So a guy tells you he can GUARANTEE you'll get an eight percent* return on your stock market investments EVERY YEAR. Is that even possible?
A lot of people thought it was, and Bernie Madoff lost their money.
His story is one of several in Maria Konnikova's book The Confidence Game, which points out how often people fall for cons even after similar cons have been seen many times.
There's a blend of psychology, theater, and persuasion at work, and the book works to pull apart the ingredients.
The author visits.
*A caller to this segment reports his father was taken in by Madoff's schemes, and that the promise was 17 percent returns each year, not eight.
