A complex confidence game can evolve over a period of time and involve a number of people and props. Such a "long" con progesses through a basic sequence.
Persons involved:
(1) the con artist
(2) the associates or confederates
(3) the mark or victim
Stages of a confidence game:
(1) performing the foundation work
(2) approaching the mark
(3) build-up
(4) pay-off or convincer
(5) the hurrah, which involves a crisis that forces the mark to act immediately
(6) the in-and-in
(7) getaway
Stage
Involves
performing the foundation work
identifying the mark, determining the angle, hiring confederates, developing a script
approaching the mark
making the initial contact with the targeted victim
build-up
getting the person hooked, often by appealing to the person's greed, desire and/or ego
pay-off or convincer
the mark receives or wins something as a taste of what is to come (sets the hook)
the hurrah
a crisis that forces the mark to act immediately (now or never)
the in-and-in
a confederate acting as a bystander puts in money to convince the mark that the deal is legitimate
exit or getaway
the con artist and confederates disappear
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