Becoming a Mark in San Francisco

This blog will not only deal with computer security but also with Fraud and Social Engineering. An an introduction I'll give you a personal story about how I left myself vulnerable and embarrassed.

I was exploring Fisherman's Wharf with a vacationing friend of mine. As with most cities as the evening begins to take over, the tourist shops begin to close up and the seedier side of the city comes out. We were walking along some of the more permanent shops on Embarcadero when we came across of group of males lounging about. I wrote them off as typical street performers, but instead of walking past I made eye contact with a guy. That was my first mistake. As an obvious tourist with a camera around my neck, I was obviously an outsider to the area. As soon as I made eye contact, he started right in.

"Would you like a shoeshine?" I said no, as we attempted to get by, almost made it but he caught my attention with another statement. "I can show you a trick." I'm normally curious about people, and for some reason that stopped me. I nodded for him to go on, curious and a bit amused. "I bet you that I can tell you where you got your shoes." this flagged my curiosity even more. Not quite sure what to say, I told him to go on. "I can tell you where you got your shoes, here let's shake on it." My impulse was not to make physical contact but he reached out and shook my hand, as everyone around him watched. Now I was obligated, and pretty much my last mistake.

He stepped back, and then said "You got your shoes, on your feet!", then swooped in and put shoeshine goop on my shoes and began cleaning them. Suckered out of $20. As I left, he imparted me with another blow to the ego. "The shine was free, you paid for an education."

You know, he was actually right. It helped me understand the phases of a con. Praying on curiosity, disbelief, and a trick that has little to no payoff. Added onto that was a false sense of obligation, and quickly catching me off guard. I'll always remember that encounter, and frankly it was worth the $20 "shoeshine" for what it taught me.

First: Never make yourself look like a tourist. I had a large camera around my neck, and I was looking around at the sights and sounds as if I were a vulnerable target. Now I've switched to a small, pocket-sized camera.

Second: Never acknowledge a stranger that has more to gain out of an encounter than you do. You see this in Las Vegas, those guys who hand cards out on the sidewalks. If you make eye contact, or start a conversation by saying "No Thanks", there's no telling how quickly you'll end up with a card in your hand.

Third: If they are with a group of people, it can be even more dangerous. Best case they'll chide you if you walk off without living up to your end of the deal worst case, they'll take you down an alley.

Fourth: Never find yourself in an unfamiliar place at night, not only is it creepy but dangerous as well.

Thankfully my encounter was fairly harmless, and this type of con has gone on for hundreds of years. I watched a show about old time freakshows, where they played these types of tricks on people. It just goes to show, no matter how old the con there are always people unprepared to deal with the situation.