Great scammers usually start out by promising something small ...
Photo: Chaloner Woods/Getty Images Notorious con man Victor Lustig was born into poverty but taught himself to impersonate wealthy businessmen. He was so effective that, in 1925, he claimed to be a high-ranking French government official and “sold” the Eiffel Tower to one of France’s biggest scrap dealers. To put on the necessary airs, Lustig conducted all meetings in the posh Hotel de Crillon and ordered limousines to take prospective buyers on tours of Paris.
“Soho grifter” Anna “Delvey” Sorokin, who was recently convicted for grand larceny in New York, told everyone that she was a German heiress. Convicted fraudster Matthew Brown convinced members of upper-crust London social circles that he was a foreign aristocrat before he made off with more than a $100,000 of their cash and valuables.
Great scammers usually start out by promising something. “Crooks often try to create trust and dependency by doing something for people, or getting people to rely on them socially,” says Dan Ariely, a behavioral economist and founder of the Center for Advanced Hindsight at Duke University. “Once they accomplish that, there’s all kinds of things they can get from people.
What might those cues be? Nicola Harrison, a New York–based image consultant, has never worked with a grifter but often helps clients who want to look the part when their jobs involve hobnobbing with wealthy circles. She says that one of the best ways to telegraph wealth is to be understated. “People with a lot of money are rarely flashy with it. Chances are, they won’t be wearing lots of logos.” They will, however, take care of themselves.
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