But I was making so much money, I didn't care. Join or renew your AARP membership today for just $16 per year. So the victims would pay $25,000 for a bunch of coins, which they would receive, but years later, they would take them to a coin shop and learn they were worth only a few thousand dollars. They also try and make you feel inadequate if you don't believe what they are telling you, or are asking too many questions. I've trained hundreds of salesmen who worked in scam boiler rooms. Ask "Is what I'm hearing really true, does the storyteller have evidence, or do I just want it to be true? be able to spot people with hidden agendas. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try I think about my victims. When I got out, I promised my mother I would never go back to my old ways. Scammers know this is a natural fear and will play on it in many ways. again. My name is Jim, and I have spent most of my adult life swindling people out of money — big money. But it's an important survival skill to be able to spot outright scam artists--devious people out to separate you from your money. He first talked to one of our salesmen, who gave him the generic pitch. How to Become a Con Artist. Konnikova says all con artists share some mixture of three traits: psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism. Early on in my career I was selling bogus oil and gas units to investors. It wasn't easy. Men are grandiose; they are full of ego. So you couple that with my experience selling over the phone in Florida and you have the perfect storm. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. Primarily consisting of lead vocalists Jeanette Jurado, Ann Curless, and Gioia Bruno, the group achieved much of their success between 1984 and 1993, becoming the first group to have four top ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart from its debut album, including the 1988 #1 hit "Seasons Change". But by then I had developed my own dark side — drug addiction. Typecasting is a technique con artists generally use to get someone's full attention. It's an important business and life skill to be able to spot people with hidden agendas. The place housed numerous other scam boiler rooms I had worked in, but you would never have known that from the outside. He was signaling that I was in control and that he wanted me in control. I owe the federal government almost a million dollars in restitution that I don't have a prayer of paying back. Before the internet was born con artists were largely on their own. Victims don't look for why the offer is a scam; they look for why the offer will make them money. Nobody. Men are more emotional than women. The two most powerful ways to do this are through need and greed. The victim is given a fake receipt and the con artist disappears with the cash. Plus, because the victims receive the coins, they don't realize until years later that they've been taken. Sure, we had a well, but it was a dry hole, and we knew it — there was no chance of hitting oil. And as I got older, I got better. My name is Jim, and I have spent most of my adult life swindling people out of money — big money. All of those years I ripped people off, I knew it was wrong. Another tell is if they're too aggressive in expecting compliance to their wishes. In any interaction with someone trying to sell you a deal, always ask yourself, "What's in it for them?" Exposé is an American Latin freestyle vocal group. I pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and went to prison for more than three years. Who is more desperate for money than an addict? I worked in 30 fraudulent business operations over a 10-year period, pitching everything from gold coins to time-shares to oil and gas leases and other business opportunities. Why men? Tired of working for your money? TruthFinder is your best solution for a possible con artist. That's got to be tough." When I hear someone say that only stupid people fall for fraud, I feel like asking for that person's phone number. And for these types of investments the perfect victim was almost always a male. Don't tell us when you're going through a divorce or a death. The answer is that con men target people who have money, and a lot of seniors are sitting on fat nest eggs. The first day we ran that ad, it generated more than 10,000 phone calls. Can you spell karma? People sometimes ask me about remorse. I would have thought maybe a half-percent, but maybe I'm crazy (pun intended). It's every man for himself, and the goal is to acquire as much money as possible. To find a client's emotional need, I'll ask a bunch of personal questions. But remember, these are deviants who are good at being devious so it takes more to keep them from plying their trade. I can do this because I am out of the game now. That was the day 40 U.S. postal inspectors and FBI agents with gold badges and guns burst into my office. Comments: 0. Fraud victims are people with emotional needs, just like the rest of us. Get more tips on avoiding scams and fraud in the AARP Money Matters newsletter. You will be asked to register or log in. If you've been the victim of fraud, you're not alone. Visit our Eye Center today for answers to your vision health questions. This was lesson number one: Assume a false personality or social mask that makes it easier to pull off the deception. This will put pressure on the mark. Drug addiction gave me the two characteristics all scam operators want in a closer: selfishness and greed.