What makes a con succeed? Does snake oil actually work? And just how gullible is Angela?
- SOURCES:
- Robert Cialdini, professor emeritus of psychology and marketing at Arizona State University.
- Yaniv Hanoch, professor of decision sciences at Coventry University.
- Hugo Mercier, research scientist at the French National Centre for Scientific Research.
- George Parker, 19-20th century American con artist.
- Clark Stanley, 19th century American herbalist and quack doctor.
- William Thompson, 19th century American criminal and con artist.
- Danny Wallace, British filmmaker, comedian, writer, and actor.
- Stacey Wood, professor of psychology at Scripps College.
- RESOURCES:
- "They Thought Loved Ones Were Calling for Help. It Was an A.I. Scam," by Pranshu Verma (The Washington Post, 2023).
- "Who Experiences Scams? A Story for All Ages," by the Federal Trade Commission (2022).
- "The Scams Among Us: Who Falls Prey and Why," by Yaniv Hanoch and Stacey Wood (Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2021).
- "The Nigerian Prince Scam Is Still Fooling People. Here’s Why," by Eleanor Cummins (Popular Science, 2020).
- "How Gullible Are We? A Review of the Evidence From Psychology and Social Science," by Hugo Mercier (Review of General Psychology, 2017).
- "The Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower. Twice," by Jeff Maysh (Smithsonian Magazine, 2016).
- "Why Your Brain Loves Good Storytelling," by Paul J. Zak (Harvard Business Review, 2014).
- "A History Of 'Snake Oil Salesmen,'" by Lakshmi Gandhi (Code Switch, 2013).
- Yes Man, by Danny Wallace (2005).
- "For You, Half Price," by Gabriel Cohen (The New York Times, 2005).
- Influence, by Robert Cialdini (1984).
- "Arrest of the Confidence Man," (New York Herald, 1849).
