“Swindling is really acting, and you play a character who will help you appear legitimate, confident, and successful… even when you are not,” one former con artist told Reader’s Digest.

A lot of con artists rely on the so-called halo effect to reach their nefarious goals. To put it simply, the halo effect means that our overall impression of an individual heavily impacts what we think about their character. So somebody who is beautiful, kind, or social can be seen as good, likable, and intelligent… even if they aren’t. A person who’s out to trick and cheat their way through society can use this to their advantage.

Your physical appearance is a core part of the halo effect and looking the part has a massive on how people perceive you. Someone who is well-groomed, stylishly dressed (or dressed to suit the part they’re playing), and moves and talks with deep confidence is going to give off the impression that they’re (more) reliable.

Building a false sense of trust is essential for con artists. Without it, they have nothing.

The tagline of the r/ActLikeYouBelong subreddit is that “there is no need for clearance when you have confidence!” And, generally, this speaks volumes about how real life works.

First impressions certainly do matter. So when we see someone striding with charisma, possibly with a wide smile or looking super serious, we tend to assume that they belong wherever we are, too.

Many of us simply don’t consider that someone might be impersonating another person or worker. We meet so many strangers every single day at work, in cafes, and on the streets.

It would be absolutely exhausting to consider whether everyone is pretending or has ulterior motives. If you’re constantly worrying that someone’s out to get you or con you, you probably won’t get anything done all day.

It’s not like most of us are top-tier body language experts. While most of us can pick up on some overt clues that someone might not be telling the truth, if someone’s an experienced liar, they’ll be able to hide some of their red flags.

On top of that, when we see a person in a uniform, with a badge, handling a clipboard, we assume that they’re someone of some importance. Why would we not, unless they’re sweating profusely, tripping over themselves, and acting incredibly shifty? 

The r/ActLikeYouBelong online community has its roots in early 2015. In the years since being founded, the subreddit has grown to have 647k members. The popularity of the group mostly has to do with how incredibly unbelievable most of the stories they post about sound.

And yet, real life is often stranger than fiction. Cons, fraud, and lies—they’re an inseparable part of life. Unfortunately.

The moderators running the subreddit have some strict rules that everyone needs to follow. Despite the fact that the group is all about people pretending like they belong somewhere where they don’t, nobody should be impersonating the mods themselves. This is very frowned upon.

Moreover, the members of r/ActLikeYouBelong are asked to be very careful about posting any identifying information about themselves or other people. And remember to flair your post! If you don’t, it might end up getting removed.

Reader’s Digest points out that con artists tend to target the most vulnerable people. It does not mean that you’re dumb, simply that you’re down on your luck. For instance, someone who’s dealing with a hard situation at work or in their personal lives is ripe for being taken advantage of.

The more emotionally and financially vulnerable someone is, the more naive and trusting they are, the more they’ll appeal to fraudsters hoping to earn a quick buck.

Con artists try to get you talking as much as possible to weasel out important information. They can then use it to deepen their connection with you. Others copy your body language to create a sense that there’s a bond between you. Hustlers also refer to you by name and can even pretend to know you.

The general rule of thumb is that if someone offers you a deal that you feel is too good to be true, it probably is. Trust your gut, don't get greedy.

Have you ever caught anyone pretending to be someone else, dear Pandas? Have you ever been targetted by swindlers, con artists, or scammers? Which of the posts, as featured on r/ActLikeYouBelong, did you find the most amusing? We’d love to hear from you, so feel free to scroll down to the comment section to share your thoughts. And remember… just because someone’s supremely confident doesn’t always mean they’re fully trustworthy.

In the meantime, for some more people who like pretending like they belong somewhere they should be, take a look through Bored Panda's earlier feature.