Kindle Price: $7.99

Save $10.01 (56%)

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Audiobook Price: $17.72

Save: $9.23 (52%)

You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.

Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.

Follow the author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Confidence Game: Why We Fall for It . . . Every Time Kindle Edition

4.3 out of 5 stars 1,609

Great on Kindle
Great Experience. Great Value.
iphone with kindle app
Putting our best book forward
Each Great on Kindle book offers a great reading experience, at a better value than print to keep your wallet happy.

Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip.

View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look.

Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more.

Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration.

Get the free Kindle app: Link to the kindle app page Link to the kindle app page
Enjoy a great reading experience when you buy the Kindle edition of this book. Learn more about Great on Kindle, available in select categories.
"It’s a startling and disconcerting read that should make you think twice every time a friend of a friend offers you the opportunity of a lifetime.”
—Erik Larson, #1
New York Times bestselling author of Dead Wake and bestselling author of Devil in the White City

Think you can’t get conned? Think again. The New York Times bestselling author of Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes explains how to spot the con before they spot you.

“[An] excellent study of Con Artists, stories & the human need to believe” –Neil Gaiman, via Twitter


A compelling investigation into the minds, motives, and methods of con artists—and the people who fall for their cons over and over again.

While cheats and swindlers may be a dime a dozen, true conmen—the Bernie Madoffs, the Jim Bakkers, the Lance Armstrongs—are elegant, outsized personalities, artists of persuasion and exploiters of trust. How do they do it? Why are they successful? And what keeps us falling for it, over and over again? These are the questions that journalist and psychologist Maria Konnikova tackles in her mesmerizing new book.
 
From multimillion-dollar Ponzi schemes to small-time frauds, Konnikova pulls together a selection of fascinating stories to demonstrate what all cons share in common, drawing on scientific, dramatic, and psychological perspectives. Insightful and gripping, the book brings readers into the world of the con, examining the relationship between artist and victim. 
The Confidence Game asks not only why we believe con artists, but also examines the very act of believing and how our sense of truth can be manipulated by those around us.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Konnikova… is an insightful analyst of the dark art of the scam.”
New York Times Book Review
 
“An unnerving manual for conning and getting conned.”
 
Washington Post

“[An] excellent study of Con Artists, stories & the human need to believe”
 –Neil Gaiman, via Twitter


“Melding pop social science and potted history, the science writer transcends the genre of Gladwell by drilling down into situations where our instincts lead us horribly astray — and right into the arms of swindlers. The surreal and often codependent relationship between grifter and griftee is disturbingly common, no matter how sophisticated its victims think they are, from Bernie Madoff’s worldly dupes to everyone who ever cheered Lance Armstrong.”
Vulture

"A brisk, engaging overview of the ways these skilled tricksters masterfully manipulate us to their own ends."
Boston Globe
 
“Blending news accounts with first-person published narratives, public records, and original interviews, Konnikova dissects the techniques of some of the world’s most successful con artists. A page-turner, this book provides plenty of insight about them and about us, their targets.”
—Psychology Today

"A fascinating look at the psychology behind every hustle, from Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme to a three-card-monte game...Ms Konnikova tells of hucksters masquerading as doctors, royals or moguls, all armed with a gifted imagination, a silver tongue and an ability to size people up."
-
-The Economist

 “Victims of cons, she argues, aren't just the foolish and the ignorant. They’re often regular people who happen to be desperate or emotionally compromised by their circumstances.  For leaders, who largely pride themselves on being rational, strategic thinkers, the deception Konnikova’s research warns us about begins with that very emotion: pride….Leaders who get fooled are the ones who first manage to fool themselves.”
--Fast Company
 
“A thrilling psychological detective story investigating how con artists, the supreme masterminds of malevolent reality-manipulation, prey on our propensity for believing what we wish were true and how this illuminates the inner workings of trust and deception in our everyday lives.”
--Maria Popova, Brain Pickings

“With meticulous research and a facility for storytelling, Konnikova makes this intriguing topic absolutely riveting.”
Kirkus, Starred review
 
“Told with vigor and enthusiasm, this study of the psychology of the con artist is riveting and cleverly told.” 
Publishers Weekly, Starred review

“In the Confidence Game, Konnikova plumbs the psychology and chemistry of why we all fall so readily for scams and cons—and why, thanks to the “Lake Wobegon Effect” and other forces, having fallen once, we’re even more susceptible the next time. It’s a startling and disconcerting read that
should make you think twice every time a friend of a friend offers you the opportunity of a lifetime. But you won’t think twice. You’ll still succumb, because that’s how we’re all wired. And here’s the irony—the smarter you think you are, the more readily you’ll fall, which is why New Yorkers are some of the easiest marks. (Clients of Bernie Madoff, we’re talking about you.) If you liked Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink, you’ll love this lucid and revelatory look into our oh-so-susceptible selves.”
—Erik Larson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dead Wake and bestselling author of Devil in the White City

“The story of the con artist may be unmatched for combining human interest with insight into human nature, and star psychology writer Maria Konnikova explains their wiles to us with her characteristic clarity, flair, and depth.”
—Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of How the Mind Works and The Sense of Style.
 
“In this remarkable book, Maria Konnikova shows that human beings are hardwired to believe—often to our peril. And with a deft mix of stories and studies, she explores what that means for how we think and, ultimately, who we are. Deeply researched and elegantly written,
The Confidence Game will widen your eyes and sharpen your mind.”
—Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive and To Sell Is Human

“As an ambassador to AARP’s Fraud Watch Network which educates its members on protecting themselves from confidence games and scams, I found
The Confidence Game an excellent resource. The best way to protect oneself from the confidence man is to understand the mind and motivation of the con man.”
—Frank W. Abagnale, subject of the movie, book, and Broadway musical Catch Me If You Can 
 
“I really love Maria Konnikova’s writing. In a world of pseudoscience—of extreme polemical thought—her calm rationality is comforting and smart. I appreciate and believe her.”
—Jon Ronson, author of So You've Been Publicly Shamed

“Maria Konnikova has written a compelling, engrossing account of the world of the con. I stayed up far too late reading it. Beautifully written, and filled with stories and thought-provoking psychological research, The Confidence Game will teach you how confidence artists operate—and how to outwit them.”
—Charles Duhigg, Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter and author of The Power of Habit
 
“What magic takes place when a smooth-talking stranger convinces you to part with everything you have? Maria Konnikova is a superb storyteller and her tales of conmen and their victims will blow your mind. This is a brilliant and often unsettling book, and it leaves me with mixed feelings—I’d like everyone to read it, but at the same time, it scares me to think of it falling into the wrong hands.” 
—Paul Bloom, Brooks and Suzanne Ragen Professor of Psychology, Yale University, and author of Just Babies. 
 
“An enthralling read about why we’re all vulnerable to deception, by one of the truly gifted social science writers of our time. This book shook my confidence in my ability to detect fraud—and then showed me how to improve my skills.”
—Adam Grant, Wharton professor and New York Times bestselling author of Give and Take and Originals

“Short of making cynicism your overriding philosophy, the surest safety might be to understand the workings of the con man as he understands you. Understand his psychology, his motivation, his tricks, and his games. Konnikova’s book promises to make life just a little bit harder for con artists everywhere.”
—The New Republic

"An unnerving manual for conning and getting conned."
—The Washington Post

“Brilliant and enthralling. By plumbing the depths of real stories of swindlers and their victims, and by drawing on new research into the nature of deception, she does more than just show in riveting detail how these cons unfold; she also reveals their hidden psychological dimensions, and why we all may be perfect mark.”
—David Grann, author ofThe Lost City of Z

"In The Confidence Game, Maria Konnikova has created an enthralling read about con men. But it's about so much more: trust, belief, and deception at their most basic and human levels. If you think you're above becoming an unwitting player in the confidence game, you'll think again by the end."
—David Epstein, author of The Sports Gene
 
“The most thoughtful and thought-provoking book ever written on cons, and I’ve not only read most of them but I’ve also been conned. Marvelous and important.”
—Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic magazine, author of Why People Believe Weird Things and The Believing Brain

“Blending news accounts with first-person published narratives, public records, and original interviews, Konnikova dissects the techniques of some of the world’s most successful con artists. A page-turner, this book provides plenty of insight about them and about us, their targets.”
—Psychology Today

“A gripping examination of exactly why so many of us are such suckers for schemes that shut down our saner instincts.”—Vice
 
"One of the best science writers of our time examines the minds, motives, and methods of con artists—and the people who fall for their cons."
Forbes
 
“Konnikova covers wide-ranging studies in social psychology and illustrates them with colorful stories about real-life con men and women in action.”
New York Magazine
 
“A deep (and entertaining) dive into the world of con artists.”
Time.com
 
“It turns out there's a lot to be learned about human nature. And Konnikova…is an insightful analyst.”
Economic Times

“An engaging read . . . A subtle yet powerful reminder that the con man isn’t solely a shadowy grifter but as ubiquitous and common as the little white lies we tell our friends and family.”
Los Angeles Review of Books

“Melding pop social science and potted history, science writer Maria Konnikova transcends the Gladwell genre by drilling down into situations where our instincts lead us horribly astray—and into the arms of swindlers.”
New York Magazine


About the Author

Maria Konnikova is the author of Mastermind and The Confidence Game. She is a regular contributing writer for The New Yorker, and has written for the Atlantic, the New York Times, Slate, the New Republic, the Paris Review, the Wall Street Journal, Salon, the Boston Globe,  the Scientific American MIND, WIRED, and Smithsonian. Maria graduated  from Harvard University and received her Ph.D. in Psychology from Columbia University.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00WDP836S
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books (January 12, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 12, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1141 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 343 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 1,609

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Maria Konnikova
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Maria Konnikova is the author, most recently, of The Biggest Bluff, a New York Times bestseller, one of the Times’ 100 Notable Books of 2020, and a finalist for the Telegraph Best Sports Writing Awards for 2021. Her previous books are the bestsellers The Confidence Game, winner of the 2016 Robert P. Balles Prize in Critical Thinking, and Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes, an Anthony and Agatha Award finalist. Maria is a regularly contributing writer for The New Yorker whose writing has won numerous awards, including the 2019 Excellence in Science Journalism Award from the Society of Personality and Social Psychology. While researching The Biggest Bluff, Maria became an international poker champion and the winner of over $300,000 in tournament earnings—and inadvertently turned into a professional poker player. Maria’s writing has been featured in Best American Science and Nature Writing and has been translated into over twenty languages. Maria also hosts the podcast The Grift from Panoply Media, a show that explores con artists and the lives they ruin. Her podcasting work earned her a National Magazine Award nomination in 2019. She graduated from Harvard University and received her PhD in psychology from Columbia University.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
1,609 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2024
This book is a real eye-opener to the personality & behavior of the con man (person). It makes you re-evaluate the interactions of everyone you know, especially those people with sweet-talking words toward you even when you barely know them. It raises your awareness antennas for sure. A good read backed by psychology experts & real-life stories of many convicted cons.
Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2016
After reading this book I've cone to realize that there is a little bit of the Con and a lot of the Mark in each of us. As you read, look back on your life and see if any of this applies to you. I hope I'm not the only one! Very well written, and I love how this female author uses "she" rather than "he", when she writes. I'm sure she's not the first to do this, but it made me realize how "male" Western society is! I definitely recommend this book to every citizen . Of the earth, for you may be the next victim of the con!
2 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2016
The Confidence Game reads like a detective novel of the human character. Maria Konnikova weaves a masterful tale of intrigue into the various ways how some have been extraordinarily successful at deceiving their fellow human beings at a large scale and how many are quite successful on a small scale pretty much anywhere you go - through their story. I like to say that I am "addicted" to facts and have very rarely been conned. Konnikova suggests that the successful con artist rarely if ever lets her/his mark get to the point where the mark finds out.

She builds her case slowly and deliberately. In fact, I found it reading like walking an ever widening spiral - the reader gets back to a similar point as before (which to some might make it seem repetitive), except that Konnikova then introduces another aspect to the case in question. The most fascinating part of reading The Confidence Game for me was that the writing style and the way that the material was presented loosened up my rigid emotional mindset towards my family which mindset had prevented me from viewing my relatives for what they (mostly) really are - a bunch of con artists with very convincing stories. This is the result of one specific comment that Konnikova makes in a passage where she discusses the psychological aspects of the confidence game. There are more of these precious insights that add special value to the book and that extend its reach beyond merely a discussion of the con game itself.

To explain what I mean by the personal discovery mentioned above, my fact based defense mechanism against con artists didn't prevent me from being conned by people whom I falsely believed I could trust - my own family (mother, brother etc) who constantly reassured me that they love me, care about me and stand by me in times of trouble. That they actually did very little yet professed profusely how much they cared instead had always been obvious to me, yet their abundance of words always seemed to make up for the lack of action. The Confidence Game allowed me to see, for the first time ever, and not until almost the end of the book (that's how deliberate the con artist's game is, one really needs to know the whole truth), how my family was able to pull the wool over my eyes since birth basically. Indoctrination of others for some people can apparently not start too early. In other words, I thought I had protected myself against con artists by insisting on facts, but where I refused to insist on facts was with people I mistakenly believed I could trust because of a natural bond.

I read only non-fiction material, academic and non-academic. I don't recall ever having read non-fiction without footnotes. In that sense, Konnikova has pulled off a commendable job. I found it very liberating not to be bombarded with reference material. The few cases that I looked up for further information were valid and supportive. Also, I didn't feel that I had to question her perspective. In fact, I feel encouraged to apply what I have learned from The Confidence Game to any past, present and future situation in my life and to reconsider everything and anything as the need arises without necessarily blaming anyone, least of all myself.

Stories can be short and long. Konnikova shows that anybody with bad intentions is capable of coming up with a story and how important it is to ignore them. That is not to say that facts cannot be deceiving, yet anyone presenting them might have a good story to tell why you should believe their facts over other facts. The Confidence Game easily gets my five stars yet deserves many more for the impact it has had on my perspective on human behavior.
23 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2017
We’re treated to examples of and the rationale behind real life “cons” in such chapters titled The Put-Up, The Play and The Rope. There is also a chapter at the book’s end highlighting the (real) oldest profession. Hint: It’s not prostitution.
The common denominator in all these cons is the incredible gullibility of the “mark” or the person who is conned. But what about the con man (it’s almost always a man) who commits these white collar crimes? The true con man doesn’t force us to do anything; he makes us an accomplice in our undoing.
For me, the first chapter was most illuminating. The author presents the findings of psychologist Robert Hare who has done considerable work analyzing personal characteristics of con men. These features can be grouped in three categories: psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism. Under the first, the con man exhibits no remorse for his actions, shows pathological lying, is manipulative, is promiscuous, and displays superficial charm. Under narcissism, he has an exalted sense of entitlement, self-enhancement and an overly inflated sense of self-worth. He’s the center of the universe. Finally, Richard Calhoon, a marketing professor at the University of North Carolina, goes further and describes the Machiavellian as someone who employs aggressive, manipulative, exploiting, and devious moves to achieve personal and organizational objectives. It’s no stretch that all the above traits can be ascribed to the man who recently settled a lawsuit for twenty-five million dollars rather than risk impeachment and removal from office.
6 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2016
An interesting read on con artists, their profiles, and the profiles of their victims. The book is well-researched and has a lot of examples. The author also gives examples of what we may not even think of as cons or scams but actually have trademarks (I.e., religious cults). There's a lot of good information relating to how we are most vulnerable and some amazing examples of how people get roped in and don't even realize they've been conned, continuing to uphold their decision to trust in the con artist even when they should be able to see that it's a scam. The book provides some guidance as well on how to avoid being conned. It really made me think about some situations in a different way because it's not always easy to know when someone is scamming us and just realizing that helps avoid falling for the trap, or at least shows you how to extricate yourself once you may have been seduced by the confidence artist. The psychology of believing we are immune (yet readily seeing the con involving others) shows the con from different perspectives and shows how the most unbelievable ruses can work; also it is very understandable how many of these people have roped in multitudes of victims or keep victims hanging on and continuing to support the criminal because of the shame of admitting to being taken. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Easy to read and it held my interest throughout.
2 people found this helpful
Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring depiction of the game & psychology
Reviewed in Canada on October 14, 2021
Inspiring depiction of the confidence man's game, the psychology of the grifter and its mark. Well written and with surprising con exemples throughout history.
Stefano
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible work
Reviewed in Italy on April 22, 2022
It is really a remarkable work on the psychology of the con: a necessary read for anyone who doesn't want to end up a sucker in one of these games, but also very instructive read all around. And all the well researched stories of conmen make it even more entertaining!
nicole kranz
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!
Reviewed in Germany on May 22, 2021
Excellent reading. Interesting insight into the psyche of a con artist and mark. Bought it after watching MADE YOU LOOK. Even better than expected.
william gersten
2.0 out of 5 stars Mucho rollo
Reviewed in Mexico on September 9, 2018
Entrega rápida pero el libro es como leer una enciclopedia.
AmazonCustomer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in India on April 11, 2018
Loved it
2 people found this helpful
Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?