The Art of the Con by R. Paul Wilson Page A

victim becomes involved and starts down a road that will eventually take him over a cliff. The ability to rope someone into a scam is prized above all else. Being able to think and act under pressure, to talk your way out of any challenge, or look a pigeon in the eye as you calmly take his money are useful skills—but they’re all ultimately worthless unless a mark is in play.
    Professional con artists, from online bottom feeders to high-end fraudsters, are all looking for the perfect way to attract more victims. In some cases, the hook is the main problem to be overcome. In other scams, the hook is just the beginning, the first step on a winding path to an unsuspected destination, and once someone becomes involved it can already be too late.
    The Bait
    The most important element of the hook is the bait. For years, I’ve told my audiences that there’s one all-encompassing truth that lies at the heart of all con games: If I know what you want, I can take everything you have .
    What people want can be broken down into desires, aspirations, and essentials. These could be specific to one person or common to everyone, but once a mark’s needs have been identified, the con artist has a reason to approach and leverage to use. The bait is often the most important distraction in a con game. Even the most suspicious potential victim must listen to the voices in his head that want, hope, and need an opportunity to be real. No matter how many questions need to be answered, the con artist knows that somewhere inside the mind of his target, there’s an unwitting accomplice to the scam, nudging the mark ever closer to the prize.
    A powerful element of the hook is the suggestion that there might be something illegal or illicit. This can be rendered down to an honest opportunity as the result of an unfortunate, unexpected, or unknown situation, but the very fact that this doesn’t immediately scare off the mark can be powerful leverage later on. For many, the merest notion that something might be illegal is enough to make them walk away, but if the mark is still listening, then the hook is probably working.
    There’s no use offering the latest and greatest laptop technology to someone who doesn’t own a cell phone or trying to sell land to someone who can’t afford a mortgage. The bait must be a juicy carrot, big enough to distract from the harsh reality of the stick. That carrot can be something of value to the general public or tailored specifically to one unlucky victim. Advertising cheap electronics will attract suitable victims, as will a fake casting call or a bogus modeling agency. The scammer introduces the bait knowing that the victim is already interested or can guess what the target wants or needs.
    The nature of the con dictates how best to rope a mark. Some people need to be encouraged at the beginning but become motivated as soon as they are introduced to the bait; others need to be almost forced into the game. Many scams simply depend on the bait to attract suitable victims, but in many cases, the way that the mark is introduced to an idea dictates their perception for the rest of the con. Therefore, the approach is crucial to a successful swindle. There are three types of hooks used in most con games: the Big Hook, the Soft Hook, and the Straight Hook.
    The Big Hook
    By far the easiest way to identify a mark is to set up a trap and see who falls in. Simply making something available and spreading the word is enough to attract anyone who’s interested. Marrying the bait to the perfect mark becomes a numbers game that depends entirely on what the con artist is pretending to offer, sometimes attracting people without ever having to engage them directly. The success of this kind of hook is often determined by location and timing.
    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