked to bet some money on which
one persecuted unjustly by the law, etc. This technique
cup has the pebble. What the victim does not normally
manipulates the sense of empathy that most people
see is that the pebble has been moved separately, and is
have for the suffering of others.
hiding elsewhere, such as in the con artist’s palm.