How to Defend Yourself Against a Con
Jack Payne of Con Man's Blog, writes about how fraudsters use emotion to trump reason in his article: Scam Artists' Inheritance Fraud--Do Not Make these Deadly Mistakes
"An attorney (???) phones you and says, "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm John Lawler, attorney, representing the estate of the recently deceased, Irving Generosis. Your name was mentioned in his last will and testament. Naturally, I must confirm certain things about you, before going any further, to be certain I have the right party. Would you answer a few pertinent questions for me, please?"At this point your heart is in your throat. You're excited. Who? What? When? Where? you are thinking as you try to calm yourself. Your first thoughts are of inheriting a fabulous house, not considering it's location, that it might be located next to an active volcano. The curiosity to gain more information overwhelms you. "Yes, yes, yes," you blurt out. " Go ahead."
At this stage you should have slowed yourself down, asked yourself something like, if I had everything where would I keep it? Instead, you have just committed your first mistake. You have shoved your big toe into his bear trap."
Although, the prose is a bit purple, I can attest to the basic effectiveness of the technique --if you are not prepared to damp your emotions.
A scammer came to the front door the other day. She was crying, and through her sobs stammered out the standard con story: "My mother had a heart attack, she lives north of here and I need to borrow bus fare, now. My husband won't get home for a couple of hours and I have to go, now."
Uh, too bad for the story that the particular bus didn't leave until tomorrow morning.
But it wasn't rational thought that saved me: only experience with that particular con.
