Con Man

Type: Concept

As of November 2026, Con Man has been mentioned in one podcast episode on TRUE CRIME Loser (Apr 2025). The speaker frames Billy McFarland as a convicted con man repeating the same con, using this concept to interpret the festival’s vague promises and shifting claims.

A scam, or a confidence trick, is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using a combination of the victim's credulity, naivety, compassion, vanity, confidence, irresponsibility, and greed. Researchers have defined confidence tricks as "a distinctive species of fraudulent conduct ... intending to further voluntary exchanges that are not mutually beneficial", as they "benefit con operators at the expense of their victims ".