title: Rip-Off: A Writer's Guide to Crimes of Deception (Howdunit)
author:  Fay Faron 
description: Something tells us we would be nave to believe this book would appeal solely to mystery writers. Detective Fay Faron, syndicated newspaper columnist ("Ask Rat Dog") and author of <I><a href="/exec/obidos/ASIN/089879790X/${0}">Missing Persons</a></I>, has written a primer sure to turn any novice (writer, of course) into a scam expert. <I>Rip-Off</I> removes the mystery from such cons as the pigeon drop, Latin lotto, Gypsy-sweetheart scams, guaranteed-prize mailers, charity scams, bait-and-switches, biz-op scams, the Texas twist, identity theft, carny cons, chain letters, psychic hotlines, three-card monte, Ponzi schemes, 809 phone numbers, and gambling stings. Faron's writing advice focuses on identifying the basic traits of perps and pigeons (60 percent of pigeons are seniors, but we're all susceptible), defining the lingo (drag broad, shaky mom, mish roll, etc.), and counseling writers to "tell the story from the point of view of the victim." <I>--Jane Steinberg</I>
zlib_text: > CONTENTS
  
  >  _Chapter 1_
  
  >  _Chapter 2_
  
  >  _Chapter 3_
  
  >  _Chapter 4_
  
  >  _Chapter 5_
  
  >  _Chapter 6_
  
  >  _Chapter 7_
  
  >  _Chapter 8_
  
  >  _Chapter 9_
  
  >  _Chapter 10_
  
  >  _Chapter 11_
  
  >  _Newsletter and Social Media Links_
  
  >  _About the Author_
  
  >  _Other books by Carole Mortimer_
  
  ![](Images/image00056.jpeg)
  
  Copyright © 2020 Carole Mortimer
  
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  Cover Design Copyright © Glass Slipper WebDesign
  
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  Editor: Linda Ingmanson
  
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  Formatter: Glass Slipper WebDesign
  
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  ISBN: 978-1-910597-91-0
  
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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are
  the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any
  resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events,
  or locales is entirely coincidental.
  
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  All Rights Reserved.
  
  ![](Images/image00052.jpeg)[ Created with
  Vellum](http://tryvellum.com/created)
  
   _My husband, Peter_
  
  > > CHAPTER ONE
  
  _April, 1816_
  
   _Lady and Lord Walker’s Ballroom, London_
  