Taking The Art Out Of The Con Artist – What To Look For

Michelle Wilson - August 8, 2019

We’ve all heard the old adage, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me”. We’ve also probably all heard George W absolutely murder the adage in a most humorous way.

Well that’s the art of the con. To fool you. And you know what, if you aren’t careful you could get fooled twice.

Con artists have quite a large bag of tricks at the ready. In fact, in the world of instant information, thieves are often limited only by their imagination and their follow through. By what kind of energy they are willing to put into getting what they want from you.

It’s good to be armed with some tips of what to look out for if and when a con man comes a knockin’.

What It Means To Be A Con Artist.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary. A con artist is: A person who cheats or tricks others by persuading them to believe something that is not true.

Well that’s tricky isn’t it? We’ve probably all been guilty of something along those lines at one point of another. Whether it was a big lie, or something as small as pretending to like your Aunt Carols coconut quiche (barely could swallow it down…). The point is, we’ve probably all used a small bit of manipulation and persuasion to drive home an untruth.

However, a con artist is not by any means the same animal. They are looking for gains, and they don’t care what they have to say to get those gains. They will take the shirt on your back just as soon as look at you.

There are for sure some tell-tale signs of con artists that almost always fit the bill. Narcissism, Machiavellianism and Psychopathy for example are all traits often tied to a con artist. So keep an eye out for this trio of fun personality traits.

Who Makes an Easy Mark for a Con Artist?

Nobody wants to admit that they might be an easy mark for a con artist. We all fancy ourselves pretty smart and way too savvy to be taken advantage of. Truth is, sometimes that makes you an easier mark.

Con Artists are not your typical theatrical villains. Sneaking in, hidden behind a dark cap with a long twisty mustache and an evil grin. Often they are quite charming and seemingly helpful and seem like very authentic people.

Con artists really love to target people who are currently going through momentous changes in their life. This is for many reasons, not the least of which is that you may be so distracted with changes that you don’t notice what is happening. They also know that change is hard for a lot of us. We often seek out comfort and structure and routine.

With uncertainty in life, we are put into a mode that borders on crisis that a con artist is drawn to like sharks to blood.

Even positive things happening to us in life can bring about a certain level of discomfort because it almost immediately interrupts our daily routines, that give us that structure.

Psychologists say that most of the time it is our own self biases that are the target of a con artist and why they are often so successful with pulling a con on us.

Psychologists point to a theory called the “Lake Woebegone Effect” which states that there is a natural tendency for all humans to think of themselves as “better” than others. This is also sometimes referred to as self-enhancement bias.

We basically feel like we are way too smart for some scam artist to pull one over on us. That only happens to idiots!

Frank Abagnale – Infamous Con Artist.

Who doesn’t love Leonardo DiCaprio? I think it’s a safe bet we all at least know his name and can picture him instantly.

In the 2002 Hollywood blockbuster “Catch Me If You Can” with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, we learn of the story of Frank Abagnale. A young man (teenager really), who got away with some of the most outrageous cons you have ever heard of.

What was Abagnale able to do? Well for starters he impersonated an airline pilot, a doctor and an attorney all before he was legally allowed to buy alcohol (well… back then I suppose the drinking age may have been different. but that requires at least 5 more minutes of research, and I think you get my point…). For quite a few years Frank was able to be one step ahead of authorities before his lifestyle finally caught up with him in Europe, where he was jailed. He was then extradited to the U.S. where Frank managed to escape by jumping out onto the tarmac at JFK airport and was able to get away, only to be recaptured trying to enter Canada shortly after.

Abagnale impersonated an airline pilot, a doctor, and an attorney all before his 21st birthday. He was able to elude authorities for many years before finally being arrested and jailed in Europe. He was ultimately extradited to the United States, he escaped from the airplane onto the tarmac at JFK and was on the lamb shortly before he was arrested while trying to enter Canada.

Frank Abagnale has since turned his life completely around and has been working with the F.B.I. for nearly 4 decades.

How to Expose a Con Artist.

Might you be a victim of a con? It’s always better to be safe than sorry. Trust your gut and take a look! The best way to know for sure is to run a background check on your potential scammer with CheckPeople.com.