Confidence Trick

A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual operating alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty, honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility, naïveté or greed.

Read more about Confidence Trick:  Terminology, History, Vulnerability To Confidence Tricks

Famous quotes containing the words confidence trick, confidence and/or trick:

    The notion of a universality of human experience is a confidence trick and the notion of a universality of female experience is a clever confidence trick.
    Angela Carter (1940–1992)

    Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
    Bible: New Testament, 2 Corinthians 3:4-6.

    It is not possible either to trick or escape the mind of Zeus.
    Hesiod (c. 8th century B.C.)