How Does a Con Artist Spend a Workday?

Introduction

In many ways classic con artists--criminals who swindle money out of their victims--have moved to more "legitimate" forms of money-making. Rather than attempt some overt dodge, they job the stock market or deceive investors in their bank: performing a confidence game under the pretext of respectable work. Furthermore, classic con artists rarely think of their activities as "work." In their minds, grifting is a way of *avoiding* work--making money without stooping to ordinary or unremarkable day jobs. This article breaks down the elements of a classic "big con" confidence game, rather than the efforts of those who disguise their activity beneath the pretense of legal business. As such, the concept of a "workday" doesn't really apply: It's simply a series of steps required to land a payoff.

Case the Mark

Before a con man can go to work, he needs to find someone with something worth stealing. "Marks," or victims of confidence games, tend to be people who are well-off, careless with their money, and greedy for easy wealth. It helps if a mark is out of his element--on a trip in a distant city, for example, or engaged in a business with which he is unfamiliar. Once a mark has been selected, the con artist will study his movements and habits. He will find out what the mark enjoys as a means of engaging his trust, and look for vulnerabilities and weaknesses which may grant the con men some leverage over him. Once he's learned about the mark, he can select a style of con likely to be effective, and which fits the resources he and his compatriots have available. Con men who specialize in this process are known as "ropers."

Approach the Mark

With a victim selected and a confidence game in play, the roper will then approach the mark under the auspices of friendship. The meeting will likely appear casual or coincidental, and the roper will set the mark at ease by using the insight he has gleaned from studying him. When he has gained a sufficient amount of the victim's confidence, he will then tell the mark he has a way of making money--a foolproof way that works very quickly, but which may involve some less-than-legal loopholes. He will then introduce the mark to a second con man--called the inside man--who will explain the "scheme" in greater detail.

The Trap is Sprung

Whatever brilliant money-making method the con artists have cooked up, it's all a sham. Their intention is to induce the mark into giving them a great deal of money, which he believes they will turn into even more money. The exact method varies wildly--tailored to fit the specific proclivities of the mark--but every con hinges upon the promise of quick wealth. "Give us a little and you'll get a lot," the con artists say. "You can become rich without any effort." Once the mark hands over the cash, the con has succeeded and the deception need not continue. All that remains is getting rid of the mark safely.

The Blow Off

The most important part of any con game is the final stage: The mark needs to be disposed of quickly and in such a way so that he cannot find the con artists. If possible, he needs to be discouraged from contacting the police as well. Here is where a greedy or unscrupulous mark pays off. If the con itself was based on an illegal pretense--if the mark thought he was doing something illegal or unethical in order to get the "easy money" he was promised--then he will be far less likely to tell the police. That sense of guilt can be quite powerful--as can the simple shame of being swindled--and smart con artists will know exactly how to apply it long before they contact the mark. Once they have blown him off and are assured he isn't pursuing them, they can spend the money freely.

Conclusion

It's not hard to see how this process can be altered to fit more legitimate activities. The "big con" or large-scale confidence game is essentially just another form of advertising, and many straightforward businessmen apply similar methodology under the auspices of salesmanship. The only difference with the classic con is that the pretense is discarded--the con artists are well aware that what they do is a crime--and the structure of day-to-day activities is less bound by traditional 9-to-5 scheduling. Con artists spend each day preparing for the next stage of the con: memorizing their roles, casing marks, and preparing any props or phony backdrops they may need to perpetrate their fraud. The sense of variety and excitement it brings is what makes the lifestyle so appealing ... and it has to be. Con artists rarely trust banks or legitimate sources with their money (too many uncomfortable questions are involved) and often burn through cash as quickly as they make it. Without the romance of "the life," there would be comparatively little reason to engage in a confidence game.