Product Description

A fool and his money are soon parted, so the saying goes. And if the job is done right, the fool doesn't even realize it's happened until the wily con artist has moved on to the next victim or the next town. In this entertaining and eye-opening book, Dennis M. Marlock, a retired cop and chairman of the board for the international law enforcement organization Professionals Against Confidence Crime, takes the reader into the mind and greedy heart of the con man. You'll learn the mechanics behind famous swindles such as the pigeon drop, the Jamaican switch, bank-examiner schemes, three-card monte and even fortune-telling. You'll find out why a good scam artist rarely gets caught and, if he does, how he gets away with the lightest punishment or no punishment at all. If you've ever read a news story about a sucker getting taken and wondered how he could have fallen for that, you need to read this book before an honest-faced stranger offers you a deal too good to pass up.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #233212 in Books
• Published on: 2001-09
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 152 pages

About the Author
Dennis M. Marlock recently retired from the Milwaukee Police Department, where he spent most of his 31-year career investigating frauds and confidence crimes. He cofounded and currently oversees the daily operation of Professionals Against Confidence Crime. He is known throughout the United States as an expert on fraud prevention, and he has written two books and numerous articles on fraud and transient con artists.

Customer Reviews

Entertaining, and topical book!
..........and helps reinforce the addage, 'You can't cheat an honest man"........

Crime Pays, Lawyers Judges & Police Officers
The way this book was written was more for victims then Con artists. Being a retired con this book really didn't teach me anything that I didn't already know except maybe on how to sell a dog using a persons greed, this has me thinking what else I can use other then a dog to use to sell on the greed factor.

The author also makes the assumption that cons have long rap sheets and go to jail quite often, in my career I have been arrested once back in the 80's when I first started out and had a 90 day stay at the gray bar hotel and was given a one way ticket out of town on condition of my release and that I would not talk to the press (The police chief didn't want me to talk to the town reporter)

He also makes the assumption that a con has no friends and no social connection, first rule on being a con, do not con people in your backyard or city for that matter, airline tickets are cheap these days and it is not hard taking a Friday night flight out and a Sunday night flight back (Day job you know in sales)

The author also makes the assumption that all con games are illegal, with the right lawyer that you can bounce off ideas with can come up with how to make it legal.

If you want to get into the business I would still read the book and purchase others on the newer games, if you use any of the tricks in this book you will surly get a stay at the gray bar hotel since these are all well known by now.

Also the author makes note of a lotto scam and you need to be a foreigner from another country to make it work, another reason you can't cash in a lotto ticket yourself is if you owe on child support or back taxes which your winnings will go to pay that off, you don't have to be a big winner in the lotto 5 out of 6 still wins in the thousands.

Just remember seek legal advice before you break the law!

Very enjoyable read
An interesting look at a crime that often is overlooked as a crime. A very honest and engaging look into the lives of con-men and how this shouldn't be tolerated. The author really states his opinions and reason for writing the book in the last chapter.