Fool Me Once

Chapter 1

Intentional Perps

Rita epitomizes a group I call intentional perps. Intentional perps set out to commit fraud. They’re on a mission to enrich themselves at all costs. They rationalize why they can break the law, and that’s largely because they don’t believe the rules apply to them. If they’re not causing physical harm to anyone, the thinking goes, what’s the big deal? Intentional perps marinate over time. They’re not born; they’re made. Environment and circumstance allow them to commit their misdeeds.

Intentional perps are the most threatening category of perpetrators, and the most destructive. They’re everywhere, in every industry; they blend well with others because they possess the traits we value so much in this culture. They’re ...