addicted to conning people
May 5, 2007 7:33 PM Subscribe
A 13-YEAR-OLD boy who lives with his gran has been exposed as one of Britain's biggest internet conmen. Frank Abagnale Jr. 2.0 ? Citizens United to Find Fugitives with an internet swindlers database. A little about sociopaths and some of the scams they play.
And this kid's "gran" didn't notice anything?
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 7:40 PM on May 5, 2007
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 7:40 PM on May 5, 2007
Warning: nickyskye's last three FPPs turned out to be complete fabrications. My merchandise never arrived, and he showed no remorse whatsoever.
posted by davejay
Three??? Well, then, shame on you!
posted by The Deej at 7:41 PM on May 5, 2007
posted by davejay
Three??? Well, then, shame on you!
posted by The Deej at 7:41 PM on May 5, 2007
nickyskye took my cow; gave me "magic beans".
Now the National Park Service is after me.
posted by Dizzy at 7:45 PM on May 5, 2007
Now the National Park Service is after me.
posted by Dizzy at 7:45 PM on May 5, 2007
And thanks, nickyskye... those links have given me some great ideas!
davejay, please send me an email, I have a deal for you.
posted by The Deej at 7:47 PM on May 5, 2007
davejay, please send me an email, I have a deal for you.
posted by The Deej at 7:47 PM on May 5, 2007
You rascals all of you! lol, davejoy, fooled you bad, *remorseless gales of laughter* p.s. am female. And Dizzy, man, you got the goose that lays golden eggs, what more do you want? (just don't tell the IRS)
posted by nickyskye at 7:49 PM on May 5, 2007
posted by nickyskye at 7:49 PM on May 5, 2007
Very interesting post, nickyskye... I'm sure this makes me a bad person, but whenever I read about scam artists, I always think "Wow, why can't I think of something like that?" (but, you know, without the getting caught part)
posted by amyms at 7:53 PM on May 5, 2007
posted by amyms at 7:53 PM on May 5, 2007
this kid didn't have the wit or skill of abagnale. he was a cheap fraudster who set up a fake site.
posted by p3on at 7:54 PM on May 5, 2007
posted by p3on at 7:54 PM on May 5, 2007
Warning: nickyskye's last three FPPs turned out to be complete fabrications. My merchandise never arrived, and he showed no remorse whatsoever.
I heard he even got a sex change in Switzerland to escape the authorities.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 7:56 PM on May 5, 2007
I heard he even got a sex change in Switzerland to escape the authorities.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 7:56 PM on May 5, 2007
"Sociopathy" and "psychopathy" are not personality disorders or pathologies recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), and are more colloquial descriptions of combinations of personality traits and behaviours.
posted by KokuRyu at 8:01 PM on May 5, 2007
posted by KokuRyu at 8:01 PM on May 5, 2007
I am busy in nigeria, could someone else please fill in the rest of this comment for me ?
posted by sgt.serenity at 8:07 PM on May 5, 2007
posted by sgt.serenity at 8:07 PM on May 5, 2007
He conceded the idea of buying a private jet was "a bit silly - I was only 13 at the time".
posted by niles at 8:10 PM on May 5, 2007
posted by niles at 8:10 PM on May 5, 2007
i, sgt. serenity, hereby offer my services as a personal slave for 20 years, to the next person to make a comment on this metafilter thread
posted by pyramid termite at 8:11 PM on May 5, 2007
posted by pyramid termite at 8:11 PM on May 5, 2007
wow, no one wants you, sgt ...
posted by pyramid termite at 8:21 PM on May 5, 2007
posted by pyramid termite at 8:21 PM on May 5, 2007
Does the good Sgt. vacuum? Would he be willing to brush my dog's teeth? What kind of foot massages can I expect?
posted by maryh at 9:30 PM on May 5, 2007
posted by maryh at 9:30 PM on May 5, 2007
Frank Abagnale Jr. 2.0 ?
A bit closer to ZZZZ Best Cleaners^. Down to the business niche.
posted by dhartung at 10:11 PM on May 5, 2007
A bit closer to ZZZZ Best Cleaners^. Down to the business niche.
posted by dhartung at 10:11 PM on May 5, 2007
And I remember when "scam" used to mean filling up the little Sunmaid raisin boxes with dried out bunny turds.
Being born too soon sucks.
I want to be nickyskye!
posted by Penny Wise at 10:32 PM on May 5, 2007
Being born too soon sucks.
I want to be nickyskye!
posted by Penny Wise at 10:32 PM on May 5, 2007
this kid didn't have the wit or skill of abagnale. he was a cheap fraudster who set up a fake site.
Kids these days. I mean, if you're going to take on a life of crime, do it fucking properly. This guy makes a mockery of the whole profession.
posted by kisch mokusch at 11:48 PM on May 5, 2007 [1 favorite]
Kids these days. I mean, if you're going to take on a life of crime, do it fucking properly. This guy makes a mockery of the whole profession.
posted by kisch mokusch at 11:48 PM on May 5, 2007 [1 favorite]
this kid didn't have the wit or skill of abagnale. he was a cheap fraudster who set up a fake site.
According to the article this 13 year old kid:
"Posed as boss of multinational companies
Earned over $600,000 selling fake items
Travelled in chauffer-driven limousines"
KokoRyu: "Sociopathy" and "psychopathy" are not personality disorders or pathologies recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), and are more colloquial descriptions of combinations of personality traits and behaviours.
Not true. The destructive personality disorders, the ones that are labelled Axis II, Cluster B, listed in the DSM-IV are: Antisocial Personality Disorder, Borderline PD, Narcissistic PD and Histrionic PD. The term used for a person with Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) is sociopath or psychopath.
The overlap between people with ASPD, who are termed sociopath and those deemed the more serious psychopath, can be confusing: Most psychopaths (with the exception of those who somehow manage to plow their way through life without coming into formal or prolonged contact with the criminal justice system) meet the criteria for ASPD, but most individuals with ASPD are not psychopaths.
A brief but articulate overview of the various types and different styles of ASPD in criminal profiling.
posted by nickyskye at 4:05 AM on May 6, 2007 [1 favorite]
According to the article this 13 year old kid:
"Posed as boss of multinational companies
Earned over $600,000 selling fake items
Travelled in chauffer-driven limousines"
KokoRyu: "Sociopathy" and "psychopathy" are not personality disorders or pathologies recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), and are more colloquial descriptions of combinations of personality traits and behaviours.
Not true. The destructive personality disorders, the ones that are labelled Axis II, Cluster B, listed in the DSM-IV are: Antisocial Personality Disorder, Borderline PD, Narcissistic PD and Histrionic PD. The term used for a person with Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) is sociopath or psychopath.
The overlap between people with ASPD, who are termed sociopath and those deemed the more serious psychopath, can be confusing: Most psychopaths (with the exception of those who somehow manage to plow their way through life without coming into formal or prolonged contact with the criminal justice system) meet the criteria for ASPD, but most individuals with ASPD are not psychopaths.
A brief but articulate overview of the various types and different styles of ASPD in criminal profiling.
posted by nickyskye at 4:05 AM on May 6, 2007 [1 favorite]
The main story's as fake as monkey fishing. All the verifiable details of a Weekly World News piece.
posted by Mayor Curley at 6:08 AM on May 6, 2007
posted by Mayor Curley at 6:08 AM on May 6, 2007
Nope, in the clear, says here that psychopaths are not often bed wetters.
posted by mattoxic at 7:37 AM on May 6, 2007
posted by mattoxic at 7:37 AM on May 6, 2007
The main story's as fake as monkey fishing.
It's supposed to be a Daily Mail piece (reprinted in the similarly Murdochian Herald-Sun here in Australia, and thence to news.com.au), but I can't find it anywhere else on the Web.
The Mail is famously enthusiastic about running bullshit stories about miracle cures and Socialist conspiracies, but it's still a real newspaper with real journalists; its stories typically have some basis in fact, and aren't just tabloid randomness.
And, furthermore, it's quite normal for minors up on criminal charges to not be named in the press, even if they're found guilty.
I agree that the story sounds profoundly fishy, but it's not Batboy material.
posted by dansdata at 8:23 AM on May 6, 2007
It's supposed to be a Daily Mail piece (reprinted in the similarly Murdochian Herald-Sun here in Australia, and thence to news.com.au), but I can't find it anywhere else on the Web.
The Mail is famously enthusiastic about running bullshit stories about miracle cures and Socialist conspiracies, but it's still a real newspaper with real journalists; its stories typically have some basis in fact, and aren't just tabloid randomness.
And, furthermore, it's quite normal for minors up on criminal charges to not be named in the press, even if they're found guilty.
I agree that the story sounds profoundly fishy, but it's not Batboy material.
posted by dansdata at 8:23 AM on May 6, 2007
Other links about the story: 1, 2, 3. Different journalists and papers covered the story, seems legitimate.
posted by nickyskye at 9:31 AM on May 6, 2007
posted by nickyskye at 9:31 AM on May 6, 2007
What, public transit isn't just for commoners anymore?
This is clearly fake.
posted by ikkyu2 at 9:35 AM on May 6, 2007
This is clearly fake.
posted by ikkyu2 at 9:35 AM on May 6, 2007
nickyskye: a thisislondon link to support the truth of something? You're kidding me. That piece of crap is a part of the Daily Hate-Mail's portfolio of London commuter reprogramming services (its a freebie on public transport). I'm not sure that "journalism" is a tag often associated with it. Not only that, but its probably from the same source as the original article...
Having said that, this story isn't too hard to believe. There was a similar case not two years ago.
posted by davehat at 11:13 AM on May 6, 2007
Having said that, this story isn't too hard to believe. There was a similar case not two years ago.
posted by davehat at 11:13 AM on May 6, 2007
Dunno about the Daily Mail, but news.com.au is one of the sites that printed the "sheep sold as poodles to unsuspecting Japanese" urban legend as a news article (since vanished into the ether), so I'd be a bit hesitant to say that the folks working there are journalists.
posted by Bugbread at 11:37 AM on May 6, 2007
posted by Bugbread at 11:37 AM on May 6, 2007
They got that one off of The Sun, which is a different, Murdoch-owned brand of british stupidity.
posted by Artw at 1:32 PM on May 6, 2007
posted by Artw at 1:32 PM on May 6, 2007
Does the good Sgt. vacuum? Would he be willing to brush my dog's teeth? What kind of foot massages can I expect?
I'm not giving your dog a foot massage, thats just silly.
posted by sgt.serenity at 2:33 PM on May 6, 2007
I'm not giving your dog a foot massage, thats just silly.
posted by sgt.serenity at 2:33 PM on May 6, 2007
ikkyu2, davehat, bugbread, Artw: United Press International story about the same con artist kid. That journalism enough?
posted by nickyskye at 4:25 PM on May 6, 2007
posted by nickyskye at 4:25 PM on May 6, 2007
Nickyskye: Sorry, didn't mean to imply that all of news.com.au is bullshit, or that this article is bullshit. Just that having news.com.au as a source isn't saying much. It's not a mark against the article, by any means. It's right in the grey "neither plus nor minus" area. That's all I meant. UPI is definitely a plus.
posted by Bugbread at 4:34 PM on May 6, 2007
posted by Bugbread at 4:34 PM on May 6, 2007
Couldn't tell if you guys actually meant you didn't believe this story or that you were pulling my leg, lol. It's a real story about a pathological fake.
posted by nickyskye at 4:37 PM on May 6, 2007
posted by nickyskye at 4:37 PM on May 6, 2007
Nickyskye, public transit is still for commoners only, and always will be! I don't care what the UPI says!
posted by ikkyu2 at 8:32 PM on May 6, 2007
posted by ikkyu2 at 8:32 PM on May 6, 2007
oh stop you snob you. Just because you make a gazillion dollars a year fixing people's brains and can afford to drive around in a different colored Lamborghini for each day of the week.
posted by nickyskye at 8:49 PM on May 6, 2007
posted by nickyskye at 8:49 PM on May 6, 2007
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posted by davejay at 7:39 PM on May 5, 2007 [1 favorite]