Crimes of Persuasion: Schemes, scams, frauds. (Paperback)

~ Les Henderson (Author) "To fully understand the scope and mechanics of the multitude of scams, telemarketing frauds, investment schemes and interrelated deceptions that affect millions of victims yearly..." (more)
Key Phrases: sweepstakes solicitations, fraudulent telemarketers, top rovide, United States, Federal Trade Commission, Central Bank of Nigeria (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

How con artists will steal your savings and inheritance through telemarketing fraud, investment schemes and consumer scams.

From the Publisher

The main reason the book was produced was due to the notable shortage of pertinent organized information on the complex topic of telemarketing and investment fraud, despite low government estimates which peg the losses from them at over $45 billion per year in North America.

There are several reasons for this which have been overcome by the author as a result of his background and writing skills.

First of all, investigation of the complex financial workings of investment fraud required someone with experience in the field of securities. Mr. Henderson, once a Chartered Financial Planner and longtime investor himself, is able to maintain accuracy while simplifying the procedures used by the fraudsters into an understandable and entertaining format.

His short, fact-filled examples are broken out into numerous and meaningful categories and classifications which in other works are normally lumped together into tedious statistical or psychological dissertations on fraud as a whole, or too-narrowly focused on one sole example, examined in boring minutiae.

Secondly, he looks at the problem both as a victim and as a former sales trainer and direct sales force manager. Knowing the persuasive techniques used by all professional sales people, but which have been subverted to an evil purpose, he leads you step by step from contact to conviction.

Thirdly, he is able to distill from reams of court transcripts, involving hundreds of cases, the kernel of truth and understanding which appears to be lacking in other works and governmental advisories.

Most importantly, he does not preach the age old sermon of how you should know better if an offer sounds too good. He simply shows what happened to other victims, which number in the millions, then lets you come to your own startling conclusions.

This lack of patronizing and the sometimes humorous and always sardonic style of writing shine a new light on a topic that has been hidden by the shame of its victims. Many people, upon reading the book, determine that they have been defrauded in the past by offers which until now they thought were legitimate.

Finally, it is hoped that by popularizing an understanding of these schemes, while exposing the organized and criminal nature of the con artists, that law enforcement efforts will be accelerated and court sentences will reflect the impact of the scams upon its victims.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 436 pages
• Publisher: Coyote Ridge Publishing; 2nd edition (May 13, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0968713300
• ISBN-13: 978-0968713303
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #179,429 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better Safe Than Sorry!, January 17, 2005

By	Jack Payne "Jack Payne" (Northern California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Reading Les Henderson's Crimes of Persuasion is much like observing a series of 40-foot long steel containers being dropped from a dockside ocean freighter onto a flat-bed truck. The impact, over and over again is huge, as the trailer bounces and flexes, as its tires resist the extra weight of each drop. With each page you keep saying to yourself, "That's how they do it!" "That's how they organize!" "That's the come-on!" "So, that's the hook!" We learn all about the players in the game too: the "Fronter," the "Qualifier," the"No-Saler," the "Takeover" Man. We learn all about the mechanics of the games themselves--"clean sheeting," "blind pools," much more. ##### Sometimes it takes simple minds to understand complicated situations. Thank goodness. Because con games are usually very complex--thoroughly thought out, prepared, and worked by brilliant people--we "Marks" (simpletons--the victims), in this case have a chance. ##### With the aid of this book you are prepared for just about anything the con man might throw at you. It's beautifuly Contents-ed and Indexed. Want to know about sweepstakes scams? Right there. Just look it up. How about telemarketing frauds, home equity, elder abuse, home repair, identity theft, internet shenanigans, etc. On and on. On and on. On and on. It's all right here. You only have to look it up. It's a great defensive tool for everyone, in this day and age of get-rich-quick, follow the bouncing ball, smoke and mirrors trickery. ##### What's the underlying premise of con games? Gain your confidence. Pure and simple. Here's just one example: You get a call from a smooth-talking stock "Expert," who is pitching you because he knows you are an investor. He tells you to watch ABC co. stock; it's going up. A week later, after the stock of ABC co. has gone up, as he said it would, he calls you back and confides that the stock of XYZ co. is going down; keep tabs. When the stock drops, exactly as he said it would, you now have a level of confidence in him when he calls the third time. Right? That's the point. You are now "set-up," vulnerable to whatever kind of investment he may now say is desirable. How did he do it? How did he know ABC was going up and XYZ was going down? Easy. He started out with a list of 200 names from the phone book. He was right on 100 of them. He then called that 100 and was right again on 50. You were in that list of 50. Presto! ##### In all, this book is about the most encylopedic tome for consumer protection I've seen, covering the whole gauntlet of cons, scams, and frauds like the proverbial "blanket." The next time you are in Ceasar's Palace, note the small warning sign by the door, "Gambling can be addictive; if you think you have a gambling problem, call the number below to contact Gamblers Anonymous." Similarly, if you think you might have a Susceptibility-to-Con-Games problem, ownership of this book, Crimes of Persuasion: Schemes, Scams, Frauds is your "Gamblers Anonymous".

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Crimes of Persuasion A Must Read, January 12, 2001

By	Helen Sibley (Oakville, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

I recently purchased a copy of "Crimes of Persusion" by Les Henderson. This book is an excellent, comprehensive collection of fraudulant schemes contrived by clever con artists. Having been conned myself by a now defunct housing corporation,General Development, this book had particular appeal. The short, easy to read sections with catchy titles highlight hundreds of scams. Whether it be pyramid schemes, poetry contests, cruiseline specials etc..., I think readers will be surprised at how many times they, themselves, have actually been deceived. I know I was. Also, I discovered a cruise line scam that a close friend of mine had just fallen victim to. The author's description of the actual scam was almost verbatim to the phone call she had received. To avoid becoming an innocent victim of some smooth-talking con artist, make "Crimes of Persusion" a must read for 2001.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very informative book, February 11, 2001

By A Customer

I have read Mr. Henderson's book and found it to be very informative. My elderly mother was scammed and I wish I had read the book prior to the event to help warn her of the signs that she could have been made aware of. This book would make a great gift to anyone who you would like to inform. I have done a lot of research on the "art of scamming" since this event has taken place, and this book is very good in explaining the different types of scams and how they work. I may add that I am one of those people who never dreamed that "this" could happen in my family......sad to say, it happens more than we even know.