How to Catch a Con Artist

What people say is more important than how they look.

Determining whether someone is a con artist, whether it be in sales or in a romantic relationship, can involve honing some basic skills and exercising discipline to not feel pressure to act right away. If someone appears to be too good to be true, chances are they're not. Catch a con artist by using a few techniques that can save you a lot of heartache as well as money.

Instructions

1. Listen more than you look. You can tell more by what a person says than how he looks. This goes against the traditional advice that a con artist will have trouble looking you in the eye. The more common trait that identifies a crook is that con artists will rarely refer to themselves; they speak fewer words, but they talk more in detail. Studies show that people are intuitively better at picking out con artists when they aren't looking at them.

2. Avoid giving into pressure. While some cons nurture relationships over time, that is typically only when the payoff is seen to be huge. Most con artists, including those in love relationships, will try to pressure you to act quickly. They might ask for a credit card number over the phone on the first call. They'll ask you to marry too soon. They will ask for a commitment right away. If the person is demanding an answer now, chances are the answer you should give is not the one the con artist would like to hear.

3. Understand completely what you're considering buying. Ask as many questions as you need to before you commit. One con artist trick is to sell something so complex that there is no way you will understand it, in hopes that eventually you will buy something based on trust.

4. Be your best self. Con artists, when they are skilled at what they do, will get you to succumb to your worst instincts, such as your desire to get rich quickly. They will get you to believe in something that in some sense you know is too good to be true.

5. Ask for the obvious. Get as much information verified from sources you trust as you can. Ask for the data on a stock that is being pitched to you and verify it yourself. Go to the trouble of checking out someone's criminal record. In some places it's as easy as paying a state law enforcement agency a few dollars. In the end it will be worth it.

References

• Gimundo.com; "How to Catch a Con Artist and Other Fascinating Facts About Human Behavior"; Kathryn Hawkins; Nov. 16, 2007
• DrPhil.com; "Tips to Keep You Away from a Con Man";
• North American Securities Administrators Association; How to Spot a Con Artist