Some people play golf on the weekends. I hunt con artists.
But it wasn’t always that way.
I used to think I could never get scammed. I’m way too smart for that. I’ve got a degree from journalism school. And I read tons of newspapers and books. I know what’s going on in the world. There’s just no way a scammer could outsmart me, right?
Because con artists don’t outsmart you. They “out-feel” you. They use your emotions to gain entry into your life so they can rob you.
In 2017, I became the victim of a professional con artist, a woman named “Mair Smyth,” who very quickly burrowed deep into my psyche and systematically scammed me out of almost $100,000 using a sophisticated series of confidence tricks.
I’m a gay man, so she couldn’t use sex to ensnare me. Her lures were much more creative and sinister.
I would end up falling for one of the oldest cons in the book: the inheritance scam.
But this scheme wasn’t cooked up by some Nigerian prince soliciting my help through an email. I was actually charmed into submission by a charismatic, exciting woman who injected herself into my life and became my best friend for four years. But in reality, she was an international con artist on the run from the authorities and hiding out in my apartment building.
After I realized she scammed me, I spent the ensuing two and a half years bringing my con artist ― kicking and screaming ― to justice, while uncovering 45 of her other victims all over the world who she…
