35 People Who Successfully Cheated The System by Pretending To Belong (New Pics)

“Swindling is really acting, and you play a character who will help you appear legitimate, confident, and successful… even when you are not,” one former con artist told Reader’s Digest.

A lot of con artists rely on the so-called halo effect to reach their nefarious goals. To put it simply, the halo effect means that our overall impression of an individual heavily impacts what we think about their character. So somebody who is beautiful, kind, or social can be seen as good, likable, and intelligent… even if they aren’t. A person who’s out to trick and cheat their way through society can use this to their advantage.

Your physical appearance is a core part of the halo effect and looking the part has a massive on how people perceive you. Someone who is well-groomed, stylishly dressed (or dressed to suit the part they’re playing), and moves and talks with deep confidence is going to give off the impression that they’re (more) reliable.

Building a false sense of trust is essential for con artists. Without it, they have nothing.

The tagline of the r/ActLikeYouBelong subreddit is that “there is no need for clearance when you have confidence!” And, generally, this speaks volumes about how real life works.

First impressions certainly do matter. So when we see someone striding with charisma, possibly with a wide smile or looking super serious, we tend to assume that they belong wherever we are, too.

Many of us simply don’t consider that someone might be impersonating another person or worker. We meet so many strangers every single day at work, in cafes, and on the streets.

It would be absolutely exhausting to consider whether everyone is pretending or has ulterior motives. If you’re constantly worrying that someone’s out to get you or con you, you probably won’t get anything done all day.

It’s not like most of us are top-tier body language experts. While most of us can pick up on some overt clues that someone might not be telling the truth, if someone’s an experienced liar, they’ll be able to hide some of their red flags.

On top of that, when we see a person in a uniform, with a badge, handling a clipboard, we assume that they’re someone of some importance. Why would we not, unless they’re sweating profusely, tripping over themselves, and acting incredibly shifty? 

The r/ActLikeYouBelong online community has its roots in early 2015. In the years since being founded, the subreddit has grown to have 647k members. The popularity of the group mostly has to do with how incredibly unbelievable most of the stories they post about sound.

And yet, real life is often stranger than fiction. Cons, fraud, and lies—they’re an inseparable part of life. Unfortunately.