The victim's greed is encouraged, such that their rational judgment of the situation might be impaired. Build-up The victim is given an opportunity to profit from participating in a scheme. Approach The victim is approached or contacted. It is also possible some can be done in a different order than the one shown or carried out simultaneously.įoundation work Preparations are made in advance of the game, including the hiring of any assistants required and studying the background knowledge needed for the role. Smith lists the "six definite steps or stages of growth" of a confidence game. In Confessions of a Confidence Man, Edward H. It aims to rob the victim of huge sums of money or valuables, often by getting them to empty out banking accounts and borrow from family members. Ī "long con" or "big con" (also, chiefly British English: long game) is a scam that unfolds over several days or weeks it may involve a team of swindlers, and even props, sets, extras, costumes, and scripted lines. It typically aims to rob the victim of money or other valuables which they carry on their person or are guarding. When accomplices are employed, they are known as shills.Ī short con or "small con" is a fast swindle which takes just minutes, possibly seconds. The intended victims are known as marks, suckers, stooges, mugs, rubes, or gulls (from the word gullible). Ī confidence trick is also known as a con game, a con, a scam, a grift, a hustle, a bunko (or bunco), a swindle, a flimflam, a gaffle, or a bamboozle. The National Police Gazette coined the term "confidence game" a few weeks after Houston first used the name "confidence man". Although Thompson was an unsuccessful scammer, he gained the reputation as a genius operator mostly because Houston's satirical tone was not understood as such. Reporting about this arrest, James Houston, a reporter for the New York Herald, publicized Thompson by naming him the "Confidence Man". A few people trusted Thompson with their money and watches. Thompson was a clumsy swindler who asked his victims to express confidence in him by giving him money or their watch rather than gaining their confidence in a more nuanced way. Samuel Thompson (1821–1856) was the original "confidence man". The shell game dates back at least to Ancient Greece.
The perpetrator of a confidence trick (or "con trick") is often referred to as a confidence (or "con") man, con-artist, or a " grifter". Both seem to be referred to in WhatsApp’s advice above.Synonyms include con, confidence game, confidence scheme, ripoff, scam, and stratagem. Two common WhatsApp scams that have made headlines in recent months are ‘ relatives’ claiming they’ve switched phones and need money, and the theft of 2FA codes by scammers pretending to have sent theirs to the victim’s number. If it turns out to be untrue, report It to Action Fraud,” WhatsApp’s advice concludes. “Only when you’re 100 percent sure the request is from someone you know and trust, should you consider it. In all likelihood they won’t pick up or find reasons to claim they can’t talk, which is a red flag in itself. CALL - While scammers can make a decent stab at mimicking what your average person might read like when typing, their voice is a dead give away, so give them a call.
“Are they asking you to share a PIN code which they have had sent to you? Are they asking for money?”
“Does this request make sense?”, WhatsApp asks.
"Make sure your WhatsApp two-step verification is switched on to protect your account that you're happy with your privacy settings, and your six-digit pin is secure,” WhatsApp advises.
How to see if someone blocked you on WhatsApp.