R. Paul Wilson: How Manipulation Really Works – From Scams to Marketing and Casinos

Author: R. Paul Wilson

Successful scammers rely on human nature more than anything else. While individuals might be unpredictable, people as a group are remarkably consistent when placed in well-tested scenarios. That includes you. It includes me. It means all of us can be manipulated under the right conditions, provided the stimulus appeals to our wants, needs, or fears. The only real defense against being guided in a particular direction is awareness, but no one can be fully aware every second of every day. To try would be to invite crippling paranoia into every interaction of our lives. Hustlers know this, and so do massive corporations, casinos, and politicians.

No matter how much faith we have in our own mental sharpness, the uncomfortable truth remains: we are all more easily influenced than we’d like to admit. As one scammer told me: spoon feeding works, but it’s much better to let them steal off your plate or let a few crumbs fall for them to follow.

One particular Real Hustle scam perfectly illustrates this principle.

Known as The Violin Scam – named for the scammers' use of cheap violins as the centerpiece of the con – the trick begins by identifying potential marks who might be eager to hear about a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: a Stradivarius violin for sale in a local pawnshop for just a few hundred dollars.

Right now, you’re probably thinking, “Who would fall for such an obvious scam?”. But the brilliance of this deception lies in how the story is presented. If I approached you – or anyone – directly and told you about a million-dollar instrument sitting in the window of a grubby little shop, you’d have plenty of questions, likely accompanied by a healthy dose of skepticism. However, if you stumbled across this information by other means – perhaps overhearing it from a seemingly reliable source or picking it up through casual gossip – you might find yourself much quicker to believe. And faster to act.

When They Think It’s Their Idea

Our version of the scam featured supposedly valuable antique china for sale at a market stall in London – supposedly rare pieces that could be bought for a song and resold for thousands. To find our victims, we scouted bars, cafés, and restaurants near the market, looking for people with both the means and the appetite to pounce on a bargain.

But how did we plant the hook?

I entered each location, speaking excitedly on my cell phone as if talking to a friend. My tone was urgent, and the conversation was clear: I had just spotted a rare item for sale in the market and was telling my “friend” to bring cash immediately to snap it up before someone else did. I made sure my voice was just loud enough for nearby patrons to overhear.

Sure enough, in every spot we visited, our targets would leave in a hurry, heading straight to the market stall I described. There, they eagerly bought the cheap plate – unaware we had a stash of identical ones hidden under the table, ready for the next buyer.

By overhearing what appears to be an authentic conversation, the information feels more credible and is easier to act upon – a principle of manipulation that can be found in both criminal and corporate strategies.

The simplest example of this strategy is when people are shown something entertaining or appealing while being subtly – or sometimes blatantly – fed information designed to trigger a want, need, or desire. Take product placement in movies: at one time, it was clever and integrated into the story, like in E.T., where Elliot uses Reese’s Pieces to lure his extraterrestrial friend into the house. This simple but effective placement catapulted Reese’s Pieces sales sky-high, leaving executives at M&M’s likely regretting their decision to decline the opportunity when approached first.

Audiences left theaters with a sudden craving for sugar-coated peanut butter, often without questioning why. But modern films seem to have abandoned any pretense of subtlety or logic when it comes to product placement. Consider Casino Royale, where Vesper interrupts a moment of espionage to compliment James Bond on his choice of wristwatch, calling it “beautiful.” Instead of a clever, organic tie-in, this scene feels more like an obligatory corporate ad, highlighting how directors, actors, and writers often bow to the demands of product placement that now infests all forms of media.

Gamified Data Collection and the Consent Illusion

Today, we’re bombarded by thinly veiled messaging designed to appeal to every taste and bias. The methodology has become clumsy, even laughably obvious, yet it remains disturbingly effective. Ironically, smarter forms of influence – where the recipient remains unconscious of the manipulation – are far more impactful. Even so, when people realize they’ve been used as lab rats in these experiments, complaints are rare. Perhaps the real magic lies in how easily we accept the game, even when the rules are revealed.

Niantic, the developer behind Pokémon Go, has been quietly utilizing data collected from players to train a "Large Geospatial Model" (LGM), an AI system designed to enhance spatial intelligence. By leveraging millions of scans and location data from users of Pokémon Go and other Niantic products, the company aims to improve computers' and robots' understanding of real-world environments. This initiative, rooted in Niantic's Visual Positioning System (VPS), employs images from players' devices to determine precise locations and orientations, contributing to a comprehensive 3D map of various significant locations.

Most players (possibly all) were probably unaware that their in-game activities were contributing to this AI training. While Niantic asserts that personal information is protected and that data collection is integral to enhancing augmented reality experiences, the revelation has raised privacy concerns among users. Some players feel uneasy about their data being used in this manner without explicit consent, highlighting the ongoing debate over data privacy and transparency in the digital age.

But they are still playing the game!

Casinos: Masters of Psychological Influence

In poker, we expect manipulation and deception – it’s part of the game, as long as the cards are dealt fairly! But in table games in land-based casinos, we need to remain aware of the subtle tricks designed to keep us playing, increase our bets, and distract us from unfair odds. Casinos try to influence our actions using carefully developed methods designed to keep the edge firmly in their favor.

The same strategies are employed online, where providers of online casino games use sophisticated tools to keep us engaged and returning for more. While seasoned players might recognize these tactics when consciously looking for them, their real power lies in the unconscious influence they exert. It’s a numbers game – individuals may navigate the system carefully, avoiding predictable patterns, but the majority inevitably follow the tracks laid by clever psychological manipulators.

Why We Keep Getting Played?

The uncomfortable truth is that we are all, to some extent, slaves to our own wants and biases, whether we admit it or not. Whether it’s a political campaign, a sales pitch, or a con game, all it takes is a carefully crafted appeal to one side – or deliberate repulsion of the other – to ensure a steady stream of willing participants, unaware they’re being played. Most of us like to think we’re immune, too clever to fall for the script. But manipulation doesn’t need your permission – it only needs your attention. And once it has that, it’s already working. Even when the curtain’s pulled back and the hands behind the trick are revealed, most people just keep playing.