The Progression of Scamming: Confidence Games of the 19th-21st Centuries
Scams are everywhere. They attack at all angles, and in all forms. From the side of a street to a computer monitor, scamming has made victims of the gullible for centuries. Being quick to judge, the average person would say that they would never fall prey to a scam, and those that do are stupid and naïve. But over time, scammers have found new and innovative ways, with the use of constantly advancing technology, to scam a broader range of victims. Those that think they are too smart to lose their money to a scam are now picking up the pieces of their own financial robbery in shame.
Imagine a caravan transporting goods in the Arabian Desert around 500 CE. The traveling merchants encounter numerous tribes through their journey. On one of these encounters, a tribesman approaches the caravan with an offer to trade some goods. While the negotiation is taking place, a young boy stands by. Seemingly innocent, the merchants think nothing of the young boy until after they have traveled on and realized that some of their merchandise has been stolen.
A scam starts with what scammers call a mark. In this case, the traveling merchants are the mark. The mark must have something of importance or value, usually money or expensive items. The con man, also known as the confidence man, is the tribesman. He wants what the target has, so he resorts to stealing it. He greets the caravan peacefully with the offer of trade. The young boy is known as the plant. He is an accomplice to the tribesman and steals the goods while the merchants are distracted.
The confidence men acquired their nickname by gaining the confidence of the mark. It seems unusual to trust someone you have just met on the street, or in this case, passing by in the desert. However, we often trust strangers for reasons we are not aware. The confidence man takes advantage of this natural trait of man to want to trust and believe that people are generally good and trustworthy. The con man can appear as a well dressed man with a delightful persona. This may cause the mark to trust him. He seems like a likeable and honest person. He appears trustworthy and honest, a common stereotype of middle and upper class men and women.
The extreme opposite of this example is an appearance that gives the mark a reason to feel sympathy for the con man. The confidence man will wear dirty, torn and tattered clothing, and sunglasses that make him appear to be blind. The facade of living a hard life on the streets may cause the mark to feel sorry for the assumed homeless man, and give him money. In reality, he is not blind, nor is he homeless. This scam has worked in the past, but overuse of it has caused many people to distrust the homeless and treat them as if they are all dishonest criminals. The classic example of this distrust and unsympathetic disgust of another common stereotype, has been referenced in countless films and television programs with the passerby declining the pleas for charity, claiming the beggar will only use the donation for drugs and alcohol, a stereotype perhaps influenced by the history and effects of early scams.
Another way for the confidence man to swindle the mark is by taking advantage his or her greed. The con man will offer a possibility to make money by investments or get rich schemes and even street or carnival games. The mark wants to make money just as anyone would, and the tempting offer for quick and labor-free cash is appealing to them. Therefore, the con man convinces them that the investment will be fail proof. An example of this would be card games using trick cards that give no possibility of winning. The mark may even be swindled several more times by thinking they are only experiencing bad luck.
Not all scams were as simple as card tricks and pick pocketing. Confidence men are extremely intelligent and conjure up some pretty unique ways to scam people. One of the most famous scam artists of the 19th century was the Scottish soldier Gregor MacGregor. He went to South America to fight in the South American struggle for independence and returned home announcing that he had gained leadership over a country called Poyais. Many people invested in the idea of colonizing Poyais, and they even gave their British pounds to MacGregor in exchange for Poyais Dollars, which MacGregor had made himself. He also arranged for two ships to take these wealthy investors to the made-up colonized country. When they arrived they knew that had been scammed by the shocking sight of unsettled jungle. Some died of disease, and one person, who had invested all of his money into the voyage, commit suicide. MacGregor continued the scam until 1837 and died in 1845, only having served short sentences in jail for unrelated scamming minor scams.
One of the more known scam artists of the 20th century is Kenneth Lay of the Enron Corporation scam. Lay was the Chief Executive Officer and chairman of the company and was indicted on many counts of fraud. He was found guilty of 10 counts of fraud, but he died during the appeal process of his sentencing in 2006. Another example of a famous scammer, David Marius Guardino, was considered to be a great psychic and performed séances claiming that he could speak to celebrities. The most famous séance he performed was at Graceland, where he claimed to be in contact with Elvis Presley. He also claimed he could cure chronic diseases and paralysis, but was quickly discovered as a fraud and died in prison from medical complications.
In the 21st century, knowledge of such scams has become so widespread, that most people automatically are skeptical and take extra precautions to protect their pockets. Because of this change, scammers have turned their attention to the most commonly used tool of technology, the internet. Scammers are still playing the same ballgame but with a different arena and uniform.
The internet opens up a portal into our homes, finances, and most personal information. Confidence men now gain the confidence of their mark through emails and chat rooms. One common online scam comes in the form of an email from an unknown sender that claims to be the recipient of a hefty inheritance in need of an account to stash their money. These emails often come from Nigeria and can be referred to as the “Nigerian 419” scam. They seek the bank account number of the mark to deposit money into their accounts, instead, they withdraw everything the mark owns. Most people that read a 419 email delete it immediately because it sounds too good to be true, but for some, it is an appealing and easy way to make money without thinking of the consequences. These crimes are often not reported because of the shame and embarrassment of the victim.
Those that do report internet crimes are often not taken seriously by local authorities. It may be treated by law enforcement as unimportant or as if it is not a real crime. With low budgets and understaffed local departments, these crimes may not even be written down on official police reports. If someone did not fall for a scam, but attempts to report it, are often told they haven’t been victimized, so there is nothing they can legally do.
Scamming will never stop, especially with new up and coming technology and social networking sites. There are just too many con men with constantly changing schemes for law enforcement to keep up. Confidence men know this, and it makes them more daring and seemingly unstoppable. The only way to stop the progression of scamming is to stay one step ahead of the criminals by the media or word of mouth. Developing better security software and alerting the public about new scams and how to protect themselves are crucial. Confidence men will forever seek the confidence of the mark, but a knowledgeable mark will make it difficult for their scams to succeed.
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