Talk about Scams: The Ten Commandments for a Con Artist

Scams ESL Discussion: Are these tips for being a better boyfriend or scammer? Use authentic material to talk about scams and create your own!

In this 90-minute ESL discussion on scams, students will work through a variety of speaking, discussion and comprehension activities individually, in pairs or small groups. Students begin with a collection of 20 tips – ten are for being a better boyfriend and ten are for being a better scammer, or con artist, based on Victor Lustig’s ten commandments for con men. Students decide how they should be organized. Next, there is a short discussion section on scams and con artists before watching the authentic material – a video from Frank Abagnale, the real person behind Leonardo DiCaprio’s character in Catch Me If You Can. He explains a few red flags to help you avoid scams. A listening comprehension section is followed by a group work activity where students create their own scams based on some popular models.

*NOTE: I’m a big fan of cold openings for my lesson, so I would recommend starting with the trailer for Catch Me If You Can and ask students if they have seen the movie or can tell you what it is about based on the trailer. Then, dive into the lesson plan.

The link the video is at the bottom of the PDF!

Click on Download All to get the student and teacher version.

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Ian Kime

Ian Kime

I have been teaching English abroad since receiving my CELTA certificate in Poland in 2018. I enjoy tracking my individual students’ development but love having lessons with big groups! Now that I teach online, I am accompanied by my sidekicks Olaf, Mała, Pirate and Bandit on a regular basis.

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