Rip-Off: A Writer's Guide to Crimes of Deception (Howdunit Writing)
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.56 (878 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0898798272 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 240 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 0000-00-00 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Designed for authors who need the facts for realistic narrative, here is the lowdown on scams.'. From street level shell games to high stakes real estate swindles, professional PI Fay Faron profiles the con artists, the cons and the victims
Rip-Off removes the mystery from such cons as the pigeon drop, Latin lotto, Gypsy-sweetheart scams, guaranteed-prize mailers, charity scams, bait-and-switches, biz-op scams, the Texas twist, identity theft, carny cons, chain letters, psychic hotlines, three-card monte, Ponzi schemes, 809 phone numbers, and gambling stings. Something tells us we would be naïve to believe this book would appeal solely to mystery writers. Faron's writing advice focuses on identifying the basic traits of perps and pigeons (60 percent of pigeons are seniors, but we're all susceptible), defining the lingo (drag broad, shaky mom, mish roll, etc.), and counseling writers to "tell the story from the point of view of the victim." --Jane Steinberg. Detective Fay Faron, syndicated newspaper columnist ("Ask Rat Dog") and author of Missing Persons, has written a primer sure to turn any novice (wr
"There are better sources" according to Jim M.. The Howdunit series is a wonderful resource for writers. These books can save hours of legwork and research. Unfortunately Fay Faron's book does not really belong in the series. This is not to say it's a bad book. If you are interested in con games and want to protect yourself, it is as good as most of the other books on the market that cover this topic. As a research tool, however, it falls woefully short. Most of the cons are given only the most rudimentary descriptions, and some (such as the notorious shell game, which is still prevalent on the streets of major cities) are not mentioned at all.The book does well with some . Secrets of the con men James D. Crabtree This book is an interesting look at various scams and schemes to make people part with their money. Ms. Faron's writing style is engaging and really makes the book a fun read. On the downside, the book is badly dated (having been written in the 1990s) but no doubt many of the scams are still running. Psychic healers, roofing swindles, and 1-800 cons no doubt still exist, but in different ways.. Another goodie from the Howdunit Series! This is a great book! It gives details of all types of deceptive crimes. Many of them really get you thinking, "Now how'd they do that?" Now let me tell you, this book is not ONLY for the writer. If you deal with the public (at all, and that is nearly all of us) this book is for you! It'll get you thinking back to this book each time you bump into someone, make change, or even stand in the elevator with a croud!Rip-Off covers such crimes as: glamour scams, impostors, counterfeits, buisiness frauds, street cons, carney cons, gypsies, gambling scams, and so much more. The book describes each rip-off and gives an example to demo