We might forget that the term "con" artist derives from the word "confidence".
Prolific author Jude Deveraux put her absolute confidence in Rose Marks, and has paid dearly for such trust.
For her part, Rose Marks had the charisma or the charm or the soul-less ability to win the confidence of a woman still reeling from a tragedy, and use that skill to steal a small fortune.
Such confidence games start out small. Rose Marks won the author's attention by convincing Ms. Deveraux that she could communicate with the dead, including Ms. Deveraux's son who died at the age of eight.
A little money here. A little donation there. The messages from beyond grew more difficult to obtain, but Rose Marks knew what a grieving mother wanted to hear and as long as the money kept flowing, so too did the tales.
We are all vulnerable to the power of suggestion at some low point in our lives. Someone with the right approach can make us believe that bad things will happen if we don't do X or Y or Z. If it's a friend, you listen and often turn your life around.
If it's a con artist, you listen and before long you've given them everything you've got.
Authorities speculate that Ms. Deveraux may have given as much as $20 million to Rose Marks over the course of several years. Ms. Marks is part of a gypsy clan that is known to authorities as an organized criminal enterprise that preys on the vulnerable. She made her living as a con artist, and must have felt that she'd struck gold when she ensnared Ms. Deveraux.
In all things, if it's too good to be true, it is. Remembering such simple advice is not easy when you're at the bottom and can't see any light above.
That's when the con artists paint their most vivid pictures.
No comments:
Post a Comment