Who Is Con Man
A man who cheats or tricks someone by
gaining their trust and persuading them to believe something that is not
true.
Con” meaning to fool or take advantage of another person (as in con man
or con-woman) or the act.
A con, or confidence game, is a swindle — when you take advantage of someone's trust. If you con someone out of their life savings, you might
wind up a con — as in convict.
Definition:
a con artist is a manipulator who cheats or tricks, others by persuading them to believe something that is not true. The couple lost their savings to a con artist who told them he was an investment broker. Through deception,
they fool people into believing they can make easy money, property, or
possessions when, in fact, it is the con artist who ends up taking the
victim's money.
These common cons continue to fool people year after year, even though they are illegal and simply don't work. Although pyramid schemes predate 1920 scam run by Charles Ponzi, the scheme reached so many people and bilked them out of so much money that his name became synonymous with this type of scam. Synonyms of a con man are a con, confidence game, confidence scheme, ripoff, scam, and stratagem
Con artists make money through deception. They lie, cheat and fool people into thinking they've happened onto a great deal or some easy money when they're the ones who'll be making money. If that doesn't work, they'll take advantage of our weaknesses, loneliness, insecurity, poor health, or simple ignorance. The only thing more important to a con artist than perfecting a con is perfecting a total lack of conscience.
A con artist is an expert at looking however he needs to look. If the con involves banking or investments, the con artist will wear a snappy suit. If it involves home improvement scams, he'll show up wearing well-worn work clothes. Even the basic assumption that the con is a "he" is incorrect: there are plenty of con women too. They gain your confidence just long enough to get their hands on your money. They can be very charming and persuasive. A good con the artist can even make you believe he is really an old friend you haven't seen in years.
How do con men convince you to part with your money? Who are they? And how do they choose their victims?
I think what I love most about con artists and the world of scammers is that they're criminals who manage to get their victims to hand over their possessions freely. A con artist manages to get their victim to freely give up their stuff. And I think that's what really fascinates me the most. I think it's important that if you are going to be a con artist that you learn how to lie to people. So what I thought we should do is actually bring up here on the stage some of the best liars in the room and see whether we can spot who's really good at it, and who's really bad at it. Most con artists rely on this idea that the victim is in control. The victim is the one who is controlling the situation.
