The confidence game
Subtitle: why we fall for it... every time
By: Maria Konnikova
Edition: Large print edition.
Series: Thorndike Press large print crime scene; Thorndike Press large print crime scene
Publisher: Thorndike Press Large Print
Published: 2016
Language: eng
Number of pages: 581
ISBN-13: 9781410489289
Subjects: Swindlers and swindling; Criminal psychology; Fraud
Description: While cheats and swindlers may be a dime a dozen, true conmen -- the Bernie Madoffs, the Jim Bakkers, the Lance Armstrongs -- are elegant, outsized personalities, artists of persuasion and exploiters of trust. How do they do it? Why are they successful? And what keeps us falling for it, over and over again? From multimillion-dollar Ponzi schemes to small-time frauds, Konnikova pulls together a selection of stories to demonstrate what all cons share in common, drawing on scientific, dramatic, and psychological perspectives. The book brings readers into the world of the con, examining the relationship between artist and victim. The Confidence Game asks not only why we believe con artists, but also examines the very act of believing and how our sense of truth can be manipulated by those around us.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.
Table of contents: title: The grifter and the mark; title: The put-up; title: The play; title: The rope; title: The tale; title: The convincer; title: The breakdown; title: The send and the touch; title: The blow-off and the fix; title: The (real) oldest profession.