Crimes of Persuasion was started back in 2000 as an online offshoot to a book project with the view of becoming a comprehensive economic crime guide explaining the mechanisms of schemes, scams and swindles perpetrated by all sorts of con artists. The web site offers a full explanation of every kind of white collar crime such as prime bank fraud, pyramid scams, internet fraud, telemarketing fraud, investment schemes, consumer scams, phone scams, chain letters, modeling agency and Nigerian scams, credit card fraud, check kiting, tax fraud, money laundering, mail fraud, counterfeit money orders, check fraud to name but a few.

Virtually anyone can become a victim of fraud nowadays, and the majority of people wouldn't fail to recall something of the sort possibly once happen to them. That could have been something minor and inconsequential, or on the contrary, a dramatically devastating deception producing subsequent negative effect for the rest of your life. If you believed all fraud victims were greedy, risk-taking, self-deceptive individuals looking to make a quick dollar or naive, uneducated, or elderly individuals, you have been completely wrong. The Fraud Victim Advice / Assistance for Consumer Scams and Investment Frauds section of the web site reveals some very interesting fraud victim demographics based on the information released by law enforcement professionals, psychologists, National Consumer League reports, victim service providers, mental health practitioners etc. allowing you to better understand the ways con artists think, devise and implement their plans so any law abiding person could foresee and identify the danger and adopt the proper attitude to escape being victimized by fraud perpetrators.

Crime victim support groups and government agencies say victims often feel too embarrassed to take action, instead choosing to suffer their losses alone and in silence. Shame, guilt, embarrassment, and disbelief are among the reasons that only an estimated 15% of the nation's fraud victims report their crimes to law enforcement. Federal law enforcement are concerned about victims of financial crimes. As a victim, someone, probably has questions as to how their case would be handled, what services and information would be available for them, how they could begin to cope with their financial losses, what chances are for restitution, what to do if contacted by an individual suggesting help you recover your losses etc. The www.crimes-of-persuasion.com offers a link to download your free copy of a brochure by the US Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime to get answers to these questions. Also the resource refers visitors to a Scam Victims Forum. Since being started as a web page posting Nigerian counterfeit cashier's check scam story, in the first 3 months the Forum had warned and saved over 300 persons from becoming victims, and contributed to stopping more than $US 2,000,000 from being appropriated by the Nigerian counterfeiters. Up to date it has grown to be a means of support and assistance for victims of all scams.

www.crimes-of-persuasion.com is owned and run independently by Mr. Les Henderson of Sudbury, Ontario, who has a background in sales management, sales of insurance, mutual funds and computers, and retail store ownership. For years he was a practicing Chartered Financial Planner and held the position of the President of the Rotary Club of Sudbury. He is available for speaking engagements, seminars, keynote speaker addresses for conferences and conventions, expert witness fraud case testimony for pyramid schemes, high yield investment programs, ponzi schemes, Nigerian advance fee fraud and other issues covered on his web site.

Les Henderson is the author of Crimes of Persuasion: Schemes, Scams, Frauds book, published by Coyote Ridge Publishing (2000 first edition, 2001 second edition). According to the publisher "The main reason the book was produced was due to the notable shortage of pertinent organized information on the complex topic of telemarketing and investment fraud, despite low government estimates which peg the losses from them at over $45 billion per year in North America." "I have spent over two years of research pouring over court transcripts involving fraud cases. By reducing and combining the relevant facts into an entertaining read I hope to spare potential victims the heartache caused by this crime" - L. Henderson.