Scam!: Inside America's Con Artist Clans

by Don Wright

Book Overview

SCAM focuses on one family of Irish Traveler con artists and, in the process, explores and details the full range of the ethic clans, uncovering America's most secret crime families in a true store of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0937877182
• ISBN13: 9780937877180
• Release Date: March 1996
• Publisher: Cottage Publications (UK)
• Length: 488 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Reading This Book Could Save You From Some Grief

I read the other reviews before writing my own and found some of them to be overly judgmental of this book. Scam! is a wonderful book insofar as it follows the life of one specific Traveller and his family. I agree that the book meanders and at times seems like a stream of consciousness dump of interrelated stories, but I see nothing wrong with that. The subculture it covers is not hierarchical and does not lend itself to a top down description. I think of the books style as a wandering through the network of the Traveller society. There is some value in that, though it may be unsatisfactory to those who can only process a linear exposition. I agree that the book has many flaws in terms of writing style, but I think there is a reasonable explanation for this. As a self published writer myself, I know that it is difficult to properly proofread a work without the backing of a professional staff. Wright's book an example of a good manuscript that has not had the benefit of the services of a good publishing firm. Nevertheless, I found it very readable, even with its flaws. At least one review alleges that the book is racist. I come from primarily Irish stock and did not find the book to be racist in the least. However, I can see how a Traveller or a person from a Traveller family would feel painted with an overly broad brush. However, the book is not a book about Travellers in general, it is a book about those Traveller families actively involved in scamming. If you have elderly parents or elderly friends who may become the targets of the scams described in this book, it might be a good idea to buy this book for them. After reading the book, I purchased another copy for an older couple I care about. Ironically, this book provided an explanation for an experience I had. I purchased a used car a year ago. Quickly, I discovered that some defects of the car had been deliberately hidden using the same techniques described in the book. What took the cake is that the surname of the previous owner is exactly the surname of one of the clans described in the book (along with their home location). I am certain that I bought this car from a Traveller. I've been able to fix it up and I use it as a second car, so I'm not particularly upset about it, but had I not read this book, I would never have known that I was taken by a Traveller as well.

Irish Travelers

Nothing about the child abuse case that occurred in the Mishawaka Kohl's parking lot has been simple. While the video is shocking and Madelyne Toogood has admitted she was wrong, new twists continue in the case. Identity is complex issue for investigatorsPart of the struggle for investigators is the society in which this family lives. The culture of the Irish Travelers has made the basic question of identity hard to answer. From the very beginning identity was an issue. When police first released the video they didn't release a name because they questioned the name they were given."It is typical for family members and for all the travelers to give false names. It is also typical for a traveler to take on another name or another identity of another family member," says Don Wright, an expert on Irish Travelers. "There could be ten different Johnny Toogoods out there," says Wright. He says that it is all part of the culture. That has made this investigation even tougher. John Toogood sat at the Mishawaka Police Department for hours while investigators checked his background, a check that involved several other names.Husband has many aliases"I had a warrant," explains Detective Matt Austin of the Bristol, Tennessee Police Department. "Basically, the name was John Gannon, or A.K.A, James Gorman. I thought he looked or fit the description of Mr. Toogood,"says Detective Austin. While fingerprints cleared him of charges associated with that warrant, police believe John Toogood is the Johny Lark who plead guilty to felony theft in Philadelphia in 1998.Spanish newspaper throws in a twistAdrian Villalobos is a reporter for Voz LatinasA new article on the identity of Madelyne and her daughter was recently published in the Voz Latina, a Spanish language newspaper published in Michiana. The reporter interviewed a man who says that the Madelyne and Martha Toogood we know are not the same mother and daughter in the video. "He says he's pretty much involved in a high level with the real mother of the girl," explains Adrian Villalobos, a reporter for Voz. "He says he knows where they are but he refuses to give me that information for now," explains Villalobos.The premise behind a deception of this type would be that the daughter brought in to police earlier this week is different than the one shown in the video. That child would not have shown the signs of abuse that the child in the surveillance tape apparently sustained. It is a bizarre question of identity and at this point the prosecutor will only say that the investigation is ongoing. Obviously verifying the identity of individuals in question is part of the investigation. While video-monster mom Madelyne Gorman Toogood visited her 4-year-old daughter yesterday, Indiana authorities were checking out a flurry of criminal complaints about her husband that they said will likely prevent the couple from regaining custody of the youngster."At least three states have been heard from," reported Randy DeCleene, spok

Nice book--a bit long but...

I haven't read this book, but in light of the recent shoplifting child-beating case and others, I think the adage "where there's smoke there's fire" applies.At 488 pages, the book is a bit long, but I think it deserves a fair hearing.I am giving it five stars to balance the other negative reviews.Who is to know if the reviewers are not themselves Travelers, Hell's Angels, or worse? America has a right to know.

Madelyn Gorman/Toogood

Traveler expert Don Wright has been investigating the Travelers for24 years. He's published books including one called 'Scam!'. Wrightsays many of these scams take place in our own backyard. Between Apriland October, there are between 15 to 20 families in the Michiana arearunning these scams. When Wright saw the Kohl's parking lot assaultvideo, he knew this was more than just a case of child abuse.Some local authorities will not refer to Madelyn Gorman/Toogood andMargaret Daley as 'Travelers' but a local expert on Travelers saysfrom the video he's seen, he believes the women are Irish Travelers.There are an estimated 12,000 to 20,000 Irish Travelers in the UnitedStates, mostly in South Carolina and Texas. This is where it isbelieved Gorman and her family is from.Travelers live a nomadic lifestyle, moving from town to town in largegroups to do seasonal work but they've also been labeled, by some, asscam artists. Most Irish Travelers in this country are descendents of19th century Irish immigrants. They are also known as Irish gypsies or"tinkers".After seeing the video, Traveler expert Don Wright says he calledpolice and other Travelers and came to this conclusion. "I startedmaking calls right away and found out, yes indeed, they were IrishTravelers."Reasons behind the beating Wright believes the beating happened for one of two reasons. "Thelittle girl gave away the scam to an employee or the mom was so tickedoff at not getting refunds she took it out on the little girl. As faras beating a kid like this, I've never heard of it." Wright has heard of Travelers working in the Michiana area. He sayscertain things in the video lend him to believe these women areTravelers. "The fact that the license plate was from Texas - I knewwho they were."Why do they travel here? Wright wrote about Travelers who travel from Fort Worth, Texas toIndiana in his 1996 book called 'Scam!' "A majority of the Travelerscome to Elkhart a few times a year to pick up travel trailers they usefor different scams." Wright says the trailer is a scam in and ofitself. They live in it until they can sell it for an exorbitantprice.Meanwhile, men of the Travelers do house scams and the women doshoplifting scams. Wright says it is common to take along theirchildren. "This is on the job training for kids. They learn toshoplift at their mothers elbows." Prosecutor Chris Toth said today that the reason Kohl's began tofollow these two women and their daughters was because they hadscammed the store before. Police in Fort Worth say in March theyarrested Madelyn Gorman for an alleged theft at Kohls."