When you hear the word “con man,” you probably picture someone like Leonardo DiCaprio playing famed scammer Frank Abganale Jr. in the movie Catch Me If You Can. He’s smart. He’s debonair. He’s charming. He might be a sociopath, but for some reason you forgive him for it.
And his targets are big, like the government or major corporations or banks. You know: symbols of “the man;” organizations that not only can afford the loss, but might actually deserve it.
But as romantic as the image of DiCaprio in those aviator glasses is, the con man of the 21st century looks very different. Instead of being armed with a closetful of disguises and a charming smile, today’s scammers rely on an internet connection and social engineering to make their living.
And their target? You. And your mom, your sister, your friends, your boss — anyone they can reach and convince to turn over some of their hard-earned cash.
These modern day “con men” (although, of course, they can be people of any gender — scamming is not a gender-specific career) are also much, much more prolific than Mr. Abagnale could have ever dreamed. In fact, a recent Avast survey found that 75% of Americans have been targeted by scammers at least once.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that 75% of Americans have actually been scammed, just that they’ve been targeted. But that high of a number is a good indication of how prevalent the modern day con really is. It’s a numbers game: There are…
