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The Art Of The Con
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The best conmen never have to steal a thing. They just ask, and people hand it over. In this episode, Mary-Ann Ochota tells the story of William Thompson, the original "confidence man," who spent the 1840s asking wealthy strangers a simple question: do you have the confidence in me to lend me your watch until tomorrow? Most said yes, and never saw it again. Writer and psychologist Maria Konnikova, author of The Confidence Game, explains how the same trick has echoed through history, from Charles Ponzi's fake investment scheme in 1920s Boston to Victor Lustig, who once sold the Eiffel Tower for scrap metal. The method barely changes: give someone a reason to trust you, then use that trust…