096: Maria Konnikova – Con Artists: Why We Fall For It Every Time

Feb 8, 2016

Maria Konnikova, a writer for The New Yorker and best-selling author, dives deep into the world of con artistry. She discusses the psychological traits of successful con artists, revealing the dark triad of personality types they possess. Emotional investment often blinds people to warning signs, making them vulnerable. From the emotional manipulation of scams like the grandparent scam to repurposing con artist techniques for genuine relationships, Maria offers fascinating insights on trust and deception that challenge perceptions.

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INSIGHT

Common Traits of Con Artists

Many con artists share traits like psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism.
These traits include manipulation skills and a sense of entitlement to justify their actions.

ADVICE

Beware Red Flags in Cons

If you are in the middle of a con, you won't notice the red flags.
Remember the key red flag: if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

ANECDOTE

Con Artist Exploits First Date

Maria described a con where a man in a suit asked for money claiming he lost his wallet.
Her date gave money to impress her, illustrating how con artists exploit emotional vulnerability.

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Episode 096: Maria Konnikova – Con Artists: Why We Fall For It Every Time

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Maria Konnikova is one of the most intelligent people I’ve spoken to on The Learning Leader Show… In addition to that, she expresses her thoughts in both an entertaining and educational way. If time would have permitted, I would have spoken to Maria for hours. The topic of “con-men” is something Maria has studied for years. Her newest book, “The Confidence Game” is a fascinating look into the lives of people who con others for a living. Maria interviewed many of them first hand. We discussed this in detail on this episode. This fascinates me. I loved learning more about this from Maria.

Maria Konnikova is a contributing writer for The New Yorker, where she writes a regular column with a focus on psychology and culture, and is currently working on an assortment of non-fiction and fiction projects. Her first book, Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes was a New York Times bestseller and has been translated into eighteen languages. It was nominated for the Agatha Award and the Anthony Award for Best Non-fiction and was a Goodreads People’s Choice Semifinalist for 2013. Her second book, The Confidence Game was released January 12, 2016. Her writing has appeared online and in print in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New York Times, Slate, California Sunday, Pacific Standard, The New Republic, The Paris Review, The Wall Street Journal, Salon, The Boston Globe, among numerous other publications. Maria is a recipient of the 2015 Harvard Medical School Media Fellowship, and is a Schachter Writing Fellow at Columbia University’s Motivation Science Center. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University, where she studied psychology, creative writing, and government, and received her Ph.D. in Psychology from Columbia University. She previously worked as a producer for the Charlie Rose show on PBS.

Episode 096: Maria Konnikova – Con Artists: Why We Fall For It Every Time

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The Learning Leader Show

“Men on first dates are beautiful targets for con-artists.”

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

All con artists are Narcissistic, Entitled, and Machiavellian
Victims of con artists are not what you think
The process for studying and writing a phenomenal book about this topic
Why and How Lance Armstrong is still conning us
The red flags to look out for
Why guys on first dates are beautiful targets for con artists
Her firsthand experience with a con artist while on a date
The Grandparent scam and how to prepare for it
What could we use for good from this knowledge?
Persuasion, building emotional rapport, being a great listener – Cons are great at this
The “Foot In The Door” Technique and why it works
Has Maria ever been conned? Her answer is interesting and will make you think about yourself and if you’ve been conned (You probably have)

“If it seems too good to be true, it is.”

Continue Learning:

Go To Maria’s website: MariaKonnikova.com
Read: The Confidence Game
Read: Mastermind - How To Think Like Sherlock Holmes
Follow Maria on Twitter: @mkonnikova

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Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell

Bio From MariaKonnikova.com

Maria is a contributing writer for The New Yorker, where she writes a regular column with a focus on psychology and culture, and is currently working on an assortment of non-fiction and fiction projects. Her first book, Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes (Viking/Penguin, 2013), was a New York Times bestseller and has been translated into eighteen languages. It was nominated for the Agatha Award and the Anthony Award for Best Non-fiction and was a Goodreads People’s Choice Semifinalist for 2013. Her second book, The Confidence Game, is scheduled for publication by Viking/Penguin on January 12, 2016. Her writing has appeared online and in print in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New York Times, Slate, California Sunday, Pacific Standard, The New Republic, The Paris Review, The Wall Street Journal, Salon, The Boston Globe, The Observer, Scientific American MIND, WIRED, and Scientific American, among numerous other publications. Maria is a recipient of the 2015 Harvard Medical School Media Fellowship, and is a Schachter Writing Fellow at Columbia University’s Motivation Science Center. She formerly wrote the “Literally Psyched” column for Scientific American and the popular psychology blog “Artful Choice” for Big Think. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University, where she studied psychology, creative writing, and government, and received her Ph.D. in Psychology from Columbia University. She previously worked as a producer for the Charlie Rose show on PBS. She still, on occasion, writes in Russian.