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THE MAN BEHIND THE MASK
Con
artists scam because it gives them infinite pleasure to "put one
over" on anyone who stands still long enough. The compulsion
to scam is so strong that a con artist will produce a scam even if he/she gains no money out of it. Con
artists even scam each other!
An unusually sick group
Quoting a studies by Richard Blum (Deceivers and Deceived: Observations on Confidence Men and Their Victims, Informants and Their Quarry, Political and Industrial Spies and Ordinary Citizens), Chuck Whitlock points out that most con artists are:
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... impulsive, amoral, uncontrolled and detached from normal
The essential feature of Antisocial Personality Disorder is a pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others ...
This pattern has also been referred to as psychopathy, sociopathy, or dissocial personality disorder...
Individuals with Antisocial Personality Disorder
frequently lack empathy and tend to be callous, cynical, and
contemptuous of the feelings, rights, and sufferings of others."
Chuck Whitlock, Chuck Whitlock's Scam School ,
© 1997, macmillan, New York, NY, pages 20, 21; Richard H. Blum, Deceivers and Deceived: Observations on Confidence Men and Their Victims, Informants and Their Quarry, Political and Industrial Spies and Ordinary Citizens,
(Springfield: Charles C. Thomas, 1972), pp 49-50.
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Alright, let's put that into ordinary words.
The con artist is compulsive, exactly like a compulsive gambler or compulsive liar. (Sidebar: although the con artist is a sharp-witted liar, his gambling skills are such that he usually loses his ill-gotten gains within hours of the take).
The con artist is irresistibly drawn to scam.
It gives the con an adrenaline rush when you are so enthralled with
his made-up persona that you quite literally shove your money into
his hands. The scam itself is an ego trip. While the con
is stroking you with praises galore, you are praising the con artist
by believing everything you are told. Oh joy in the morning!
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The danger of the missing gene
There is no guilt associated with a scam, not even the slightest twinge. A con artist is quite simply missing that particular gene. The con artist has no inbred stops, no conscience. That's what it means to be a sociopath. If anything, the con feels justified in taking your money, "You deserved to be taken. You asked for it."
Why is this dangerous? Because it means that the con artist will pressure you to the end
of your resources, regardless of the pain and grief it causes you. Neither children, nor the elderly, nor the fragile of health are immune from his attack. It does not matter to the con that he may be taking your last dime, nor does it matter to him that you may need the promised wealth to pay for a dire need. This criminal will take your money to the detriment of your health by selling fake cures and false hopes, even knowing that his scam may ultimately cause your death.
The swindler's attitude toward his victim is the
same as any serial criminal.
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