to talk someone out of a scam once they are emotionally committed to it. In the right circumstances, if the con artists have done their job well, the bubble can only be burst from the inside and no amount of outside influence can help. How hustlers control both the elements of their story and how the mark perceives these elements are vitally important to the success of the line. In some cases, the entire scam depends on keeping the mark on that line, in order to slowly bleed them dry.
Believe
Of all the cons Iâve pulled on The Real Hustle , those that exposed phony psychics were, for me, the most difficult and personally damaging. We always took great care of our subjects on the show, carefully maneuvering them to the right locations under the best circumstances, blissfully unaware that they were about to be secretly filmed and scammed. After each con, a producer would approach the mark and gently explain that everything was going to be okay, that their friends or family were nearby and they hadnât really lost anything. For most of the scams, this was an easy process because sheer relief was a powerful factor, but when I pretended to have psychic powers, and hopes and dreams and fears and wonder were being manipulated, then talking someone down required much more care. In the end, the mark was always relieved and keen to take part, but emotions were usually high and I tried to stay out of the way until the mark calmed down. Personally, I was a complete mess afterward.
During these scams I would employ powerful techniques such as cold reading, using props to help prove my abilities. For one of our most effective cons, we injected red food dye into an egg and told the mark I could read her future by breaking eggs onto a plate. One egg was for health, another for relationships, and the third egg was for financial matters. I asked the mark which egg she wanted me to read first and she chose health. I cracked the egg and poured out the white and the yolk, commenting on how the yolk landed on the plate, its color and shape, and the thickness of the egg white. I analyzed the cracks created when breaking the egg and delivered a cold reading as if guided by these observations.
Cold reading is the art of telling people seemingly specific and accurate information that appears to relate to them personally. These readings are actually a cleverly constructed blend of general statements and universal truths tailored to the mark and accompanied by secretly obtained facts, easily deduced information, or guesses based on the experience of the cold reader. This can be a consciously learned skill that develops over time or a natural talent for so-called âshut-eyesâ who genuinely believe in their own powers.
Whether the supposed clairvoyant sees the readings as a psychological tool, a deliberate deception, or a real psychic gift, the impact on the person receiving the reading can be devastating. As I read the patterns of fragmented shell and seemingly divined knowledge from the dissolving yolk, the mark leaned forward, absorbing every word and hoping for answers to her unspoken questions. Years earlier, magician, mentalist, and part-time medium Jules Lenier had taught me how to use every grain of information to read a âclient.â His chosen props were tarot cards or the clientâs palm, and he had a devilishly simple trick to determine what someone was really interested in before the reading even began. He would point out the lines on their hands, explain what each one represented, and then asked where they would like to begin. For the requested line heâd point out other aspects of the hand related to that line and again asked them where to start his reading. This simple process told Jules what the client was most interested in and where he should concentrate his efforts for a convincing reading. With the eggs I used the same ploy and knew immediately that there were matters of health that concerned our
Believe
Of all the cons Iâve pulled on The Real Hustle , those that exposed phony psychics were, for me, the most difficult and personally damaging. We always took great care of our subjects on the show, carefully maneuvering them to the right locations under the best circumstances, blissfully unaware that they were about to be secretly filmed and scammed. After each con, a producer would approach the mark and gently explain that everything was going to be okay, that their friends or family were nearby and they hadnât really lost anything. For most of the scams, this was an easy process because sheer relief was a powerful factor, but when I pretended to have psychic powers, and hopes and dreams and fears and wonder were being manipulated, then talking someone down required much more care. In the end, the mark was always relieved and keen to take part, but emotions were usually high and I tried to stay out of the way until the mark calmed down. Personally, I was a complete mess afterward.
During these scams I would employ powerful techniques such as cold reading, using props to help prove my abilities. For one of our most effective cons, we injected red food dye into an egg and told the mark I could read her future by breaking eggs onto a plate. One egg was for health, another for relationships, and the third egg was for financial matters. I asked the mark which egg she wanted me to read first and she chose health. I cracked the egg and poured out the white and the yolk, commenting on how the yolk landed on the plate, its color and shape, and the thickness of the egg white. I analyzed the cracks created when breaking the egg and delivered a cold reading as if guided by these observations.
Cold reading is the art of telling people seemingly specific and accurate information that appears to relate to them personally. These readings are actually a cleverly constructed blend of general statements and universal truths tailored to the mark and accompanied by secretly obtained facts, easily deduced information, or guesses based on the experience of the cold reader. This can be a consciously learned skill that develops over time or a natural talent for so-called âshut-eyesâ who genuinely believe in their own powers.
Whether the supposed clairvoyant sees the readings as a psychological tool, a deliberate deception, or a real psychic gift, the impact on the person receiving the reading can be devastating. As I read the patterns of fragmented shell and seemingly divined knowledge from the dissolving yolk, the mark leaned forward, absorbing every word and hoping for answers to her unspoken questions. Years earlier, magician, mentalist, and part-time medium Jules Lenier had taught me how to use every grain of information to read a âclient.â His chosen props were tarot cards or the clientâs palm, and he had a devilishly simple trick to determine what someone was really interested in before the reading even began. He would point out the lines on their hands, explain what each one represented, and then asked where they would like to begin. For the requested line heâd point out other aspects of the hand related to that line and again asked them where to start his reading. This simple process told Jules what the client was most interested in and where he should concentrate his efforts for a convincing reading. With the eggs I used the same ploy and knew immediately that there were matters of health that concerned our
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