Fifty Scams and Hoaxes

Wow, ok so this was an entertaining read. From describing how a tonic of extra strong pharmaceutical grade morphine was marketed as a way of getting people un addicted to morphine (yeah really) to a youth restoring face cream that was full of lead. This book recounts multiple stories of hoaxs and scams from the last few centuries helping us remember that people have been trying to take other people for a ride as long as can be remembered.

An interesting read, good for a few chuckles and a few WTF moments like the explanation of the woman who gave birth to rabbits.

A fun short read, Fifty scams and hoaxes by Martin Fone is due for release on the 28th January 2019.
I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley for the purpose of providing a review.

I often wonder if people who take the time to think up scams and execute them, how productive they would be in the buisness sector legally. This is a nice look at various scams and hoaxes and how they were exectuted. It takes a specail person to want to scam people. Very good flow, and very interesting. I enjoyed this book. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book. Although I received the book in this manner, it did not affect my opinion of this book nor my review.

Wow! It's hard to believe how gullible some people are, as well as how deceitful others are. This book gives many examples of liars, cheaters and jokesters. One of the interesting hoaxes was done by some bored rich men who made a wager about how gullible people are. They placed an ad in the paper about a show in a theater where a man would squeeze himself into a quart jar. Even though the tickets were rather expensive the show sold out. When the entertainment didn't take place, "Someone in one of the boxes grabbed a lighted candle and tossed it on to the stage. This was the signal for a riot and soon seats were torn up and the frenzied audience proceeded to demolish everything within sight. The theatre was set alight and the more subdued members of the audience fought to make their exit stage left, leaving much of their portable apparel such as wigs, hats, and cloaks behind. A big bonfire was built outside the theatre and the stage curtains were made into an impromptu flag. Even the cash receipts were taken."
The many examples in this book were interesting to read, although there were probably a few too many similar examples in the section about fake cure-alls.

Human credulity and gullibility have been on trial since the beginning of time. Case in point, successful cons and fraudulent schemes are usually based on human beings underlying insecurities found in health or wealth. Before they cash in their chips, everyone wants to find a quick road to wealth. That right there makes them a welcome target.

Anyone who finds themselves at the doorsteps of illness wants to regain their health as quick as possible. Any quick fix will do. Easily exploited, they'll try or do anything to alleviate their condition which leaves them ripe for the picking. As the old adage generally suggests: "if it sounds too good to be true..."

Promises were abound, especially, throughout the 19th century that guaranteed to treat practically every ailment of the human body. Long before established regulatory protocol, many magical cures flooded the market laced with alcohol, codeine, cocaine, morphine and opium. Sailing on cloud 9, it was no wonder people thought they were getting better. As imagined, drug addiction was on the incline.

On the financial front, countless scams were perpetrated leaving many hopeful investors in financial ruin. People from every walk-of-life wanted nothing more than to get rich quick. In the words of PT Barnum: "there's a sucker born every minute." Truer words never spoken.

For the most part, The Narrative provided a humorous account of human behavior. At times though, it was saddening to see such a pitiful response by this planet's most civilized race. Being our own worst enemy, we always hope for the best even if it's against all odds. That's all any of us want in this short life. No one's immune. No matter how insignificant the outcome, I don't believe there's anybody who's never been conned or swindled out of something in their life. In society’s defense I volunteer - we're only human.

My full review appears on Weekend Notes. Thanks to the publishers for sharing this one. It was an entertaining read.

Entertaining brief looks at a bunch (50!) of hoaxes and scams. Most were familiar to me, but there were a few here that I had never heard of. Recommended for people who like this sort of thing.

This book is an interesting collection of multiple types of scams. There are health, beauty, land, investments... all sorts of scams here. There is a lot of detail for each scam, and this makes the book really interesting. I enjoyed it.

I found it curious to see the crazy ways in which people have been scammed (and maybe there are ways we are being scammed too)!

I'm fascinated by hoaxes and hucksters, so I grabbed this when it came up on NetGalley. It's a pretty amusing collection of scams and hoaxes, ranging from the historical to the more present-day, but I did find some of the sections a little overwritten for my liking. It was a pleasant enough diversion and I don't regret reading it, but it's unlikely that I'd pick it up again.

A short and sweet book. The stories are often less than a page which I was not expecting. I was thinking there would be more extensive research and longer chapters. If you are looking for a gift for middle-schoolers, this might not be a bad book though there are definitely some adult ideas.

Three stars
This book comes out January 28
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley; Opinion is my own

I decided to read this book as it is very different to my usual sort of choice. I’m very glad I chose it as I was thoroughly intruiged and entertained throughout!

I loved Martin Fone’s style of writing. The publisher tells us “Martin Fone had a successful career in the financial services industry, piquing his life-long interest in the psychology of scams and hoaxes. Since retiring he has taken up writing, developing a unique, tongue-in-cheek, irreverent style which has been critically acclaimed. This is his third book, following on from Fifty Clever Bastards and Fifty Curious Questions. Martin was an Eric Hoffer Book Award Category finalist in 2018.”

I feel that the authors style of writing greatly added to my enjoyment of this book as it grabbed my attention and held it firmly for the duration of the book by adding light and shade of humour and academic speak in equal measure. I will definitely be looking up his other books.

I enjoy reading about scams and hoaxes. For that reason, I enjoyed reading Fifty Scams and Hoaxes. Not only was the book enjoyable to read, but it proved that there is nothing new under the sun.

Thanks to netgalley/author/publisher for a copy of the book.

The book is divided into 3 parts logically. Scams from 19th century to as late as 2008 have been covered.

While one can only hope such scams will not repeat, reading about how gullible people can be or how smart tricksters can be used as a caution.

All in all, quick interesting read.

Curiosity more than anything else had me reading this book, as it's not something that i would normally read. Actually it made rather a change from the norm and found the book quite interesting. One of two i have heard about. I recall when my husband and i were invited to attend a 'talk' about making money (pyramids). Very clever how they added up their sums on a blackboard, but we were not fooled. Worth a read.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review.

This book is exactly as advertised in the blurb; a light-hearted history of fraud and hoaxes. It's not meant as a very funny book, but it IS amusing and very enlightening, as history tends to repeat itself. All of us should read it.