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PROFILE OF A CON ARTIST: The Insideman
Wouldn't
it be nice to be able to pin one of those standard profiles on con
artists - a 35-year old white male who was mistreated by his mother.
It just doesn't work that way.
What sets the con artist apart
Con artists come from diverse backgrounds. They may come from a broken home or the most stable and well-adjusted of families. They may have been afforded an excellent education, or very little. Such backgrounds do not set them apart.
Nor are they set apart by their country of origin, sexual preferences, political bent, religious beliefs, or ingrained social values. Actually, pertaining
to those last three, the con artist is a free spirit. His own personal welfare far outweighs any
standard social considerations.
What does set con artists apart is the natural ability, often discovered at a very young age, to manipulate the people around them. Added to this is the fact that such manipulation leaves them without any feeling of guilt or remorse. On the contrary, it leaves them with an intense feeling of satisfaction - a particular glow that encourages them to continue manipulating to get whatever they want, regardless of the cost to the giver.
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A formidable foe
Con artists, particularly financial con artists who
specialize in big cons such as High-Yield Investment Programs,
Debenture Trading, phony Investment Clubs, and Boiler Room
Telemarketing, are above average in intelligence. They are
self-educated, and know how to be extremely sociable, although they
are anti-social which means lacking any social conscience.
Their charm and sincerity are empty of any real concern - masks # 5
and #6 respectively.
They have the innate ability to juggle several balls at once without missing a beat. They easily compartmentalize their different characters, victims, and on-going scams. Gifted with an exceptional memory, the con artist can access each current script with the speed of a computer; and if they cannot quite remember a fact (or lie), they can dance around the lapse so convincingly that you will seldom, if ever, notice.
I do not mean to portray the con artist as a Superman, only as a formidable foe.
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The Insideman: an experienced con artist
The Insideman may be referred to the Insideman as a Trustee, Trader, Commitment Holder, or Funder. He is promoted by the Middleman as one whom only the privileged few ever get to see or speak to. He is placed on a financial pedestal right up there with the most sophisticated and secretive of financiers.
Once you have "proven your worthiness" you are
admitted to the inner circle.
You become one of the privileged few. You
get to meet The Insideman. And you will be charmed right out
of your boots by this character in the play.
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