Just Imagine that you are in a bind, and need to get out; then someone miraculously shows up at your door step and gave you an offer that can get you out of the bind. You take it; and feeling elated that you’ve came out on top; only to find out the next day that you were actually screwed. Who you’re going to call to set things right?

You can call the Police but what’s going to happen is, if the transaction was done the legal way; there is little or nothing the Police can do about it. They may tell you to file a law suit, it will take months and usually the money cannot be recovered, and you lose again.

If the transaction was illegal, the Police will seek to arrest the Con-Artist; but usually he is already gone and cannot be found right away. But if he is known to the system, they will eventually get him; but it may take days, weeks, months, or even years. By the time you have him in court; he has spent all the money and you lose again.

In this world there are predators preying on the weak, and taking advantage of those who are in a bind. Lots of deception both legal and illegal; the difference between a Con-Artist and a Salesman is the intent. Otherwise the method to achieve the goal is the same, although the Salesman may be bounded to his ethics and the company, but the Con-Artist has no limits.

It makes me wish that a group of people who can provide the little man with some leverage exists. Yeah, just like the people in that T.V show “Leverage;” or perhaps you can get someone like Spencer of “Spencer for Hire,” or his side kick Hawk; or even that dude from the “Equalizer.” They take the fight to the perpetrators through a lot of brain work and action. If only we had people like them it will level the playing field.

Since we don’t the only leverage that we have is our knowledge of things that we are dealing with. Use gut instinct; usually the gut, or whatever intuition we feel is spot on. Whoever goes against their better judgement based on those feelings are most likely the ones who fall victim. Most of all keep the emotions in check; lots of people lose out because they fall prey to their own greed. Bernie Madoff never forced people to sign the papers; most of them stayed in the scheme because they were greedy.  Greed is the counter leverage that will get you stuck every time.