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The method for a financial scam is extremely precise. Although script variations are infinite, the basic plot never changes. The best description is found in The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man by David W. Maurer (page 4):
In the big con games the steps are these:
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Locating and investigating a well-to do mark
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Gaining your confidence
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Steering you to meet the insideman
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Permitting the insideman to show you how you can make a large amount of money
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Allowing you to make a substantial profit
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Determining exactly how much you will invest
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Sending you home for this amount of money
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Playing you against a big store* and fleecing you
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Getting you out of the way as quietly as possible
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Forestalling action by the law
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* A big store can be a Nigerian Scam Letter, a High-Yield Investment Program, Debenture Trading, Leasing Financial Documents, or any other of a number of financial scams. See the Dictionary of Financial Scam Terms© and ScamSpeak™: Nigerian Scams.
Let's take a closer look at those steps.
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