Record numbers of people are . Snake oil salesmen have adapted well to the 21st century; con artists abound. They still run scams in the street, but they also exploit cellphones and the internet to reach victims more readily.
They are also drawn to . MPs called this week for a , the growing use of fake profiles, often to dupe those seeking romance out of money.
While we get online, less is said about how to handle an exchange with one in the office, in the marketplace or on the street. That鈥檚 partly because victims fail to report unethical behaviour and crime for fear of people thinking they are reckless or daft. Without their stories, we can鈥檛 learn how to avoid being victims ourselves.
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I鈥檓 happy to discuss what I have learned, having been conned numerous times. These include having been talked into buying useless stuff out of the back of a van and unwittingly funding a drug habit.
Smooth skills
I am more intrigued by the smooth skills of con artists than ashamed of my victimisation and this intrigue led me to the study of psychopathy, a common condition among swindlers. With an attenuated capacity for guilt, psychopaths use any means to achieve their ends and have little understanding of the consequences.
As a graduate student in clinical psychology, I got to interview jail inmates, some of whom were lifelong con artists. The skilled cons often managed to deceive me, even as I expected their deception. How much more vulnerable to a skilled grifter are the unsuspecting or distracted?
Fortunately, we don鈥檛 need to become cynical or hypervigilant to decrease vulnerability, but rather to understand more about con artists and their methods, so we can see a scam for what it is as it is happening.
Whatever the context or the medium a con artist uses, there are ways to identify them. First, fraudsters While some people find braggadocio endearing or dismiss it as healthy confidence or benign insecurity, grandiosity is common in con artists and unabashed boasting should give you pause.
When a con artist is face-to-face with you, they don鈥檛 just speak; they create a disarming show that combines intense eye contact and with , and the charm of an easy smile. As a stranger on the street, they may disorient you by approaching in an overly sudden manner with unearned familiarity: 鈥淗ey there 鈥� you are going to love this!鈥�
Disarming flattery
In a job interview or on a date the con artist sprinkles in plenty of disarming flattery. They make vague references to assumed commonality, creating the enticing illusion that you are on the inside of something special: 鈥淢ost people cannot see the potential, but I knew right away that you do.鈥�
Your emotional reactions to all this might include bemusement, unease, confusion and excitement. Notice your reaction. It is your cue to take a breath and a step back.
The con counts on a show to distract you. Instead, grounded and aware of your own feelings, focus on words alone. Rather than nuanced and measured, they are peppered with superlatives, like 鈥渢remendous鈥�. The con artist might contradict themselves 鈥� it is hard for them to keep track of what they have said. Uncoupled from their crackling confidence, their claims raise questions.
If someone says they have authored over 300 publications, why don鈥檛 they turn up in a search? If they say they are rich and have a promising new patent, why did they ask for money? If they own a mountain鈥� wait, who owns a mountain? As the validity of the story falls apart, note that the individual communicating with you isn鈥檛 just charming, amusing and eccentric, but potentially dangerous.
When you see it this way, you can move on quickly. They will too.
