How to Spot a Con Artist
Did you ever see the movie, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels? Steve Martin and Michael Cane are con artists and they have a bet with one another to scam money from a woman who *spoiler alert* cons them both out of money.
Most people think they would be able to spot a scam when they see one, I know sure would like to think so! But the reality is, the BEST con artists in the world make you BELIEVE their stories/lies and tall tales. They make you WANT to give them the money. The best con artists in the world will never let you walk away thinking they are a con artist. In fact, you know they are a professional scammer when you walk away thinking, “what a great person! They deserved that money.”
So how do they do it?
Firstly, you must realize and understand that there are different levels of scams out there. It is impossible to cover all the different travel scams out there, however, there are some resources out there which do a pretty good job of pointing out many of them based on the common and lesser known scams of the world. One such resource is the: Travel Scams Masterclass.
Here are some things you need to know about con artists.
- They are typically REALLY nice people.
2. They have similar interests as you (or at least appear to have.)
3. They will be your best friend or get close to you.
4. They will leak “personal” and “deep” information about themselves, revealing their weaknesses and intimate details in order to let you feel vulnerable and open to sharing your personal information, weaknesses and intimate details.
5. They will have stories which often times seem so strange, wierd or ridiculous they MUST BE TRUE. (I mean who could invent such a story?!)
Let’s go into more detail.
- They are typically really nice people. They are polite, they appear to be chivalrous or “gentlemanly” and can even use a belief in God to help gain leverage. (Depending on your beliefs of course.) They act very kind, welcoming, generous and are very likable. You liked them the second the walked in the room and began chatting with you.
- They have similar interests as you. At least that is what it appears. When they begin fishing for information about your likes or interests they might say things like, “oh wow! So do I!” or “Me too!” The really clever ones will even have a follow up story to accompany their love for that topic or interest.
- They will try to get close to you. It is easy to take advantage of a person that let’s their walls down and their guard down. It’s also easy for us to have a guard up against strangers. But then again…
- They will share details about themselves which seems personal and private. This will allow you to open up and likewise confide in them. This makes us vulnerable. Once we’ve shared confidential information with others we begin to trust them, it is in our nature!
- They will have a strange story about why they need the money (or a circumstance which causes you to OFFER them help) which seem so strange and ridiculous it MUST BE TRUE. Coming up with big elaborate lies is a gift. The average person on the spot couldn’t come up with a complete tall tale and give dates and names to back up the stories. But real con artists can. They have made a lifestyle out of their lies and truly BELIEVE what they are sharing with you. When they believe their own stories, it makes it easier for you to believe too.
The important lesson to take away from this.
To be the bearer of bad news, this could apply to ANYONE. That’s right, just because someone is being friendly doesn’t mean they are out to steal your money. And just because someone has a strange circumstance occur which really DOES require some financial support also doesn’t mean that they are a con artist!!!
The point of this article is to bring to the table the thought that not everyone and everything is always as it seems. Use your judgement! Use your intuition, your gut feeling and your instincts. These will get you far in life. If something feels odd or off or not right in your stomach, then do a little bit of digging. But if your instincts tell you this person is a good person and could use your help, then do it!
It’s your kindness and generosity that helps people in need throughout history. There are plenty of causes out there that need financial aid that are more than happy to be supported by a do-gooder. But if you have a doubt, and there’s no logical conclusion, trust your gut and you will never regret whichever decision you make.
Remember, the BEST con artists are the ones that have you walk away feeling like you did the right thing. So whether or not it was a scam, you’ll at least feel like you made a difference. And, at least to them, you most certainly did.
