Page 309 - Deception at work all chapters EBook

362 An HR Guide to Workplace Fraud and Criminal Behaviour

BLAME THE OGRE is advising me to pull out. I have told him I
have total confidence in you. How can we
‘Bill (the ogre) is very concerned that the reassure him?’
custodial receipt from the Bank of Credit
and Commerce may not be genuine and he

The chances are the conman will comply with your request (because he still believes you
are gullible and on the hook) and this is precisely what you want and will add to your case if
the worst happens. He may also approach the ogre to strike a side deal and, again, this will tell
you all you need to know.17

The more evidence of gross deception you have, the more likely you are to get your money back

If you have reached the point where you have serious concerns, don’t make the matter
worse by parting with more money. As Edward de Bono, the originator of lateral thinking,
said: ‘You don’t dig a better hole by digging the same hole deeper’. This may mean you have
to tell a few white lies to keep the conman in play while you plan your ambush.

CONTRACTS

Good conmen are great at contracts and usually have had years of practice developing subtle
phrases that appear to say one thing but mean another. Thus, in important deals, you must
get a good lawyer to review every document and assess the significance of every word and
phrase. He should also pay very close attention to standard clauses that don’t appear. In short,
he should continually ask himself the question: ‘If I were a crook, how could I weasel my way out
of this clause, statement or contract?’ Then he should make sure you are fully protected, either
in the contract itself or in some other document signed by the suspected conman.

PREPARING FOR THE AMBUSH

If the time comes when you are sure the liar is a conman, rather than just a suspect, you must
plan your action carefully. Ideally you want him on tape and in writing, telling outright, in-
defensible lies for which he can have no plausible excuse. This will probably result in the con-
man being exposed to criminal prosecution under the Theft Act and will give you significant
leverage if you decide to negotiate with him or litigate.

DON’T GIVE REFERENCES

A common conman’s tactic is to get one victim to give references that can be used to mislead
others. If you are less than 100 per cent certain about anyone, do not give references. If you
are asked to do so by a suspected conman, you can quite reasonably say:

‘When our deal has been completed to everyone’s satisfaction, we will be more than happy to
consider giving a reference. As you know we have not yet reached that stage. Now tell me again,
when can we expect completion?’

17 Unless he succeeds