First Principles: What is a Serious Fraudsman?

He or she is someone who operates well outside of the bounds of what is normal behaviour. Free from the shackles of conscience, the most successful sharp dealers travel with little restraint.

Deceit is part of the human condition. Successful deceit, by its nature, requires the ability to persuade or convince others that all is as it should be. Such powers of persuasion are not borne of an ability to act but a supreme sense of self belief and often of arrogance. The dishonest obligor believes that he is entitled to what he takes and hides by virtue of the fact that he is who he is. Those whom he harms are viewed with contempt. Fydor Dostoevsky's insight into this world was aptly captured at the end of his novel, The Brothers Kharlamov, with two words – "Senseless, he."