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Business expert Jack Payne tells how to avoid falling victim to today's scam artists

MAGALIA, Calif., Nov. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Jack Payne has spent nearly a half-century observing scam artists and con men. And he's written the book on how to be a scam artist - literally. Payne's legal thriller Six Hours Past Thursday  is both a portrait of a con man and a cautionary tale to those who would unwittingly become a scam artist's next meal ticket.

Six Hours offers an insider's view into the mind of a scam artist. And, according to Payne, every con man takes a similar approach to finding people to fleece. Luckily for readers of Payne's legal thriller and his Con Man's Blog  the author is spilling scammers' secrets.

Culled from Payne's decades of experience in business, including as founder of the "Business Opportunities Digest" newsletter and author of 55 books on business, the novel's insights into con games are chilling.

First, as Payne illustrates through Six Hours Past Thursday's oily protagonist, Steve Draves, a scam artist is looking to reel in a sucker.

For most con men, that means the elderly, the ill, the disadvantaged and people who tend to believe without questioning. Scam artists will quickly weed out skeptics, says Payne, so individuals can protect themselves from falling victim to a con by asking logical questions and doing their homework.

Once a scam artist has identified his targets, he will enlist their sympathy or outrage, play to their egos, or capitalize on their weaknesses. The woman desperate to lose weight, for example, is likely to pay a premium for the con man's "exclusive report" on dropping 50 pounds.

The guy who just sold his first stock is likely to want the scam artist's "inside information" on the next big deal. And the families dealing with lung disease as a result of the local factory's negligence will probably support the con man's "crusade" against big business.

To avoid arousing suspicion, scam artists will start small, asking for just twenty dollars for their product, service or cause. But as soon as a target buys in, the con man ups the ante. The next scam is bigger, and, according to Payne, there will be a paper to sign at the last minute - just a formality, of course - that waives the signer's right to legal action against the scammer.

"Those are just the basics," Payne explained. "The scam artist's end game is to create an atmosphere where emotion trumps logic. I hear about new scams every day. Con men are getting more sophisticated. I urge my readers to arm themselves with information."