Dart in Your Wallet
Who doesn't like a friendly game of darts at a bar? And what if a stranger threw this proposition your way: He'll put a hundred-dollar bill in the center of the board, by sliding the corners under the metal rings. For 10 dollars, you can take three tosses. If all three hit the bill, you win the hundred. Ten-to-one odds in your favor. You throw the first dart from the line, the second from one step in front of the line, and the third, after taking two steps back. "This bet is almost impossible to win," Lovell says, "and the better you are at darts, the harder it is." Why? Because if you are good at darts, you know how to throw from the line. When you move a step forward, your throw will almost always go higher than you think. And when you step two steps back from that spot, you will be completely off your mark. "I've seen professional darts players completely miss the board on that third throw," Lovell says.

Greedy Grandpa
"One thing people say to me all the time is, 'You don't look like a con man.' I say, 'What would you expect one to look like?' Every stranger you meet might be a cheat." Lovell offers an example. There's the old guy sitting down, crying, in the street. He's going to see his daughter, who just had a baby, and he says he's been mugged. "He might even be a bleeder," Lovell says, "like they have in professional wrestling, a guy who gets a scrape on his head and bleeds everywhere." He's disoriented, and he's just trying to see his grandkid. He asks you to give him money to get there, and he promises to pay you back. He has a business card, and it says that he's a doctor, or a lawyer. So you give him the money, and you feel good about helping a guy when he's been mugged. "He's not the one who's been mugged," Lovell says. "You have."

Broadway Burglary
Common and dangerous frauds in Lovell's book generally target the elderly or vulnerable. However, some scams can work on anyone. You get a letter saying that you've won a night out at a Broadway show of your choice and dinner. You're skeptical, so you check it out. The restaurant owner says that dinner and tip are all taken care of. You have great seats at the show. "You've had the night of your life," Lovell says, "until you get home, and your stuff is gone." Be wary of anyone who comes by your home to do a survey or for any other reason that requires going inside your house. While you fill out the survey, Lovell says, the guy has "peeked the poke" -- he's looked around your apartment and worked out how much it is worth. "They can work it out to the dollar amount what they'll get for your stuff," Lovell says. "Then you get your Broadway ticket prize in the mail a few days later, and they know exactly when they've got five hours to clean you out." For the price of dinner and a show, they've bought the time to rob you blind.

Identity Crisis
Never give your credit card to a site unless you're absolutely sure. "It's the same as Houdini; if a pair of cuffs has a keyhole, there's a pick to open it. If there's an encryption system, there's a way in. And if there's somebody good enough to create that encryption system, there's somebody good enough to break into it." And you should shred everything. "If I get a credit card application that you just tossed in the trash, I could apply for that card, use it to get your social security number and a driver's license, and then I own you."

Nice Guys Finish Last
"There's a saying, 'You can't cheat an honest man.' I disagree. An honest man is trusting, so he's easier to cheat. If I'm going to pull a short con on you, and you look like 'fast company,' I'm gonna lose interest in you very quickly. I want an easy target. Give me the money, bye-bye."

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