The Art of the Con (6 page)

This disassociation from guilt or responsibility can come in many forms. Denial and self-delusion help to create the important element of detachment, which is essential to the success of a fraudster. Having deceived and manipulated hundreds of people, I would have become an emotional wreck without the comfort of knowing the victim would always be reunited with their property. On several occasions I felt truly terrible when I was able to take advantage of people's feelings, hopes, and dreams—even though I knew the con wasn't real. There was a critical moment in many of these cons when I felt suddenly in control and able to take the mark wherever I pleased. When this happened, my producers and I would have to be extra careful about bringing them back to reality. For some victims, the fall would be really hard, almost damaging, so most of our producers became adept at bringing people down gently. We developed strategies solely to protect our marks so they would not be too upset. The con may have been fake but the emotions the mark went through were still real. Such considerations are nonexistent in the world of real cons and scams. The harder they fall, the farther they roll, and the less likely that they will be to pursue.

It should be clear by now that con artists cannot be recognized by the way they look or talk nor by the way they dress or behave. A person's background or breeding, real or invented, is no assurance of honesty; judging someone by one's own moral limitations can be an expensive mistake. Trying to identify a con artist this way is like trying to determine someone's job by the shape of their ears. That's not to say there aren't common traits that might arouse suspicions, but until compared to actions and intent, there's no way to be sure. Our objective here is to recognize the con game rather than the con man.

Many books exist that describe hundreds of scams and I recommend them to anyone with a sincere interest in the subject. The problem is that con games evolve over time. How often have you heard a joke, only to recognize it after the punchline? A different setup, altered details, and the way of telling can make a simple joke seem different or new, but like a well-proven scam, the punchline often remains the same.

Naturally, if you recognize a particular scam, you should immediately walk away. Once you are caught in the web of a con, weaved by an expert con artist, it can be incredibly difficult to wake up and smell what's being shoveled. Many people walk up to Monte games fully aware that they're a scam, but still get caught up in the action and leave with empty pockets. It's like watching a
Rocky
movie before getting into a ring with Mike Tyson; you might know what's coming but you're still going to the hospital. Con artists are better at conning you than you are at not being conned. Remember, they have played this game before and you are almost certain to lose—even if you know what's going on.

Society often makes the mistake of giving con games a lower priority than more immediate and sensational crimes, but the ramifications of scams can be severe and extremely damaging. It is not unusual for victims to shoulder full responsibility for being fooled, as if they are to blame for losing their own money. Perhaps this is a natural reaction, but it is also one of the key reasons that con games continue to flourish. Grifters depend on their victims to feel this way, knowing that the shame of being conned usually discourages a mark from reporting the crime.

Writer, actor, and magician Ricky Jay is a genuine expert on the subject. His work in the field is both illuminating and entertaining, but I have grown to disagree with his assertion that a confidence trick is a “soft crime.”
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Certainly, some scams are softer than others. Being swindled by a carnival game might merely bruise the ego, but giving away one's life savings has driven some victims to suicide. Being threatened with a knife in a back alley, even assaulted, is traumatic, but there is a sharper edge to personal guilt or lost self-respect. Many victims internalize this suffering and withdraw from family and friends. It's like comparing slashed tires with sugar in your gas tank: The subtle attack can be the most damaging over time.

Information is the most powerful weapon against con artists. My shows,
The Real Hustle, The Takedown, and Scammed
, all sought to entertain the audience and educate them by osmosis. I firmly believe that we succeeded in our goal of making ordinary people more aware, of giving them tools to spot these scams before falling victim. But journalists continued to ask me the same question in almost every interview: Aren't I teaching people how to con other people? You might ask the same question as you read this book. Will it provide further education to the criminally inclined?

My answer is simple:
Con artists already know how to con you
. Scams have been spreading like viruses for centuries, and today, anyone can learn countless new con games with a simple Google search. Hustlers do not need my help to rip you off, but what they do need—what they absolutely depend upon—is the ignorance of the general public about how they operate. An informed public is a protected public. It's a simple equation and it bears repeating. In the history of con games, the only reason a con has ever succeeded is because the mark did not realize he was being conned.

How big the problem is depends on your perspective. The occasional crooked street game may seem like nothing more than a nuisance, but some can wipe out fortunes or destroy trust and reputation. Sustained attempts to defraud foreign visitors could contribute to a declining tourist industry while regular attempts to con people on the Internet might seriously impact a country's image, as Nigeria (now synonymous with a famous online scam) has learned in recent years.

Con games continue to evolve and find new victims. The rewards for the fraudster can be enormous, but the ramifications for the victims can be much more serious than merely financial. In 2007, businessman James McCormick began selling a bomb-detection kit, designed to be used as a way to effectively locate explosive devices. The device was offered to both the military and civilians, selling for up to forty thousand dollars each. It featured a gun-like grip with a retractable antenna that folded back into the device. Samples of suspected substances were placed into a jar, then transferred to a card, which was inserted into the handle. McCormick claimed the device could detect explosives and other materials from over one kilometer (3,260 feet), even underwater or from the air, and pre-programmed cards were supplied to detect everything from ivory to one-hundred-dollar banknotes.

The method McCormick claimed he used to supposedly program these detection cards was fascinating. A substance was placed into a glass Kilner jar, along with a paper sticker, which would then “absorb the vapors” before being placed onto a card and inserted into the device. McCormick's detector would then, he claimed, compare chemicals in the air to those on the sticker, giving the user a visual indication of concealment.
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This is nothing more than a dowsing system
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and has no scientific merit whatsoever. In fact, even someone who believes in dowsing might question these claims. The simple truth is that James McCormick knew perfectly well that this system would never work. It was a scam from the beginning.

In war-torn regions, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) are one of the most dangerous weapons faced by civilians and professional soldiers. Finding and disposing of these devices can be a deadly business and McCormick saw this as an opportunity. Combining a feasible story with a desperate need allowed him to sell thousands of useless devices to governments, companies, and individuals. He made eighty million dollars from sales, selling six thousand devices in Iraq alone. There are no figures to estimate how many people may have died while relying on this device but I suspect the number to be depressingly high.

McCormick was able to secure contracts to supply the device to governments around the world. Once he had one major client, he was able to use that client's patronage to convince others that he was a legitimate businessman. While I discourage blaming the victim in most cases, I believe the British government had ample resources to conduct even the simplest of tests on this equipment. Incredibly, McCormick sold them hundreds of units and used this to support his claims with other clients. The UK government may be guilty of neglect in this regard, but that is nothing compared to the irresponsibility of the Kenyan government. Three days after McCormick was found guilty and sentenced, the Kenyan police demonstrated their magic detection devices for reporters, apparently proving that they worked exactly as McCormick claimed. Even after the device was fully exposed as an adapted twenty-dollar golf ball locator, the Kenyan authorities publicly insisted that they were effective at locating drugs, explosives, and firearms. This proves only that it's easier to cling to a lie than face the depressing truth and all that it implies.

When confronted in 2010 by one of his salesmen, McCormick told him, “They do exactly what they are meant to do: make money.” This is all a con man cares about. Free from remorse or regret, McCormick simply kept selling his “bomb detectors” without any regard for the consequences.

Compare this awful fraud to the almost amusing dancing dolls scam and we find that exactly the same principles are at work. Both scams depend on a feasible working method and both feature demonstrations to prove that the products work, but whereas the dancing dolls scam depends on novelty to attract buyers, McCormick's scheme took advantage of a genuine need for safety and protection. He identified a situation that demanded a solution, one which people would be willing to pay a great deal to have. McCormick created a bogus device, concocted a story around its abilities, and was overwhelmed by demand from potential victims.

Con games are everywhere and even the simplest hustle can be transformed into a big con with a little imagination. James McCormick may never have seen a dancing doll seller, but his objectives and methods were exactly the same. To be able to recognize the elements of a scam, we need to look deeper into how it unfolds. Virtually all cons have four phases: the hook, the line, the sinker, and the cool-out.

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This is not always true. Some scams force the mark to invest in a lie by repeating it to a third party, but this requires careful handling and depends on context and timing.

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It might be argued that con games are a soft crime for the perpetrators.

*
Morris, Stephen; Jones, Meirion; Booth, Robert (23 April 2013), “The ‘magic' bomb detection that endangered lives all over the world.
”The Guardian
(London). Retrieved 23 April 2013.

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Dowsing is a centuries-old method of detecting water, underground structures, or precious materials using sticks, metal rods, or pendulums (among other methods). Scientifically speaking, it's hogwash.

P
rotection is not just a matter of spotting a scam before getting involved; it's equally important to recognize one from within. Con games evolve over time and anyone can be suckered in by the right story; but if you spot the hallmarks of a scam before it takes you, then it might be possible to walk away without losing a penny. This knowledge can also be invaluable when helping others who are likely to get scammed or already entangled in a con man's web.

My bookshelves groan with the weight of past volumes, exposés, and reminiscences by retired con artists, police officers, federal agents, and bunco men. I have books by academics and magicians who, like myself, were fascinated by the genre, interpreting its history and characters from their own peculiar or entertaining perspective. Strange stories, facts, and personalities fill these pages and have sold quite a number of copies.

As it turns out, writing a book on con games can be quite easy. Many are merely a rewrite (sometimes a blatant rip-off) of already existing material. For hundreds of years, authors have filled their pages with poorly veiled facsimiles of past texts. This counterfeit creativity can be mapped over the years as new authors appear to recycle the same old stories for each new generation because scams make great stories; like good jokes they often feature a fascinating setup followed by a strong punch line. People love clever ideas and tales with a twist, so the constant interest in swindles is easy to understand.