PaulEberhardt at 2:19PM, Aug. 10, 2024

"Hi, Mama! I've got a new phone, with a new number. Please write me a text message." seems to be the newest fad among scammers. Tempting as it is I never answer these, of course. However, I like wasting the time of spam callers, who usually want to buy the student's flat I lived in many, many years ago and have never owned. That address must have got leaked together with my phone number at some point. I tell them that that one's already sold but I've got some freshly redecorated single-room appartments in top locations, and thus have "arranged the sale" of a few jails over time (I researched their postal addresses just for this). 😁 I wonder if any of them actually ever drove there. Probably not, but since I always block their number right after that I'll never know.

PaulEberhardt at 2:05PM, Aug. 10, 2024

That's a very insightful take on villains, Tantz! It matches my experiences with these people: they're cowards, often with low self esteem too. As I was once told by an expert on scams, it's also why "Nigerian princes" tend to send mails with an outrageous story in broken English that look instantly fishy to anyone with half a brain, because they specifically target people who aren't very intelligent and sieve the ones who are out that way. Quite a lot of them aren't actually from Nigeria at all, and especially those who are are may in fact be very good at English.

Andreas_Helixfinger at 12:42PM, Aug. 10, 2024

Preying on the weak only reveals their own weakness in the end.

armandoB at 11:46AM, Aug. 10, 2024

prey not pray

usedbooks at 5:35AM, Aug. 10, 2024

I feel like sleazy conman or shyster is the beginning of a character arc. The character can either have a redemption arc where his or her skills of manipulation are used for a good purpose, and they enjoy using their skills in a bigger way. (Often this is the result of getting caught or nearly getting caught, and/or being forced to do something legitimate or put on a team of "good guys.") Or the sleazy conman starts expanding his cons from preying on the weakest people to slightly less weak people until he or she ups their game and all of society is "weak." They become dictator or cult leader level villains.