They took him back to Wal-mart.

Have I gotta a deal for you!

Clean Out Aisle Nine, Clean Out Aisle Nine.

Now as most of my friends and many of you readers know, my past is somewhat colorful and more than a little checkered. I often joke that I could never write an honest Autobiography because people would think it was all fiction. I mean, “Willing suspension of disbelief” only goes so far, right?

One of the many colorful aspects of my earlier years was the fact that I was an accomplished Dishonest Type Person. Picture any sort of larceny that doesn't involve violence and I have probably done it. Not something I am particularly proud of 35 years later, but it is a part of who I am so I don't avoid the issues. Among my many “talents” was the fact that I was an accomplished Con Man. I was taught by one of the best in the business and have at one time or another ran pretty 90% of the classic cons. From the classic Double Bag Switch to the Alabaster Shuffle, I did them all at least once.

So even though I have been an honest person for a long time now, I still appreciate the beauty of a good con, especially one that is simple but effective. I also chuckle when I see Con Artists break the NUMBER ONE rule of the con, “Don't get greedy.” So when I read the above article, I felt both a twinge of admiration for the young Con Man and shook my head at his stupidity.

His con was simple and elegant playing peoples' reluctance to question authority AND their inattention to details. He even switched out the aspects of the con from one mark to the next. With nothing but a Wal-Mart vest and name tag, he successfully stole nearly 40K before he was caught. At his age, $40K would have tided him over for quite awhile and up until his final attempt, no one suspected him of anything. He had literally gotten away free and clear. Then he got greedy.

The way most inexperienced/stupid Consters get caught is they get over confident. Things are going so well that they think they can't get caught. They think that the con they are running is so perfect that no one will ever figure it out. They forget or never learn that Someone always figures it out. ALWAYS.

In this case, our budding criminal decided to go for JUST ONE MORE strike using the techniques that had served him well the first two times. I am sure he had very little fear of being caught because his previous experiences had shown him that people were pretty much dumb. I mean, he put on a vest, walked into a store and convinced people he was supposed to be there to the point where he was left alone in a room filled with money and in the second case was actually put on a cash register by some member of management. You can understand why he felt he was safe.

However, another truism of the Con is “Not everyone is as dumb as you would like to think.” Even if you assume that 90% of everyone who works some place is an idiot, there still leaves 10% who aren't and if you keep playing the odds just remember that the House Always Wins in the end. This kid got greedy and played the odds and he lost.

End of Rant