Topic : 08/11 Conned by a Con Artist

I was totally taken in by my a neighbor who became my employer.  He became like a son to me or so I thought.  I was only one in his long line of victims.  He was an insurance salesman, dealing with individuals, groups, etc.  It's a sad story really. He was a really dynamic guy with incredible sales ability.  All the hundreds of thousands he gained through his smooth talking ways went for sex, drugs & rock and roll.  He abandoned his wife & family that we all thought was his world.  Where he is today, I have no idea.  Last I knew his ex wife and kids don't know either.  I know in my heart that they've lost way more than the $25,000 he got from me.  As with other people we would expect to be ugly evil looking monsters, Con artists are literally the people next door, wolves in sheeps clothing!  I've been able to shed the stupid, gullible feeling in knowing that I'm not alone.  I'm a good hearted, caring person that got taken advantage of.

  I'm amazed he still has a liver not to mention a job.He lied to all his employers that he had a 4 year college degree when he only attended a Jr College in Philly for a few weeks?Months?I never got a straight answer.

  was a twenty-somethng girl from a small town & he'd already been arrested in several states 4 DUI,drug possession,not paying traffic tickets,suspended license,etc.He even used my name(this was over twenty years ago) to order books and other merchandise.he couldn't b/c(he claimed @ the time,his mother ripped off book & record clubs and didn't pay her credit cards)

  He used to preach to me about "the importance of high moral standards" while he was having sex with males,doing drugs and getting stinky drunk every night after work.I was also told how "fat" I was.He was overweight before I met him,yet he blamed me for his big belly.(couldn't be from drinking a six pack or more daily along with several shots of gin b/c beer didn't get him drunk fast enough)He told me that the food I buy and the way  I cook made him fat.As if he had NO control over what went into his mouth.

  He already lived with an openly gay guy from our hometown.Now he works for the daily paper here in the town where I live.I hear he is back with mother(another con artist and excuse maker) but he is searching for some desperate woman.

  Warning a huge,white male w/ excess body hair and poor hygeine .If you go to a bar,you'll never get his ass off the stool until they close.He's almost fifty & usually deep in debt.Amazing all the reporters and educated people who work for the paper haven't caught on.

As a grandmother watching  Dr Phil show on predators on the Internet I became concerned about my grandkids having space on myspace.com. So I signed up in hopes to be aware of who talks to them, little did I know I would be the one that needed to be concerned about WHO is contacting ME,a grown woman, been around the block, thinking that I know whats going on! Yeah right well the first day I signed up with myspace I got a nice IM from a gentleman, we chatted for a few weeks and I enjoyed the interest he showed in me. DUH should have been a red flag (no not that someone could be interested in me) but that it happed so fast . Well after long chats and complements I started to feel that there could be romance after the loss of my soul mate over a year ago. He listened to me complain one day about my car trouble and asked me could he send me a card to cheer me up, I said sure and gave him a post office box #. I know its something to never do.But I'm a grown woman !!!! This man sent me a cashers check in the amount of $5000.00 and asked me to go ahead a cash it and if I could be so kind and send half to his brother. He said he was in TX,the check was from a Bank in Hawaii, but the post mark was from RI. I went on line and found a 800# for the bank and called them and sure enough my benefactor was indeed a con-artist. I have been in contact with the bank and if I would have cashed the check it would have been a felony and I would have been responsible for the full amount of the $5000.00. No way to tract this man down, but he has tried to contact me again thru myspace but with a different name but with same picture .

Did anyone pick up that one of these guys was diagnosed anti-social?  That is a sociopath. A psychopath.  All these guys are sociopaths.   No conscience, no empathy.  I am disappointed that Dr Phil calls them con-artists, not what they really are. He missed the meat of the story.  

I, too, was head over heels in love with a sociopath and it took me 8 years to figure out just what I was living with. I made so many excuses for his behavior and wanted to believe he was the person he pretended to be.  After much research and counseling, I was able to accept the fact I was "conned" and got out.  It is a life changing realization.  I thought only serial murderers had no conscience.  Well, surprise surprise- it is estimated 1 in 25 of Americans are sociopaths. 

A good book to read- "The Sociopath Next Door" by Martha Stout.  It will open your eyes. 

Also, I highly recommend researching Narcissism and the support groups on MSN.   These personality disorders and sociopathy seem to go hand in hand.   Google it.

Wishing all you victims of predators continued healing.

Hello all,

I watched Dr. Phil and 20/20 today; both shows had stories on conmen...

I am compelled to write to you because both shows portrayed men as conmen and I would like to bring to your attention the women who prey on innocent and good men.  I am aware of one woman who has done exactly the same and uses her sexuality to lure men in, conveice their children and take their resources.  She has done so across Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana and now Idaho... Please do equal justice and consider the women who do these things to innocent and well respected men!!