In the last few years, I have come across and even interacted with people whom I would classify as Con Artists.

These individuals were not around me in my private life, they were in and around me in my professional work environment.

As such, I have decided to write about these individuals in a generic way without naming any names.

I will start by defining what I mean by Con Artist.

To me, this is someone who persuades, influences, manipulates others to believe something that is not true and not based on fact or evidence.

And this is done for their own personal gain either financially or to increase their position power and authority.

I realize there may be other terms people use to describe something like this, yet I will stick to Con Artist.

Combined with my professional work, I have noticed an increase in cases we hear about in the news about people like this, and there have even been TV shows and movies made about them.

Given all of this, I decided to take a deep dive in examining my own personal experiences and did a bit of research on the famous cases that were made into movies.

Here are some of my observations.

Too Good to Be True: If something sounds too good to be true, it often is.

Imagine as a consultant I told you I helped a client save $1 billion. You might say, wow, yet you should ask what kind of client that could have been that would even have $1 billion in expenses.

Or, that I helped a client save 50% on their operating budget. Again, sounds great yet what did that company do, fire 20% of their staff?

Pressure Tactics: They may use high-pressure tactics to push you into making quick decisions. This can include creating a false sense of urgency or stressing the need to act immediately.

I once came across a company that always relayed that the deal was only available for the week when it was well known the event was not even close to capacity. The agents freely lied to try and get the sale.

Lack of Transparency: Con artists often avoid answering questions directly or providing detailed information. They might dodge specifics or become evasive when asked for more details.

I have heard interviews whereby the individual could not provide specific concrete steps that were taken and answered in such a convoluted way, the person asking for the specifics was so confused, they gave up.

The person may have even felt by saying they did not understand might make them look foolish, so they preferred to drop it.

Another example in this area is promises of product delivery or results that never materialize and the reasons are never really explained or excuses are constantly provided.

If you can't show a minimum viable product or result within a reasonable timeline, they may never come.

Inconsistencies: Watch for inconsistencies in their stories or information on their CV and their dates.

I once encountered an individual who changed the title of their degree three times in one conversation. I don’t know about you, yet my MBA is my MBA and does not change from one conversation to another.

Another example was when I came across an individual who was roughly ten years younger than I am yet claimed to have ten more years experience in the field than I did.

I looked at their CV and this would have meant they entered the field at the age of seven.

Too Much Flattery: Excessive flattery or compliments can be a tactic to lower your guard and make you more susceptible to their schemes.

Unfortunately, some people love to be flattered especially if they are inexperienced and have low self-confidence.

I personally don’t like or have the need for anyone to kiss my ass, if it is not necessary and someone is constantly doing it, it acts as a red flag for me.

Unverifiable Credentials: Con artists may present fake credentials or unverifiable references.

Imagine presenting yourself as someone who has an MBA yet the course you took was a 1-day course.

Or, they suggest they have a bachelor’s degree yet actually have three Undergraduate level Certificates and they have decided for themselves it is the same thing. It is not.

Associations or Testimonials from Legitimate Respected People: When a Con Artist is able to convince a legitimate and respected person to support them or back them, this can be a huge draw.

In all the cases I have seen, the Con Artist had the support of backing of a legitimate or high-ranking person and they were not necessarily apart of the con.

Essentially, the above items below were successful in persuading, influencing, manipulating them.

You don’t have to believe me, just look up some famous cases and you will see former Presidents, CEOs, wealthy and smart individuals were standing by the Con Artist before they were caught.

People see these legitimate individuals beside the Con Artist and their guard goes down, they don’t question any of the items above.

At the end of the day, be cautious, ask question, don’t worry about looking foolish for asking and remember that someone is not legitimate by association.

Let’s turn the Con off.