An Interview with the Cartoonist/co-author.

 

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE SCAMS SCHEMES SCUMBAGS?

I started researching fake furniture. This is turn progressed to fake letters, stamps and the like. Then I became more interested in the Fakers rather than the Fakes.

 

‘FAKERS’ IS A LONG WAY FROM ‘SCUMBAGS’ ISN’T IT?

Indeed it is. As I researched deeper into fraudsters, I was intrigued by the depths those with no conscience would go to scam innocents – those we define as scumbags.

 

CAN A BOOK ON SCAMS BE A LIGHTHEARTED LOOK AS YOU SAY?

There’s a quirky or a fun element in most of the stories. For instance America’s one non-existent diamond mine fooled the banks, Tiffany’s and created many red faces and bankruptcies. And Therese  Humbert in Paris kept up a 20 year scam with a single brick (and not a gold one!) in a safe. That accounted for 10 suicides and more bank red faces.

 

IS THERE A COMMON THREAD IN SCAMS SCHEMES SCUMBAGS?

Absolutely – it’s a cliché but greed and gullibility are evident throughout. The conman is greedy and plays on the mark’s greed who believes it’s too good to be true but remains gullible. The irony is the conman is also gullible – he believes the con will go on forever and invariably it doesn’t.

 

WHERE CAN WE GET THE BOOK?

It’s available on demand from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or all ebook formats. $12.95 or $4.99 respectively.