[marzoumanian]

Raise your hand if you’ve ever been scammed. That’s what I thought. I’ve been scammed multiple times in my life. Here’s one for you. Years ago, I bought a raw 1952 Topps common baseball card. Then I stored it in a shoebox and didn’t look at it for years. Now, if I had just taken the time to put that card up against any other 1952 common before I bought it, I would have quickly seen with my bare eyes that it had been trimmed. Yes, it’s embarrassing to admit.
A couple of months ago I was almost scammed when I took my old watch to a kiosk at Water Tower Place here in Chicago. It was running slow. The guy tested the battery and told me it was fine. He then offered to have it fully checked out at the main office. But it would cost me a minimum of $100. My late dad gave me the watch. I said okay.
A month later I got a call from the company saying it would cost me $305 to have it repaired. But they would give me a discount and only charge me $275. That’s when a red light flashed in my head. Something is fishy. Cutting to the chase, I got the watch back and took it to Franko’s Jewelry & Watch Repair in downtown Chicago, by the Art Institute. It turns out my battery was dying. Franko replaced it for $10, cash. My watch has been running beautifully ever since.
Scammers take advantage of our natural desire to trust. When you’re scammed you say to yourself, “But I’ve done nothing to this person. Why would he or she rip me off?” Because they’re lazy and looking to make easy money at your expense. And most importantly, they suffer from, “I’m the smartest person in the room” syndrome.
All too often they will get away with duping their victims for months or even years. Just look at what fraudster Bernie Madoff was able to pull off. He lied repeatedly and then lied some more whenever challenged. The only reason why he was finally caught was because clients demanded their money back ASAP when the Great Recession hit.
As a (retired) vintage baseball card collector who reads the message boards regularly, I’ve concluded that no matter how badly I would want any card I would never advertise this need on the internet. To me it’s like putting a Post-it note on your forehead that says, “I’m open to deception.” I know that’s harsh. But unrepentant fraudsters are looking for people like you. You’re telling them that you really want that card or piece of sports memorabilia and are eager to pay. When I was actively collecting I would practice patience, searching the internet regularly and going to card shows until I found the item in the exact condition I wanted. Sure, it took me more time. But this method greatly reduced the risk that I would get taken.
What’s going on in a scammer’s mind? According to Dr. Thomas Plante, psychology professor at Stanford and Santa Clara University, they have no empathy for other people. If you were scammed by me, their thinking goes, it’s your fault, dummy.
He adds that many scammers start small and initially get away with fooling customers, especially if they’re using the internet to dupe them. When they see that they’re getting away with ripping people off for small amounts (say, less than $100) they become emboldened. That’s often when they finally get caught. Someone will say they’re not going to take this. They complain.
Let’s face it. People who don’t want to get up each day and put in an honest day’s work will often resort to trolling the internet looking for ways to make an easy buck. I hate to say it but nowadays you constantly have to be on the lookout for people trying to take advantage of your natural tendency to trust. As I age, I find that one of the issues I struggle with is becoming overly cynical. I don’t always want to have my guard up. But whether it be looking for a vintage baseball card to buy on the internet (I usually stuck to the auction houses) or getting my watch repaired, I must sadly conclude that staying alert for a possible scam will always be a part of my DNA. And it should be a part of your DNA, too.