The Art of the Con (8 page)

The jam auction, for example, succeeds because it offers well-known items that are already desired by a large number of people. A list of items distributed in a good location with lots of passing traffic is enough to get the unwary into the room. Once the doors are closed and the pitch has begun, most people succumb to well-proven techniques, but the actual hook requires nothing more than a few hired hands, a handful of leaflets, and the promise of cheap PlayStations. A big hook is set for anyone to bite. You throw it into the biggest crowd available and someone will take the bait. Most Internet scams qualify as big hooks because it's all about the percentage of potential marks who respond. Ninety-nine percent of people might not be taken in by an e-mail promising riches, but if the scammer sends a million e-mails, the remaining 1 percent can prove to be incredibly profitable.

The Soft Hook

There are many ways to present someone with an opportunity, and the soft hook attempts to use subtlety to get the mark into the game. Depending on their desire for the bait, this can be anything from an overheard phone call or a passing remark to a cleverly constructed scenario where information is fed to the mark or left where they are sure to find it.

We once targeted people in a cafe near a well-known London antiques market. While waiting to be served at the counter, I spoke on the phone to someone, telling them that I had spotted a piece of “Hollingworth Blueware,” worth thousands of pounds, but I didn't have enough cash for it. I gave my imaginary friend directions and ordered a cup of tea. People within earshot soon began to wander out of the cafe and walk toward the market.

Within minutes they were at our stall and looking at a blue plate that had cost us pennies. The phone call got people interested enough to go to the stall, but they were still naturally cautious. Jess played the part of the stall owner, and rather than give them a long story about the plate, we decided to keep it simple and let the marks convince themselves. It worked every time. After each victim bought his plate, we simply replaced it with a duplicate and waited for the next eavesdropper to arrive.

The objective of a soft hook is to have the marks chase the bait, and many of the most effective scams convince the victims that they are in the driver's seat. Once the marks show an interest and start following the prize, they are hooked. But an experienced hustler knows that they are not yet committed to anything; come on too strong and they might easily break away.

The Straight Hook

When time is short or subtlety has failed, the direct approach works best. Whether offering something for sale or giving the mark a choice, the straight hook quickly comes down to a “yes or no” proposition. That's not to say that a refusal is the end of the story; often it's just the beginning if the hustler has a particular angle or some useful leverage. Walk-up scammers approach people on the street to ask for money under some pretext and come right out with their bullshit story about a kid in the hospital or being stranded without gas. They find out in seconds what kind of mark they're dealing with, but in the face of a refusal, they don't always give up, instead trying a new direction. Often a softer approach is most effective after the mark has said no.

A well-structured walk-up scam introduces the scenario up-front and quickly filters out those who refuse to stop or get involved. Once someone stops to listen, the hustler adds more detail before asking for money for a taxi or a train, to pay a restaurant bill, or even a gambling debt. Many people quickly refuse, often lying to say they have no money. This is a natural defense mechanism; in fact, the scammer expects it and is prepared to redirect.

In the UK, I've encountered many walk-up hustlers with all sorts of stories. Late at night, in the heart of London, a guy dressed in cyclist's Lycra carrying a helmet and a messenger bag asked me for help because his bike had been stolen. He even had the broken bicycle lock as evidence of the crime. All he needed was money to get home. I gave him all the change I had and watched him approach another group. I wasn't fooled; to the contrary, despite being certain that he was lying, I genuinely appreciated the trouble he'd gone to for a handful of coins. I found out for sure that he was a scammer when two nights later he approached me in a different part of town with the same story. I advised him to find a different brand of lock as he wasn't having much luck with the one he showed me. He didn't miss a beat, shifting from his stolen bike story to another one about trying to raise money to visit his mother. I could have been there all night as he tried one angle after another, so in the end, I walked away.

Thanks to the success of
The Real Hustle
and becoming recognizable on television, I've developed a temporary defense against walk-ups like this one. One evening, on Shaftsbury Avenue, a guy hits me with a story about his son being in the hospital. As is typical, his objective was to get the story out before I could walk away, but halfway into the details he stopped and tilted his head to look at me properly. Recognizing who I was, he said “never mind” and walked quickly away.

The Pigeon Drop

Sometimes a scam begins with a softer approach but builds to a straight choice for the mark. This becomes a hit-and-run scam once the mark gets wrapped up by the situation. An excellent example of this is the classic Pigeon Drop scam, which gives the victim a “take it or leave it” decision that's hard to walk away from.

Our setup was in a pub near London's South Bank area. Due to the pressures of filming a hidden camera show and the limited time we had to control our mark, the scam needed to be squeezed into a much shorter time frame than was normal, and in order to capture every detail, the entire affair would take place in one location. Nevertheless, the elements of the scam remained true to the classic “drop.”

Jess sat alone in the bar, waiting for my signal, while Alex took up a large booth near the corner. He was well dressed with a briefcase and a handful of bogus business cards. I stood near the bar and waited for our mark to settle down and get comfortable. When the time was right, I gave Jess the signal and our little drama began.

Within minutes, Jess was yelling at someone on her phone, something about an airport and it not being worth the risk. Finally she stormed off, shouting that she was “leaving it” as she exited the pub. I waited for a while to let the dust settle before I went to the restroom. On the way back I noticed a bag near where Jess was sitting and very close to where our mark was talking to his friend. I picked up the bag and asked the mark if it belonged to him. It didn't but it gave me the chance to converse for a while before I suggested the mark look inside for some sort of name or address. The bag was full of money. Thousands of pounds stared back at the mark as I reacted but observed his response carefully. Looking around I said, “you know we could hand this into the bar or the local police station but I'll bet all that money that we'll never get a penny if the bag isn't claimed.” This prepared the mark for what was to follow, but more important, it tested him to see if he was interested in the money and willing to take action to secure it. He immediately agreed that handing it in was a bad idea. That was not common sense talking—it was greed.

The mark was now following the hook and all I needed to do was convince him to bite. I began to explain that we could take it to the local police station and share any reward or split the money if it was never claimed, but that I was uncertain of exactly what to do. Luckily, my friend “the lawyer” was sitting in a booth nearby. We all approached Alex and I introduced the mark. As we explained our situation, Alex took a moment to pass out his phony business card and flash his lawyer's wig (what lawyers wear in UK courts), which “just happened” to be in his briefcase.

The Pigeon Drop depends on encouraging the sucker to hold onto the cash in return for a good faith deposit that proves he will split the big bag of money when the time comes. Variations use a diamond ring or even a gold brick, but the key is to create a reason not to divide the prize then and there. As per my crooked predecessors, the reason I had concocted was loaded with legal mumbo-jumbo. Alex explained that we were within our rights to keep the money if no claim had been made to either the bar or the local police within two weeks. He went on to say that we could keep the money but that it must not be split up or divided in any way. It was vital that the money be kept together so it could all be returned if claimed. Under these circumstances, we could either keep all of the money or demand a 40 percent reward if the owner came forward.

After we explained what we'd heard Jess say on the phone, Alex nodded knowingly and informed us that the money was going to be taken out of the country and she obviously chickened out. Nobody would come to claim it, Alex told us, but it was essential to keep the cash together as described so the money could legally be ours.

Now the mark could smell the score and was genuinely excited, but who was going to keep the money? Alex suggested that I hold the money, but since we both had a claim, I would need to give the mark a large sum as security, say five hundred pounds. I replied that I didn't have access to that kind of cash, and we all thought about it for a moment. The hook was right there, waiting for the mark to go for it. So far, we'd merely been building up the story until he was utterly convinced; now the trap door was waiting for him to take one more step. The opportunity was there if he wanted to grab it. This approach is an open hook, and when devising these scams I always prefer to allow the mark to come after the deal
on his own
. If that fails, then the straight hook is offered.

“Then how about you?” Alex asked. “Can you get access to five hundred pounds?”

The mark nodded.

“Then why don't you keep the money? I'm happy to act as a witness. If you exchange your details and meet at my office in two weeks, I'll happily oversee the transaction. Does that sound fair?” The mark agreed. He was excited, looking like he couldn't wait to get away with the cash. In his mind, he was probably already spending his share. He might have even been considering ways to keep it all for himself.

As I walked him to the ATM, Alex switched the bag for a duplicate full of newspaper. When the mark left, he could barely believe his luck until a television crew stopped him around the corner and asked the bewildered victim to look in the bag. His elation was short lived.

This scam has worked for decades and depends entirely on keeping the victim focused on the prize. Many who have fallen for this probably never intended to return to divide the cash. Temptation is a powerful force that few of us can resist in the heat of the moment. If you offer steak to a hungry man, there's a good chance he's going to eat.

The closed hook is best employed once a mark is convinced that the opportunity is genuine, but while a quick “yes” is preferred, the experienced con artist knows how to redirect a refusal. Had this mark turned down Alex's suggestion, then we might have reasoned with him for a while or pulled the money away, toying with him until he took action to secure it. It's a lot like dangling a piece of string in front of a cat. She might appear disinterested, but if you persevere and play the game just right, eventually she'll pounce.

On television shows, my objective is to convince someone to commit and to hand over their own money or property, but time is limited: We rarely attempt to steal more than someone has immediate access to, or could be convinced to bring along.

I've often heard that this kind of con game is old-school and isn't played like this any more, but in Kansas in 2009, this exact con was being pulled all over town by two female hustlers, taking thousands of dollars from each of their victims.

Just the Ticket

Let's consider a fairly common confidence trick, but put ourselves into the role of a con artist and apply a few simple strategies to ensure success. For this scenario, we'll employ elements from the Pigeon Drop: a natural switch, a soft hook, and, if that doesn't work, we'll try a straight hook.

In summer 2013, I was in Louisville, Kentucky, for a festival that happened on the same weekend as a very large concert that attracted hordes of teenage girls. Outside the venue were hundreds of girls and their parents hoping to pick up tickets for a decent price. As I walked past the concert hall, I saw dozens of potential marks and began to theorize about how a hustler might prey on their situation. How would you do it? Setting aside your principles for just a moment, how would you try to fleece someone if you knew exactly what they wanted and were willing to pay for it?

Selling fake tickets narrows the potential victims to those willing to pay to see a particular event or show. Many bogus websites have appeared over the years to take advantage of concerts and sporting events. These provide a fake front for a genuine product and allow scammers to take advantage of the disparity between the limited number of tickets and the large demand from excited teenagers. A bogus website simply needs to look the part and function as expected to take your money. This usually happens long before the date of the show so that the fraudsters can reboot their business under another disguise. The protection offered by many credit card companies means you might not lose your money, but many ticket sellers now ask for payment by other means to minimize their own risk. Be extremely cautious, for example, when anyone asks you to make payment via a wire-transfer service for any type of transaction.

This type of ticket fraud isn't much of a scam. It simply takes advantage of something that's in demand and a believable delay in delivering the product. A more traditional con game would be to sell actual tickets on the day of the event. We know that there will be plenty of people looking to buy tickets and that those tickets sell for very high prices from scalpers. Fakes can be extremely convincing, but as technology advances, it becomes more and more difficult to get past the turnstiles unless you're holding the real deal. As scammers, getting inside the venue is not our problem; but we do need a convincing product or we'll never get the money.