[sunkmanitutanka]

I've recently found myself used by a couple of con artists. I also watched the movie Confidence and I was wondering how to prevent myself from being used by them again. I looked up "Confidence Trick" on wikipedia and saw different tactics they used to take advantage of people.

Their definition of a con artist is "an individual operating alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility, naivety and greed."

I understand how they use almost all the tactics except for honesty and dishonesty. I'm not a naturally dishonest person so I was mostly curious how a con artist might go about using honesty as a tactic against me. Any examples you could give would be much appreciated.

[sircockburn]

PM me your CC#, full name and CID, and I'll teach you how cons are done.

[overexc]

I can safely say that I have yet to meet a con artist, so everything I say is based on my own reading. Got that? Good.

My understanding is that con artists use people's own nature against them.
> If the target is naturally arrogant, for example, the con artist might tell the target that he is a con artist, leading the target to think that s/he can outsmart the con artist (spoiler: they can't).
As such, I imagine con artists only go after certain personality types, and not everyone they talk to. Similarly, I imagine each con artist has their own tactics and styles to pilfer their mark's money.

Using honesty to con someone would probably, I think, involve acting honest to get the victim's trust and making the victim feel like s/he has the con artist's trust as well. After this, I imagine it would be fairly simple to abuse that trust to make some money. Or they could be completely honest and hope for the victim's arrogance to make some money nonetheless.

If you haven't already read it, I would suggest reading this
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
. It's incredibly insightful, and also simply an interesting read.

[gypsy stardust]

If it sounds too good to be true, it is.

You probably default to "trust until the person proves they're not worthy" - no one is worthy of blind trust. My personal default is "trust must be earned" - by everyone.

Always have in the back of your head, "What's in it for THEM".

[John F Kennedy]

I haven't met a con artist personally, but I saw one in Toronto by a major subway station. He was doing a show (I think it was contemporary breakdancing) and he was telling the crowd which gathered that he was doing it to make money for a wedding ring for his girlfriend. People were throwing large bills into his hat, and had an expression of joyous wonder on their face. I looked at his own face, and thought "there's no way this guy *isn't* a total con. He looked like a street-smart wheeler-dealer that has been doing street fraud forever.

So I think he was banking on people's love of wonder (seen in themes such as weddings, sick children's hospitals, sick pets, fulfillment of promises made to God for saving one's life, a love story on the Titanic, etc.), a wonder which breaks down all reason and sense and leaves them open to a proverbial angel's touch.

[Selene]

Originally Posted by sunkmanitutanka To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

I've recently found myself used by a couple of con artists. I also watched the movie Confidence and I was wondering how to prevent myself from being used by them again. I looked up "Confidence Trick" on wikipedia and saw different tactics they used to take advantage of people. Their definition of a con artist is "an individual operating alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility, naivety and greed." I understand how they use almost all the tactics except for honesty and dishonesty. I'm not a naturally dishonest person so I was mostly curious how a con artist might go about using honesty as a tactic against me. Any examples you could give would be much appreciated.

Haven't seen this film but preventative measures against con artists will include conducting:

• onsistency tests
• Reference checks

Con artists act on and exploit the weaknesses of others. Be mindful of who you trust, study behavioral consistencies, and always ensure transactions are legal and well documented.

[BlSH0P]

lol conning people is so much fun

[Polymath20]

I just sort of always assume that people have ulterior motives. Being critical of strangers' intentions is generally a good idea.

[MyotisLucifugus]

	Originally Posted by gypsy stardust To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	If it sounds too good to be true, it is. You probably default to "trust until the person proves they're not worthy" - no one is worthy of blind trust. My personal default is "trust must be earned" - by everyone. Always have in the back of your head, "What's in it for THEM".

I think I've recounted this story on the forums before, but I had a dating site con artist try to use this against me about a year ago.

I met a guy in my hometown on OKC, and while he didn't really strike me as someone compatible physically (he was fucking 6'8" and I'm just under 5'4" and not one of those women the forums loves to hate who go after only tall men; I actually have a loose preference for under 6') or intellectually (he struck me as a bit less than classically intelligent from his grammar, constant misspelling and all caps crap on his profile) I decided that the goal of being on that site wasn't so much finding a significant other as it was just generally socializing and seeing what was out there first. I decided to meet him and see where it went and suggested the local mall, which is a quarter mile's walk from my house. It is well lit, has multiple exits, several restaurants (with liquor licenses), etc. It would have been fine that way.

The day of the date he texts me in the evening to tell me he lent his vehicle to a friend. Immediately, red flags went up. I told him I was off the next day as well and wouldn't mind rescheduling. He immediately asked me if I was the kind of person who'd give up the moment difficulties popped up in my life, and more red flags appeared. I could tell what he was doing at this point and decided to play along. I told him if he had any ideas for a date he could tell me what they were, and he suggested we go for a walk near his home, which was in the city proper. I agreed, as there were tons of places to go to in the area, and asked him specifically where he wanted to walk to. He said the park nearby.

The park nearby is a one-mile loop of asphalt running through a dense forest, with low traffic and a very heavy tree cover. Hmmmmmm.

I told him no and he immediately flipped out on me, telling me I have a problem with men, that I'm distrusting, that I'm overly suspicious of people when I have no grounds to be suspicious. Apparently trying to coerce someone half your size into the woods when they don't know you from the next person is perfectly okay in his world populated by juggernauts or something. His rant culminated with "You make people earn your trust, and that's WRONG. I trust everyone and take it away when they do something to lose it." I suppose when you're 6'8" you can afford that luxury, but I still to this day don't buy any of his fake sincerity, because…

… I told him where I worked, when I worked, and let him know it was okay to pop in and say hello, and he never did. Kind of odd considering how gung-ho he was just prior to this.

Eventually he came back to OKC under a different name, tried the same thing on me (Rule #1 of the Numbers Game Methodology -- do not attempt unless you have the intellectual capacity for remembering names and details. Apparently he does not have this.) and flipped out again when I reminded him of who I was. A few days later his profile changed to a long, all-caps rant about bitches, hos and whores and how nobody in this town is good enough for him. A day or two after that, he was gone.

Something tells me that had I gone into the woods with him like he'd wanted it would have ended up a lot like the Little Bunny Foo-Foo story with deleted boner scenes restored.

Fuck that guy.

[Warrior]

Originally Posted by MyotisLucifugus To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

I told him no and he immediately flipped out on me, telling me I have a problem with men, that I'm distrusting, that I'm overly suspicious of people when I have no grounds to be suspicious. Apparently trying to coerce someone half your size into the woods when they don't know you from the next person is perfectly okay in his world populated by juggernauts or something. His rant culminated with "You make people earn your trust, and that's WRONG. I trust everyone and take it away when they do something to lose it." I suppose when you're 6'8" you can afford that luxury, but I still to this day don't buy any of his fake sincerity, because…

You should have told him that's well and good, but a first date alone in the woods with someone you have never met before constitutes a reason to lose trust. You did the right thing.

[hi5yourface]

Originally Posted by sunkmanitutanka To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

I've recently found myself used by a couple of con artists. I also watched the movie Confidence and I was wondering how to prevent myself from being used by them again. I looked up "Confidence Trick" on wikipedia and saw different tactics they used to take advantage of people. Their definition of a con artist is "an individual operating alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility, naivety and greed." I understand how they use almost all the tactics except for honesty and dishonesty. I'm not a naturally dishonest person so I was mostly curious how a con artist might go about using honesty as a tactic against me. Any examples you could give would be much appreciated.

A true sociopath will use your honesty in an effort to make personal gain from you. Anything you say can and will be used against you to manipulate your reactions for their advancement.

Pathological lying is your first clue, although it will take some time to figure this one out, be careful!

Edit: Experience - Previously married to true sociopath. Very charming until after wedding and then immediately became abusive. Even normal physical needs of mine were overlooked for his advancement, example: When I needed a winter coat I was accused of expecting too much but using the money I earned was grounds for buying anything he wanted, motorcycle, new cars, new band equipment *gag me* while I went without a winter coat....everything is a guilt trip with a sociopath. I got out with only the clothes on my back and have no regrets in that regard...

[DeaconSyre]

I categorize pieces of information according to the level of trust required to receive them. If someone starts looking for (or I start divulging) information from a level they're not on red flags go up.

Every time I see those quizzes on Facebook that ask you to answer just about every security question I get sick to my stomach worrying about my friends and family who are answering them.

[nashburn8]

Maybe it's an INTJ thing, but I think most of us are good at seeing through people's bullshit to see how they are going to benefit.

Two major cons:

1) Paying taxes to support deadbeats on welfare who choose not to work.
2) People who pay up to 10% of their income to their church.

[MyotisLucifugus]

	Originally Posted by Warrior To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	You should have told him that's well and good, but a first date alone in the woods with someone you have never met before constitutes a reason to lose trust. You did the right thing.

I basically did, which is what "caused" (well, forcing him to deviate from his script really caused it) him to flip out. I told him that I never went somewhere private for a first date and he then launched into his tirade about trust and being one of the "good guys" (as if the bad guys announce this fact, another thing he freaked out on me for pointing out to him).

Strangely enough, I got the exact same request from someone else a few months later, a paranoid conspiracy theorist/wilderness tracker with extensive knowledge of the national forest a few miles away, and his response to my polite refusal was "I see; no harm in trying to protect yourself."

I did once fall victim to a moneychanging scam when I was younger, though, so it's not like I'm batting a thousand against scumbags. Maybe I'm just more sensitive to certain kinds of scams.

[Thinktress]

	Originally Posted by overexc To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	I can safely say that I have yet to meet a con artist, so everything I say is based on my own reading. Got that? Good.

I'm not sure how you've managed that. I've met my fair share. I can pick them out right away usually.

---------- Post added 05-08-2012 at 09:11 PM ----------

I've never seen a really GOOD con artist. They all screw it up somewhere. Things don't add up, they tell two different stories, whatever. My brain spots inconsistencies like that immediately. I'd actually probably have to grudgingly admire a con artist who was really good at their game.