An article written by a man whose father was a professional con artist.
[thoughtcatalog.com]
"My father’s ability to tap into a person’s avarice and ego at once was what made him a success."
Pause at this. Often, when we read about ego, we picture arrogance. No. Ego includes the finest aspects of ourselves.
Such as the need to be useful. Helpful. To be of service.
This is why you have the right to fact check any person or project that taps at the service dimension of your ego.
"My father always insisted that you couldn’t cheat an honest man. He believed cash was the ultimate bait, and he strove to draw out the average person’s greed, as well as their desire to be needed. Senior citizens were not only more trusting on average, but they were often lonely and eager for company, and it pleased them to feel useful again. "
How the scam worked:
[thoughtcatalog.com]
"My father’s ability to tap into a person’s avarice and ego at once was what made him a success."
Pause at this. Often, when we read about ego, we picture arrogance. No. Ego includes the finest aspects of ourselves.
Such as the need to be useful. Helpful. To be of service.
This is why you have the right to fact check any person or project that taps at the service dimension of your ego.
"My father always insisted that you couldn’t cheat an honest man. He believed cash was the ultimate bait, and he strove to draw out the average person’s greed, as well as their desire to be needed. Senior citizens were not only more trusting on average, but they were often lonely and eager for company, and it pleased them to feel useful again. "
How the scam worked:
Quote
Like most con-artists, my Dad and Jack preferred to target the elderly. In one scam, dressed in dark tailor-made suits, they would knock on a woman’s door, and hand her business cards that identified them as bank officers investigating an embezzler. The problem was internal, and they believed it was a teller.
Sitting in the woman’s living room, my father would gaze into her eyes with concern and gently explain what an extraordinary public service she would be doing if she agreed to withdraw her savings for the sake of this on-going investigation.
Once they had her money, Dad and Jack explained, they would enter the bank undercover, target the teller under suspicion, re-deposit the funds and if any of the cash went missing, the culprit would be caught. Twenty-five thousand dollars, a small fortune in the 1970s, was promised as a reward.