Now, the talk of the town is the conman Dr Monson Mavungal. Till the other day, he was one of the finest medical doctors in Kochi with VIP patients and a well-known antique dealer with a huge collection of very rare heritage pieces. But his arrest on September 26 for allegedly swindling crores of rupees from people disclosed that Monson is neither a doctor nor an antique dealer.
Monsons in different shapes and forms are living in our society like celebrities but their original faces or true identities remain shrouded in mystery. They are role models to ordinary people, subject of jealousy of some others and still secretive and mysterious to many. They have admirers, loyalists and dependents to glorify their
magnanimity. They appear to be kind-hearted, creative, God- fearing, caring and learned with plenty of knowledge in particular areas. Speaking with clarity and authenticity on
strange subjects, these fraudsters could easily impress people.
Charity is what they always love to indulge in. Even sceptics tend to believe their well-meaning words and can’t find slightest fault with their intention and integrity. In case someone dubs them frauds or conmen, nobody would listen and people may not hesitate even to blame the person instead, terming him as envious and lousy. People regard them as gentlemen with immaculate image and exceptional qualities.
In all aspects, they look more than perfect. As long as the situation remains in their favour without fingers pointing towards them, they are in a safe zone and succeed in what they wish to
achieve. Once caught and exposed, the charisma, flamboyancy and the glamour that these cons have built brick by brick over the years crumble like a house of cards. The colourful life they have been leading suddenly vanishes. All the party and dance lose its glitter and the proud guests disappear abruptly to save their
face. The officials of law enforcing agencies would scramble through the once ‘sacred’ places. The media will follow the whole events thick and fast and leave no stones unturned while covering the conmen’s past, present and even genesis.
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And what is left for the conmen is a life behind the bars for some time depending on the severity of cheatings and they gradually fade into oblivion. People will no longer remember such dubious persons and shameful events until yet another case of similar defrauding emerges.
Importantly, police and criminal psychologists alike opine that these fraudsters don’t seem to have any guilt and never regret after their capture. The preceding events and the planning show they always anticipate arrest, detention and attachment of properties and that there has been no scope of repentance from them unlike other convicts, say psychologists. Usually, the credit for discovering the fraud and unmasking the conmen doesn’t go to any investigation as their much-guarded secrets tumble out of the closet due to some fault lines, frictions
or cracks within. In the wake of such sensational episodes, police, ordinary people, victims and the authorities concerned would ask a common question, why didn’t they get even a hint that he was a
conman living in the vicinity all these years?
The psychologists say people in general have a tendency to believe what they see and trust those who are in constant contact. Conmen first win people’s trust which is the prime asset in the trickery. Even the most rational persons are likely to trust the conmen and their narrative. To make people believe
what they mean, fraudsters always turn up in finest clothes, travel in luxury cars and fix appointments in high-end hotels. To flaunt wealth, the masters of trickery also throw parties every now and then. To show that they are concerned about people, cons give gifts randomly.
These master mechanics of conning create an ambience to prove what they do are legitimate and true. A private museum seemingly worth crores of rupees, a sprawling film studio with numerous equipment or a gem and precious stones showroom is a perfect setting for their narrative. The guests unfortunately
would not know these are all nothing but fake.
According to behavioural scientists, fraudsters are bold, audacious, super confident and egocentric also and they all have an uncanny ability to take advantage of unsuspecting people. Tricksters can easily identify individuals with a desire for quick bucks. Such individuals let their guard down and take what is being fed by cons in order to make a huge return in exchange for a small investment, say the scientists, adding that these individuals go ahead with the dream of a bonanza though they know the whole deal is shady. Behavioural scientists say most interesting thing is almost everyone believes that he/she cannot be cheated and even though one finds that he has been conned, his ego will not allow him to make it public. Conmen know the fact that no one
would like to admit that he/she has been duped.
Cons’ communication skills stand apart. They are also extroverts and have outsized egos. A communication
consultant who has studied conmen says they want people around them and don’t like to be alone because it makes them look smart and glamorous. Normally, cons don’t answer vexed questions. They simply avoid and quickly change the subject. This consultant has also observed that seasoned conmen didn’t let others see them sweat during their narratives. Fraudsters do not seem succumbed to stress and nervousness whereas
ordinary individuals appear worried and nervous in similar situations, remarks the communication consultant. Cons are plenty in our society regardless of places, age and gender.
There was a conman who sold the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris for scrap metal. He devised a plan and posed as a government official having counterfeit documents detailing the tower’s demolition. It was the time when the Eiffel Tower’s maintenance cost was in question and there were fewer visitors. He contacted a couple of metal scrappers in Paris and finally selected one. The deal was done. He took the cash from the scrapper and quickly left Paris. It is very surprising and looks funny that the same con man sold the Eiffel Tower for the second time.
There was another infamous conman who pretended and convinced people in the US that he was a Saudi prince. Investors who hoped to get pre-IPO shares of Saudi Aramco were duped of $ 8 million. Women don’t lag behind in the art of conning people. There were scandals after scandals involving young, skilled women executing this art. They usually end up in jails leading a solitary life.
By : KS Rajagopal
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