Persuasion techniques are the tools a person uses to influence others to do according to his/her wishes. There are many persuasion tools such as consistency, authority, social proof, and reciprocation. Authority is used to influence when the person at a higher position of power demands obedience from the subjects. Obedience to authority becomes enough justification or motivation to act against our good judgment. The ‘Compliance professionals’ use appearance of authority to influence us to obey them or do their wishes. They adopt titles, clothes, and trappings of authority like tone of voice, language, elegant automobiles, and pieces of jewelry among others. The appearance of authority was used on me a few years ago. One could have thought I was smart enough to see through this, but con artists are also smarter and catch us by surprise. I went to deposit my college fees in one of the bank’s local branches in our small town. The bank is usually crowded especially at the end month. I was not to report to school for another month but, my parent insisted I do so since we had already budgeted for it. There was a long queue ahead of me since the ATMs weren’t working for the second day due to cable problems where sewerage pipes were being repaired. I choose to sit on the bench as I waited for my turn to be served. Out of nowhere, an elegantly dressed gentleman excused himself and sat down beside me. He started a friendly conversation and we both began to complain about the long queues. He asked me whether I always banked there and I told him I was just depositing my college fees and since I can’t travel with cash I had to wait. Taking the cue he told me he was a CEO with a computer technology firm in the city which surprised and left me wondering what he was doing in a bank in the small town. He could read my mind and he conspiratorially told me he had around 50,000 dollars in his persona which he wanted to deposit. He then proceeded to tell me the source of the money. It was an investment scheme in town were as he explained was very profitable. An investment of any amount doubled within three months and if reinvested back one could fetch thrice the amount in just since months. He continued to tell me that as an experienced businessman, he knew a good investment and the scheme was good and insisted I should try. Obedience to authority has practical advantages for those obeying. In the case of business figures, their positions allow them to have superior access to information and power and it is sensible for the subjects to believe them and so I told myself he knew what he was talking about. After some time he offered to buy me a cup of coffee in a café next door to while the time away while the queue moves. In the café, they supposedly met with the manager of the scheme and after the small talk, they launched on the virtues of the scheme. Due to curiosity, I went along with them as they took me to the scheme’s offices. There were long queues too of people supposed to be depositing their money which they called ‘planting’ and another for those withdrawing which again was called ‘harvesting’. A smartly dressed lady came from the head of the harvesting queue directly to me and told me that she had just harvested after six months of investing. Some things struck me odd such as the absence of the us