Lessons from a 10-Year Con Artist

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AARP recently profiled a veteran scammer who made millions and was finally caught in 2004. He spent just over three years in jail for it, and in 2009 spoke at an anti-fraud conference. The former drug addict explains why he was so good at scamming…

This may explain why the owners of many of these scam operations in South Florida recruited their boiler room staff at local Narcotics Anonymous meetings. Who’s a better talker than an addict? Nobody. Who is more manipulative than an addict? Nobody. Who is more desperate for money than an addict? Nobody. Addicts hustle; that’s what we do.

So you couple that with my experience selling over the phone in Florida and you have the perfect storm. I’m a hustler from New York and an addict. These boiler rooms were dying to hire me.

The profile is lengthy and gives an inside look at how a scammer thinks and operates. He names the most successful scams, and talks about what his life’s like now. It’s a very interesting read.

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