By: Kainat Saif
Con artists also known as scammers are people who trick or cheat others to the point of deception for their vested interests. As a matter of fact a con artist is a manipulator who exploits masses by persuading or luring them through flowery words and lucrative actions. Mostly, con artists, through fraud, confidently rob people of their money, love, and secrets by impersonating. Nevertheless, the main motive to set someone up is financial gaining, attaining Power or seducing someone for illicit relationships.
Government lies to us, history deceives us, the politicians manipulate us, and tailored versions of religion distract us for ulterior motives and the masterminds behind all of this will be called con artists.
To enlist a few famous con artists I would name George C. Parker: a U.S. based con man who sold New York monuments to tourists, including most famously the Brooklyn Bridge, which he sold twice a week for years. Charles Ponzi: “Ponzi scheme” is a “get rich fast” fraud named after him. Mata Hari also known as Femme Fatale: a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps.
Manipulating people is illegal as con artists are breaking the law whenever they scam and defraud a person. On the other hand, they’re rarely brought to justice as victims tend to feel foolish and don’t report the transgression. For a fact it is very difficult to spot a scammer is yet another challenge for by the time you realise you are being framed they are gone. Con artists don’t like to be found hence they use pretended names, different styles, and skeptical origin of their identity. To outsmart a con artist your subconscious needs to be a conscious one to beat him at his own game. Paying attention to the details can save your energies, time, feelings, and most importantly money.
In Pakistan a con artist named Hayat Khan was arrested in 2012 for posing as an FBI agent and swindling unwitting customers in Islamabad out of $21,000. In 2019, Karachi con artists scammed rich men out of Rs10m in 2 years through fake Facebook accounts by imitating women. These are few rare cases where professional con artists were charged formally.
While reading the 48 laws of power by Robert Greeene i proceeded into introspection in order to recognize con artists around. To my surprise I found: almost all of us are little busy bees, full of stings ready to bite in our own capacities and according to our own level, so as to make honey day and night. From a leading politician to a party worker, from a higher official to his clerk, From a headmaster to a teacher to a student and everyone in between is a tricksetter. Everyone is hell bent or already fasting their seat belts to bluff another at the expense of their naivety. Well staying vigilant, if not only then of course, is the most important key to stay sane in this world full of lies and deception. Robert Aptly said: “Ignorance is not innocence but sin.”
Government lies to us, history deceives us, the politicians manipulate us, and tailored versions of religion distract us for ulterior motives and the masterminds behind all of this will be called con artists. Then to dodge this system which is already manipulating people, a double player is born to play both people and the status quo.
Mostly, these fraudsters we meet in daily life are difficult to put behind bars for they are not professional hence can’t not be literally termed as scammers. Context is another important thing. Knowing when to attack, when to surrender, and when to just stay observant is important.
To save yourself from Political manipulation in a majoritarian democracy and from political campaign promises you must do the conscious efforts of staying away from all the scams and frauds. Prevention is always easier and better than cure!
The Author is a law student and can be reached at [email protected]