The Complete Idiot's Guide to Frauds, Scams, and Cons

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Frauds, Scams, and Cons
Author: Duane Swierczynski
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2002-12-03
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9780028644158

-- The main target for scams are those 50 years of age or older. -- This book will expose all the latest scams, frauds, and cons -- and can be updated yearly, if necessary, to expose all the latest schemes. Fraud -- credit card fraud, telemarketing scares, Internet scares, identity theft and hundreds of other items that are geared to separate you from your money -- is a multi-billion dollar business, both in the U.S. and worldwide. From a simple three-card monte game on a street corner to sophisticated banking and Wall Street swindles, cons, frauds and scams are destined to strike one in ten Americans this year. Check kiting, ATM scares, bankruptcy fraud, real estate scams, Nigerian money offers, and even slave reparation scams -- there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of ways to get suckered by telemarketers or just plain fast-talking swindlers. Scary stuff, right? This book identifies the myriad of scams, cons, and frauds perpetrated every minute of every day in this country, and gives cutting-edge, up-to-date advice on how you can protect yourself from unscrupulous cons of every conceivable stripe. There will also be an entertaining section on con artists through history, from the infamous grifters of the Great Depression to the masterminds of the recent Enron collapse -- perhaps one of the greatest scams in America's history.

Fakers

Fakers
Author: H. P. Wood
Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing
Total Pages: 179
Release: 2018-10-02
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1580897436

From the Trojan horse to fake news, scams have run rampant throughout history and across the globe. Some con artists do it for fun, others for profit. . . and every once in a while, a faker saves the world. In this era of daily online hoaxes, it's easy to be caught off-guard. Fakers arms kids with information, introducing them to the funniest, weirdest, and most influential cons and scams in human history. Profiles of con artists will get readers thinking about motivation and consequence, and practical tips will help protect them from falsehoods. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is--except in the case of this book!

The Con

The Con
Author: James Munton
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 226
Release: 2023-06-14
Genre: True Crime
ISBN: 1442207337

“[A] fascinating, informative, and highly entertaining primer on the various ways the uninitiated may find themselves ripped off by a con artist.” —Publishers Weekly No one thinks it can happen to them, but Americans are forty times more likely to be defrauded than to have their cars stolen or their homes burgled. Con artists ruin people financially and emotionally, leaving in their wake a trail of destruction, broken hearts, and deflated dreams. The first step to combating fraud is to understand it. What do scams look like? Why are they effective? The next step is to take action. How can we protect ourselves and our families? The Con: How Scams Work, Why You’re Vulnerable, and How to Protect Yourself informs and engages with accessible stories of ordinary people from all walks of life thrown into unexpected and disorienting circumstances. The book goes behind the scenes of real-world cons to examine the logistics and psychology that enable scams to succeed. The goal is to help people understand and recognize deception, and in the same way that they avoid other potentially dangerous situations, take a detour. Once readers have gained a clear idea of what scams look and sound like and learned simple strategies to reduce personal risk, protecting themselves will be just as instinctive as putting on a seat belt. “This compelling work goes a long way toward putting distance between scammers and their prey.” —Foreword Reviews “Completely fascinating and insightful.” —Booklist

Schemes and Scams

Schemes and Scams
Author: Douglas P. Shadel
Publisher: Career Press
Total Pages: 262
Release: 1994
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9780878771868

Scams and Cons: A True Crime Collection

Scams and Cons: A True Crime Collection
Author: Madison Salters
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 181
Release: 2023-09-05
Genre: True Crime
ISBN: 1646044797

A Simon & Schuster eBook. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every reader.

Outsmarting the Scam Artists

Outsmarting the Scam Artists
Author: D. Shadel
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 213
Release: 2012-01-30
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1118240073

A practical guide to avoiding the most common scams, from a fraud-fighting expert U.S. consumers lose billions of dollars each year to scam artists—and the next victim could be you. While anyone can be targeted, many victims are older. In AARP's Outsmarting the Scam Artists, renowned fraud-fighter Doug Shadel offers practical advice for consumers who want to protect their money as well as the financial assets of their parents and families. Despite the rise of scams, many people are embarrassed to admit they've been victimized. The author helps break the cycle of shame by including accounts from the people who've been scammed as well as tips from a surprising source: convicted con artists who reveal how they've defrauded people like you. Get practical tips to combat all kinds of scams, from simple lottery tickets to non-existent oil and gas deals and religious ponzi schemes Learn how to protect yourself by securing your mailbox and fraud-proofing your trash Get inside the head of sophisticated scam artists to discover how you can become the type of individual they avoid Scammers are everywhere. But with Outsmarting the Scam Artists in hand, you can protect yourself and your money.

Con Artistry

Con Artistry
Author: Instafo
Publisher: Instafo
Total Pages: 70
Release: 2017-04-10
Genre: True Crime
ISBN:

Get Inside and Conquer the World of Cons The world can be a deceptive place. There are individuals out there who will do anything to gain something regardless of who they hurt or who they have to deceive. Unfortunately, this practice is only becoming more of the norm. Scammers and con artists seem to be on the rise just waiting to take anything they can from the general public. Cons are all over the news nowadays. You hear about people losing all of their investments, savings, or retirement money due to a scam that they fell into. Now you may think to yourself “Those poor people. But how could they not see that it was a scam? It’s so obvious!” For that particular scam, that may be true. However, scams aren’t always that easy to spot. Cons have a unique set of skills that can make them very difficult to detect. In fact, there are always going to be different new schemes and "big opportunities" that pop up every day, making it nearly impossible to keep track of what is legit and what is sham. Then how does one defend against this art of cons? "Con Artistry" dives head on into the world of cons so that you can safely navigate these treacherous waters without falling prey to them. Pulling back behind this curtain will reveal to you: * Con-artist methodologies used to get close to their victims * Red flags signs to watch out for to determine a con artist * Actions to always have in place to avoid being scammed * Defense techniques to decipher and lure potential cons out * Bag of tricks that cons master employed to play their games * Whistle-blower steps to expose and end the con once and for all * Insider look into all sorts of cons and how to protect against them * And much more! "Con Artistry" will also explore some of the famous schemes and con artists in the past. Often, by examining previous criminals, you can become more aware of how cons operate and target people. From these infamous crooks, you can learn what emotions scammers will exploit and avoid becoming a victim. As a fair warning with this knowledge of con artistry, you promise that you will use it for protection only and not take advantage of other people.

Rip-Off

Rip-Off
Author: Fay Faron
Publisher: Creighton-Morgan Publishing Group
Total Pages: 253
Release: 2021-10-05
Genre: True Crime
ISBN:

Enter the world of grifters, scams, marks and pigeons. In this revealing guide, professional PI, Fay Faron, gives you the complete lowdown on the low down, detailing today's most cunning bunco schemes from street-level shell games to high-stakes real estate swindles.You'll go inside the minds of dozens of confidence crooks, learning their lingo, lifestyles and tricks of the trade. Fare profiles the unwilling victims - from elderly widows to young models - exposing how cons convince people to fall for the bait and part with their cash.

Common Sense Guide to Scams

Common Sense Guide to Scams
Author: Mario Diamantopulos
Publisher:
Total Pages: 46
Release: 2018-10-03
Genre:
ISBN: 9781726702027

This is a guide to educate people about con games, scams, frauds, and schemes that unscrupulous con artists use to manipulate unsuspecting people into taking their hard earned money.

The Big Con

The Big Con
Author: Nate Hendley
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 362
Release: 2016-09-06
Genre: Law
ISBN:

This book examines a broad range of infamous scams, cons, swindles, and hoaxes throughout American history—and considers why human gullibility continues in an age of easy access to information. Covering American cons and hoaxes past and present, including the Great Moon Hoax of 1835, the controversy over "subliminal messaging" (do bands, filmmakers, and advertisers really put secret messages in their works?), the panic about "satanic" daycare operators in the 1980s, and recent Internet scams, this book provides a fascinating, fact-based look at infamous frauds across the centuries. Offering an engaging mix of history, sociology, and psychology, author Nate Hendley gives readers an appreciation of how prominent scams, cons, "confidence men," and hoaxes have impacted American society, past and present. Each entry details the scheme or hoax and the pertinent con artist/schemer involved, examining the sociological, cultural, political, and/or economic effect of the scams. Each topic is accompanied by a short bibliography of further reading selections. As the old saying goes, "There is a sucker born every minute"—and there has always been a keen-eyed swindler to take advantage of the situation. The Big Con: Great Hoaxes, Frauds, Grifts, and Swindles in American History explores this sordid underbelly of American civilization and invites readers to revel in the felonious experience.