Con Games

Con Games

Pyramid Scheme

The pyramid scheme is a "get rich quick" plan that involves investing in a new company that promises to be the next big thing. People who wish to become a part of the company must invest in it. Once people invest in the company, they must recruit others who will invest in the company as well. For each person the investor recruits, they get a share of their investment. The remainder of the "investment" is divided among the other investors.

The structure of investors is basically a hierarchy. This scheme is a perpetual cycle that will only end after multiple people have lost large sums of money in their "investments." This scheme is profitable only to those at the top of the hierarchy.

Pigeon Drop

The Pigeon Drop often occurs where large amounts of people are, such as at malls and in the parking lots of shopping complexes. The most common victims are older women and the con artists usually involve one or two young, attractive women. A younger woman will appear to have found an item containing a large sum of money. She will then approach the older woman, asking if the money is hers, as there is no ID present to link it to the person it belongs to. The women decide that the owner cannot possibly be located; therefore, they should split their fortune with the older lady, if she deposits "good faith" money. In the scheme of things, the con artist(s) makes off with the money they mysteriously found, as well as the victim's "good faith" money. The victim never sees the strangers or her money again.

Nigerian Advance Fee Fraud

The Nigerian Advance Fee Fraud is a scam that involves a fake letter or email from a Nigerian company, telling the recipient that they need their assistance in depositing a large sum of money into a U.S. bank account. Because of certain stipulations, they are not able to open an account in the U.S., thus, they need help from the victim. The Nigerian company promises a large sum of money for the assistance, but first they need bank information, account and access numbers and codes. They will also ask the victim to pay the transfer fees or "advance fees," which are usually rather expensive. This company will take the "transfer fees," and victim will never hear from them again.

Yellow Page Advertising Scheme

The Yellow Page Advertising Scheme involves solicitations and fake invoices that feature the "walking fingers" logo or the "Yellow Pages" name to appear credible. When victims are sent solicitations, they are being asked to buy ad space in a fictitious directory. The fake invoices make victims believe ads have already been placed and now they must pay for them. Victims also receive fake invoices and confuse them with their legitimate advertising bill and pay the solicitors instead. The solicitors take advantage of those that do not pay close attention to bills and ad placements.

There is one sure source that will reveal whether the bill, invoice or account statement is credible or fictitious. The U.S. Postal Service requires all solicitations to carry a disclaimer stating that it is in fact a solicitation, not a bill; thus, the victim is not required to pay the bill unless they accept the offer.

Bank Examiner Fraud

The bank examiner scheme involves a person posing as a bank or government official investigating a fraudulent bank teller. The con artist approaches individuals telling them of a bank teller that is passing counterfeit money and then asks if they will assist them in their investigation. Once people agree to help in the investigation, the "examiners" ask them to withdraw a certain amount of cash and give it to them so they can check the serial numbers and mark the money. These "examiners" promise to reimburse the participating individuals with a check in the mail. However, the check never arrives and the willing individual, eager to help, has lost money due to the con artists' scheme.

Modeling Scams

Modeling scams target those who are trying to enter into the modeling and acting industry. There are several modeling agencies that claim to have broken multiple super models into the business. These agencies and talent scouts are not professionals but rather scam artists, taking money from naпve people, dreaming about becoming super models. They lure parents and children to accessible