The 10 Steps in the Big-Con Game:

1. Putting the mark up (Locating and investigating a well-to-do victim)
2. Playing the con for him (Gaining the victim's confidence)
3. Roping the mark (Steering him to meet the inside man)
4. Telling him the tale (Permitting the insideman to show him how he can make a large amount of money dishonestly)
5. Giving him the convincer (Allowing the victim to make a substantial profit)
6. Giving him the breakdown (Determining exactly how much he will invest)
7. Putting him on the send (Sending him home for this amount of money)
8. Taking off the touch (Playing against a "big store" and fleecing him)
9. Blowing him off (Getting him out of the way as quietly as possible)
10. Putting in the fix (Forestalling action by the law)

Taken from David W. Mauerer's 1940 classic "The Big Con"--highly entertaining reading with a good intro by Luc Sante)

--Dirk Hine/Subterranean Notes

Fascinating and invaluable information, well worth disseminating to senior citizens, who are especially vulnerable to cons. It's a shame most older folks, like my Mom, heck, like most of our Moms and Dads, don't use computers. In my capacity in the health care industry, I could print a small pamphlet and easily oversee its distribution through federal mailings. That'd be a very cool thing. I certainly would be willing to put up a little of my own money for that! Let me know if you'd like to help.