Thesis Statement: In order to understand my topic, I will discuss scam victims, spotting a con-artist, and avoiding one. Introduction- I bet you all want to know how con artists work. They work by being deceiving when it comes to getting what they want. I will be talking about what they look for in a scam victim, how you can spot a con artist, and how you can try to avoid one. Body: I. Scam victims, beware! A.
They use people’s weaknesses and strengths that can be used as an advantage a. Mostly go for people whose traits are: pride, ego, youth, loneliness, desperation, etc. B. Scam victims could be anybody! b. Volunteers, psychologists, students, officials, etc. C. Their goal is to make you feel dependent of them D. Examples of some scam threats are: c. Bank scams, religious scams, medical scams, modeling scams, etc II. How to spot a con artist. A. You can spot a con artist by how they can overwhelm you with praise a.
Also show attention and concern by just meeting you B. Con artists would try to “prove” themselves by namedropping or saying that they have a very detailed resume C. If their story doesn’t add up. b. They will provide an explanation which might not add up. c. Sidestep the issue by accusing a person of mistrust or being paranoid. D. The con artist wants your money before you even know it by saying “I want/need an answer now” E. Intense eye contact. Their stare will be fixated and emotionless and they might not be blinking a lot. Sign of control.
III. How to avoid a con artist. A. When talking to a con artist, try to look them directly in the eye a. They will look away or blink rapidly if they aren’t telling the truth B. Body language means a lot. b. They will move a lot and if they fidget a lot, something must be wrong. C. If they act differently towards you in a group setting, something wrong might be going on D. Take notes of everything like what they say and repeat what they said. c. Example. They want you to pay them $200 for a month but the next month they double it.
So you could write down what they said and show them proof of what they told you. E. They always forget about the lie that they told you. d. Have that person repeat what they said in a week or two after. Conclusion: Now you know how to spot a con artist, how they find their victims for scamming, and how to avoid a con artist. So next time you think about answering your door to a stranger be aware that they might be scamming money out of you or try to use you for what they want or need.
Bibliography 1. Grabianowski, Ed. How Con Artists Work” 10 July 2006. HowStuffWorks. com. <http://money. howstuffworks. com/con-artist. htm> 14 October 2012. 2. Staff, NPR. “‘The Big Con’: If You Can’t Avoid It, Avenge It. ” NPR. NPR, 24 Mar. 2012. Web. 14 Oct. 2012. <http://www. npr. org/2012/03/24/149148112/the-big-con-if-you-cant-avoid-it-avenge-it>. 3. “What a Con Artist Looks for in a Scam Victim. ” What a Con Artist Looks for in a Scam Victim. N. p. , n. d. Web. 14 Oct. 2012. <http://www. fraudaid. com/backstage/victims_con_artists_look_for. htm>. 4. “Lovefraud. om How to Spot a Con Artist. ” Lovefraud. N. p. , n. d. Web. 14 Oct. 2012. <http://www. lovefraud. com/02_howToSpotAcon/spot_con_artist. html>. 5. “Tactics Con Artist Use to Make Their Victims Feel Helpless. ” Tactics Con Artist Use to Make Their Victims Feel Helpless. N. p. , n. d. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. <http://www. fraudaid. com/backstage/how_con_artists_manipulate. htm>. 6. “The Con Artist: Trying to Avoid Them. ” Socyberty. N. p. , n. d. Web. 14 Oct. 2012. <http://socyberty. com/subcultures/the-con-artist-trying-to-avoid-them/
