Deception by stealth: the scammer's long game

Spectator

4 days ago

We all know that life is full of people who try to con us, often starting with a voice on the phone. 'I'm speaking from the fraud department of your bank.' 'I'm your local BT engineer.' No, you're not from either my bank or BT. In all likelihood you are speaking from a scam farm somewhere in south-east Asia.
This book, however, deals with the serious con artists, the ones who infiltrate your life over a period of time, using psychological skills, imagination and often charm until they have finessed you into a position where you willingly hand them a large sum of money, often your life savings. Then whoosh! – and neither the scammer nor the money is ever seen again. It happened to the author of this book Johnathan Walton, a successful Los Angeles television producer, who was conned out of almost $100,000 by a beautiful, charismatic woman who, over four years, he had grown to think of as his best friend.
But where most victims of such frauds remain silent out of embarrassment, humiliation or even guilt, Walton went public, writing a blog about his experience. Stories from others who had been similarly victimised immediately flooded in and soon he realised that in all of them there were common factors. Anatomy of a Con Artist, a compilation of them, is written in a conversational style and from an American perspective. Chapters about Walton's own experience are interspersed with those of others – each illustrating at least one and usually more of his 14 danger signals
For Red Flag No. 3 (Too Kind, Too Quickly) there is the case of Ricky, a young professional American football star earning millions, who needed to furnish his new apartment. While he was searching out stuff in a designer store, a striking, expensively dressed older woman who radiated sophistication and class materialised beside him. They struck up a conversation and when he told her why he was in the store she offered to help him – which Ricky eagerly accepted. Soon 'Peggy' was in a quasi-maternal role with the young athlete, showering him and his friends with gifts, love and support, and even hosting his wedding.
But she was playing the long game. When Ricky went through a bad patch, becoming depressed and vulnerable, Peggy, now his trusted friend, seized the chance to whisper: 'If you had let me manage you, none of this would have happened.' After a year of such conversations, in 2007 Ricky signed over power of attorney to her, giving her total control of all his finances. For six years she seemed to be managing his wealth well – so much so that several fellow athletic stars entrusted the management of their own money to her. By the time they realised what was going on, she had siphoned off millions.
A theme emphasised throughout is that, in Walton's words 'con artists don't outsmart you, they out feel you'. That is, it is through working on your emotions – affection, greed, loneliness, love – that they embroil you in their schemes. Building up your trust in them is essential, so that when it comes to the moment of 'the kill', you are the one to offer the money. 'They don't ask, they get you to offer,' says Walton. And of course money handed over voluntarily is more difficult to recover.
So what are these all-important red flags? First, says Walton, remember that taken singly they may mean nothing; but the more of them there are, the more you must be on your guard. First on his list is the unsolicited offer of help, often from a stranger. By itself this might just be a kind deed; but for the con artist it could be a way into your life. And if your new friend pours out confidences before the relationship is well established, this could be another sign. Confidences invite confidences and the scammer sees this as a way of building trust between you – vital if the scam is to work.
Two other red flags often found when a con artist is trying to lure you into an investment scam are scarcity and what Walton calls 'Beak Wetting'. This latter means perhaps the quick repayment of money loaned to the con artist, or the arrival of a generous dividend on a share scheme in which you have been persuaded to make a small investment. Fortified by the knowledge you can now trust this person/scheme, you hand over a lot more money – only for it to disappear for good. Scarcity is what it sounds like: if you don't buy this discounted new car or piece of jewellery immediately, the opportunity will have gone.
Another warning sign is the constant use of digital technology. If someone is always showing emails or texts to back up whatever story they are telling, remember that these addresses and texts can be faked. The diplomas hanging on the wall may have been photoshopped to appear genuine and – worst of all with AI – the voice of a loved one or business associate can be copied.
Walton, who now devotes his life to helping such victims, and to bringing fraudsters to justice in cooperation with the police, concludes his book with much sensible advice on what to do if you are scammed.