[ColdNoMore]

Originally Posted by Boomer

Hey, BK, here goes:

Even though we already know some of this stuff, I still think Abagnale's book, Scam Me If you Can, is definitely worth reading.

Earlier in this thread, I talked about the part of the brain called the amygdala being targeted by cons.

Abagnale does not use the word 'amygdala' and does not dig into neuroscience, but in the section of the book called "The Playbook Exposed," he writes the CliffsNotes version of the same thing, as follows:

Con men are well trained in the techniques to get targets "under the ether." Ether is a condition of trust and even infatuation with what is being presented. Getting a victim under the ether is crucial to all cons, no matter where or how they are perpetrated. This heightened emotional state makes it hard for the victim to think clearly or make rational decisions. To get these victims under the either, fraudsters hit their fear, panic, and urgency buttons.

Whatever the scam, the victim's emotions must be tapped into.

The chapter "Great Real Estate Ruses" covers various types like rental rip-offs, timeshare resales, home-repair, etc. At the end of that section, he has a list of things to watch out for when hiring work to be done on your home. How many times have we seen posts on TOTV where a homeowner has been taken advantage of.

It would take way too long to get into all the types of scams covered in this book. But there sure is a whole lot stuff that will make you shake your head -- and stop and think.

BTW, today we got two of those Social Security scam calls, one from Texas and one from NY. We did not answer, but one of them left a voicemail saying that the SS number had been used at the Texas border and we should call back immediately. The voice on the message was that of a somewhat older woman, sounding so kind and sincere. -- Yep. Uh-huh. Such concern she pretended to have -- while running that old try-to-tap-into-paranoia routine.

Anyway, Scam Me If You Can is a quick read and entertaining, as well as downright scary -- and scams are only going to get worse. Abagnale quotes some dollar figures that are absolutely horrifying. On and on it goes.

I must have missed it when you originally posted it or I would have commented before now, but the underlined above...certainly explains a LOT of things.


Thanks!