OK, so the cold reader we now know uses a barrage of questions, far more than the "20 questions" game we played as kids to elicit a response from the mark. Eventually, these questions will start to hit home and the cold reader will be able to "hone in" on the responses, even the unconcious responses, of the mark. The mark, even unknowingly, will be giving information to the cold reader.
In scams such as "talking to the dead," the cold reader will be able to answer seemingly unknown or unknowable answers about the person who has passed on. The deceased's name, hobbies, loves, interests, likes, dislikes, phobias, favorites....all is revealed to the cold reader with enough time. And, since the cold reader does not really need a great deal of time to get the necessary information, it seems that the cold reader is indeed getting information from a mysterious source.
Add all of these together, with a gullible mark, and the cold reader can make quite an impression.
Note when I say that the mark is gullible, by the way, I am not suggesting that the mark is stupid. What usually happens is that the mark is at an emotionally vulnerable point, such as after the death of a loved one, and the mark is being preyed upon by a professional who knows how to read cues that other people might miss, and with this combination, the cold reader is getting information faster than he would be with a person who might be thinking critically.
Cold reading techniques are the hallmark of fraudsters as well. Think about it - unless you believe in "psychic" powers (and although it is not the point of this blog to debunk "psychics," it is clear from my use of James Randi what I think of such "powers"), a cold reader is passing himself off as someone who has special skills that he does not have in reality. So, when used improperly, cold reading can in and of itself be fraud.
In our next segment, we will explore the use of cold reading techniques for financial fraud.
As always, have a great and fraud-free day.
http://www.tauskvega.com
----------------->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>gene tausk
In scams such as "talking to the dead," the cold reader will be able to answer seemingly unknown or unknowable answers about the person who has passed on. The deceased's name, hobbies, loves, interests, likes, dislikes, phobias, favorites....all is revealed to the cold reader with enough time. And, since the cold reader does not really need a great deal of time to get the necessary information, it seems that the cold reader is indeed getting information from a mysterious source.
Add all of these together, with a gullible mark, and the cold reader can make quite an impression.
Note when I say that the mark is gullible, by the way, I am not suggesting that the mark is stupid. What usually happens is that the mark is at an emotionally vulnerable point, such as after the death of a loved one, and the mark is being preyed upon by a professional who knows how to read cues that other people might miss, and with this combination, the cold reader is getting information faster than he would be with a person who might be thinking critically.
Cold reading techniques are the hallmark of fraudsters as well. Think about it - unless you believe in "psychic" powers (and although it is not the point of this blog to debunk "psychics," it is clear from my use of James Randi what I think of such "powers"), a cold reader is passing himself off as someone who has special skills that he does not have in reality. So, when used improperly, cold reading can in and of itself be fraud.
In our next segment, we will explore the use of cold reading techniques for financial fraud.
As always, have a great and fraud-free day.
http://www.tauskvega.com
----------------->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>gene tausk
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