The Gist

How to Spot a Con Artist

The story behind history’s greatest con artists, including Ferdinand Waldo Demara, who pretended to be monks, surgeons, and prison wardens.

Interested in a game of three-card monte?

Photo by Nelson Minar/Flickr

Listen to Episode 415 of Slate’s The Gist:

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On The Gist, Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker explains how the best con artists make their victims emotionally invested. She’s the author of The Confidence Game. For the Spiel, all the self-flagellation Ted Cruz thinks was missing from Obama’s State of the Union address.

The Gist and Story Collider Event, Jan. 15:

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