Is there one born every minute? We’ll find out

It’s only a matter of time before the Bay Area falls prey to its own big grift. It hasn’t really happened yet.

We’re living in a golden age of grifting. And I’m not even talking about what’s going on in the White House.

The confidence game is making a huge comeback in this country, and a cursory glance at the news cycle offers easy proof.

This week, New York magazine published a feature about the incredible case of Anna Delvey, a 27-year-old Russian immigrant who supported a lavish New York City lifestyle by bilking hotels, banks, private jet companies, personal trainers and photo editors.

Delvey, whose eventual downfall was also featured in Vanity Fair, was a master of the long con. She fooled everyone with nothing more than a willingness to flash wads of cash, an Instagram account filled with trips to Ibiza and parties at Soho House, and a vague business plan to set up a contemporary art space in downtown Manhattan.

Then there’s Harvey Weinstein. On Wednesday, May 30, he was indicted on multiple rape and sex crime charges. Thanks to his wealth and his public notoriety, Weinstein’s trial will be long and complicated. But the point is that — many months after 80-plus women accused him of sexual harassment, abuse, rape and other predatory acts — it’s finally happening.

The con is over, and Weinstein’s public transformation from feminist Hollywood mogul to alleged sexual criminal is complete.

Those were only the two of the highprofile cases in a week that included news of President Trump’s pardon of intellectual grifter Dinesh D’Souza and the accountant who potentially bankrupted the estate of “Godfather” writer Mario Puzo by embezzling $3.4 million from his literary agency.

It’s not surprising that the scam is the story of 2018. Yes, there’s a confidence man in the White House, and he’s proving an inspiration to grifters everywhere.

But in an age of rampant inequality, it makes sense for a growing number of people to feel like the entire game is rigged. Why not use the hand they were dealt as a bluff ?

In addition to offering “innovation,” technology also offers increased opportunities to grift. The industry is full of get-rich-quick stories, and it literally makes people believe in unicorns. Meanwhile, the technology itself offers infinite ways to create — or hide — your own identity.

So it’s only a matter of time before the Bay Area falls prey to its own big grift.

It hasn’t really happened yet. And yes, I say that with full knowledge of the Theranos fraud.

The Theranos fraud was enormous, and Elizabeth Holmes’ achievement should rest in the annals of scam forever. She cost investors hundreds of millions of dollars, and she fooled everyone from the tech media to the boys’ club of venture capitalism on the strength of a black turtleneck and an intense stare.

But Holmes was a Silicon Valley outsider. Most of Theranos’ much-hyped board, including Henry Kissinger, James Mattis, and other military-industrial complex types, didn’t live here and didn’t speak the industry’s language. That was arguably one reason why it took so long for the company to get caught.

No, the Bay Area’s real con is still coming. It’ll take a scam artist who’s savvy enough to recognize this region’s special forms of greed, vacuousness, and status obsession, and who’s unethical enough to weaponize our weaknesses against us.

We need to be prepared. If you make a mysterious new friend who seems to take advantage of all of these things with too much ease, hold on to your wallet.

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Exclusive use of cryptocurrency, Apple Pay, or other cashless monetary system.

In the Bay Area, cash is associated with poor people, dive bars and cannabis stores. Tech bros turn up their noses at it; the hippest restaurants don’t even accept it. Any scammer worth her salt will have to rely on a computer-based currency. The more obscure, the better — and the easier to hack, I guess.

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A signature uniform of ugly basics, worn everywhere.

Wearing ugly activewear no matter where you’re going is a power move. Projecting power is necessary to scam people. The key is finding the right signature piece. Mark Zuckerberg has cornered the market on the hoodie, and Elizabeth Holmes gave a taint to the turtleneck that Steve Jobs used so well. Maybe a polo shirt?

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A cultish vocabulary, preferably learned at Esalen.

I don’t mean to cast aspersions on Esalen, which I understand is a wonderful place. But just as you should be skeptical of anyone whose only camping experience is Burning Man, you should run the other way if the person sitting next to you in the hot tub at the expensive retreat center starts talking about ways to expand your consciousness.

Stay safe out there. Nothing in life is free — especially common sense.