What Causes Someone to Be a Con Artist?

Looking into the minds of criminal is always quite an interesting task because it provides us with some real psychological answers into why and how people act in manners that go against the conventions of society.

There is no specific reason that causes someone to be a con artist. Their lifestyle, financial situation and the people they associate with all play a role.

Boredom

When we are talking about con artists, we need to differentiate between them and people who steal for other reasons.

Con artists:

• May be crafty at targeting people without making them feel threatened
• Might not even necessarily "steal" something as in reaching into your bag and taking out your cell phone, wallet, etc.
• Might have you pay an extremely high price for an item that crumbles within days
• Might have you pay in advance for an item you never receive
• Distract you while they rob you

These people are also different from other robbers because they are essentially putting on a show with what they are doing.

• They might be individuals who want to act or feel that they are gifted at acting, but never got the chance to do so on a larger scale.
• They might feel bored with their lives and decide to utilize their talent to alleviate their boredom.

Necessity

Another reason that people steal from others is because they feel that it is a "necessity." They think that in order to get any money, they must take it from other individuals. Therefore, they become con artists in order to get what they want.

When we think about situations like that of Oliver Twist, we almost feel bad for some of these people. Poor Oliver really had no choice but to act as a con artist, and if he did not do as he was told, who knows what type of punishment he would have received?

Tradition

Sometimes the environment or culture creates a tradition.

Think about the scenario of Oliver Twist again. While he was acting out of necessity, he fell into a sort of "tradition" as well. All of the boys living where he was were engaged in pick pocketing and scamming activities, so he too had to join in on it. It sometimes makes it easier to scam other people out of their money when you have the support of a group to do so.

Let's bring that example to a modern day situation. If you are born into a family of con artists, chances are that you are going to be a con artist too, for at least some portion of your life. Maybe you are part of a sub culture that engages in these con artist activities. Being a con artist will be pretty much ingrained into your lifestyle and infused into the way in which you are brought up.

You will be taught how to act as a con artist from early on, but in the future you might decide to follow a different path in life.