Date Posted: 7/2/2012 4:32:52 PM
Posted By: meg soni Membership Level: Gold Total Points: 2477
Being conned is such a bitter,personal and even embarrassing affair. Whether you consider yourself above age or not you should understand that all of us are game for con men. If con men/women want to get you they will.Con artists are everywhere and they con you of your hard earned money by luring you to invest in schemes that seem above board.You find out the investment was a scam when its too late.A con artist uses either your strengths or weaknesses to rope you in.They use your ego,ignorance,youth,seniority,desperation,popularity and other traits.Those of us who are popular and have super egos are the best and easiest to swindle.Their superiority complex makes them believe no one can match or outwit them.They are least likely to report or tell anyone they have been conned for fear of losing their standing in the societies.Most scams are stratified. That's because con men/women go to the trouble of tailoring themselves to sell well and fit perfectly with the targets.For instance they shall not stop you in the streets to try selling you a piece of land. A street con case could be very weepy story about lack of bus fare,how to double your money through prayer. Girls can be lured with a modelling contract or an air hostess job where they have 'to pay for photos'. White-collar scams are varied. Con artists are strategically place themselves in the vicinity of their targets;car bazaars for those who want to buy a car, land and real estate agencies for those who want land or property,among others. Identifying their targets' needs enables them pounce on unsuspecting people. Con artists are hard to spot,they camouflage themselves to appear streetwise or corporate,depending on the 'job' at hand. Basic characteristics include great persuasion skills,colorful talk,knowledge and helpfulness.Because they are charming you will only notice long after they have left it was ridiculous to believe in a complete stranger.You let them use your phone,even when they stepped out of the room feigning network failure you did not panic,they had charmed you completely.Beware of a stranger asking you personal questions.Do not give your house number,bank account details or other personal information to strangers.You can make yourself less vulnerable to con artists by doing the following:1.Do not announce your neediness;Con artists seek out the needy.To avoid being and looking needy,plan and order your life and especially where spending your money on big ticket items like a house or land are concerned.2.Do your research;Find out the average price of what you want to buy.Talk to authorities in the field;surveyors if it is land, mechanics for a car and realtors for a house.Take your time within reason.3.Use professionals;Avoid brokers,try as much as possible to deal with owners or professional managers.Use your lawyers and avoid cutting deals without them.It will cost but it is a price worth paying.4.Be composed and confident;Walking around looking confused or unsure marks you out for swindling.5.Use referrals;If your friend has recently bought a house or a car and the deal went through smoothly asking him/her to refer you to those dealers because they are tried and tested.Report any cases of conning to the police to and arrest and save someone else from a similar experience.
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