Personality Traits of the Dark Triad
The Dark Triad is the foundation of a host of undesirable behaviors including aggressiveness, finacial opportunism, and uncontrolled impulsivity, psychopathy and predatory behavior in general.
The three traits are:
Narcissism – A narcissist is clinically, and deeply rooted, with an internalized sense of self. This person truly believes they are superior to everybody else simply because they are who they are and they exist. What they experience is akin to a god complex. Their seemingly infinite self-regard is actually a coping mechanism for a deeply fractured sense of Self, which can be created by unthinkable acts of abuse. A narcissist is so consumed with self ‘love,’ that they have no ability to empathize with another’s pain. All people with narcissism are not financial offenders and predators, but elder exploitation offenders display narcissism in it most destructive form. Because this person cannot put a senior’s needs above their own they find it very easy to commit acts which can permanently emotionally and even physically scar an elder or vulnerable person. This is essentially the insensitive psychopath.
Machiavellianism – Hand in hand with narcissism is Machiavellianism. This is the tendency for someone to see all social paradigms and scenarios as games of strategy that require meticulous maneuvering. They see life as a game of poker or chess, always gaming for a win. They see people only as ‘assets’ which can be used and discarded as they see fit to achieve their aims. They are often very manipulative, and because they are also usually intelligent, they play their game of chess or poker, often making mental moves way ahead of their perceived competition. This person only manipulates, they do not relate. Machiavellianism is the art of duplicity which forms the core intellectual component of the dark triad.
Psychopathy – This is the reason that the vast majority of people on this planet are not pedophiles, and also the reason you cannot train yourself to be a dark triad individual. Psychopathy is how your brain connects your behavioral choices to your sense of guilt/remorse. Most of us have experienced love, and therefore have developed empathy. Even if our upbringings had emotional abuse, physical abuse, or some other type of unwanted influence, the extreme abuse characteristic of psychopaths is not in our realm of being. Someone with acute psychopathy has no aversion for immoral or harmful behavior, predominantly because they feel no empathy, guilt or remorse when doing bad things. This, too, is often the result of being abused so horribly that they cannot interact with others in a normal way.
Research Gate: The Dark Triad of Personality: Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and Psychopathy
4 Common Steps used by the Dark Triad Predator to Target Seniors
STEP ONE – GET A CAPTIVE AUDIENCE
Professional financial predators must first get a captive audience of willing seniors together. Watch out for the “Free Lunch” or “Free Seminar” where you are promised free and important information on “Living Trusts” or “Reverse Mortgages.”
STEP TWO – FIND OUT WHAT THE SENIOR OWNS
The next step is to find out what the senior owns in terms of property, savings, annuities, equity in home and other assets. This is accomplished by handing out questionnaires at the “Free Lunch” or “Free Seminar” that will be used to determine which attendees will later be targeted for financial exploitation at a sales presentation.
STEP THREE – CREATE A NEED TO MOVE THE ASSETS
The financial predator needs to create a need for the senior to move his or her assets or buy and expensive insurance product, like an annuity that pays the predator a huge commission. This is usually accomplished by creating fear and insecurity about one’s life savings. The scammer will tell you he will “protect your estate” and “secure it for your children,” You might be told that “you will go into a nursing home and outlive your money,” or need to “avoid probate,” or “qualify for Medicaid,” or a host of other doom and gloom scenarios to create enough fear and concern to induce you to comply with the predator’s wishes.
STEP FOUR – LIQUIDATE THE SENIOR’S ASSETS AND MOVE THEM TO COMMISSION-BASED PRODUCTS
The final step is to close the deal by having the senior move his or her money somewhere where the predator earns a commission. Watch out for IRA Rollovers, Direct Cash Purchases, Reverse Mortgages, Consulting Fees for Assistance in Qualify for a Government Product, or the purchase of an Expensive Annuity. All of these transactions can be used for an inappropriate and unsuitable purpose.
12 Signs of Undue Influence and Incapacity
- Gifts to persons (caregivers, service providers, friends) who are not the natural objects of the elder’s love and commitment.
- Gifts to anyone that are so large, given the size and nature of the elder’s estate, as to threaten the elder’s economic security
- Loans, particularly if undocumented, to anyone; special scrutiny required if to non‑family members
- Actions by the elder’s fiduciary (attorney-in-fact, trustee, other) that reflect poor judgment or conflict of interest
- Existence of estate-planning documents naming non‑family members as fiduciaries or beneficiaries
- Existence of joint accounts with non‑family members
- Evidence that the elder signs checks prepared by others
- Bequest plans or other arrangements favoring one child, particularly if the child lives with elder.
- Evidence of excessive dependence on a child or other person, particularly if such other person is critical to the client’s independence and/or ability to avoid a nursing home
- Material inconsistency between elder’s understanding of estate and its true value
- Excessive fees charged by professionals (trustees, attorneys, financial advisors, stockbrokers, other)
- Unreasonable terms of loans or other financial arrangements.
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Figure 1: Doctrine of Undue Influence
Figure 2: Summary of Undue Influence Models
Figure 3: Organized Elder Exploitation; Undue Influence By Aligned Professionals. DEFALCATION Methodology
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Dark Triad, organized elder exploitation and undue influence research assistance, educational resources and citation’s courtesy of online research community, journalists, department of justice; elder justice initiative, grassroots elder rights advocates, affiliated vulnerable person organizations, State & Federal Act educational resources.
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- National Adult Mistreatment Report System (NAMRS) collects state-level adult protective services data.
- National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) collects state-level law enforcement data.
- FTC Consumer Sentinel Network collects consumer complaints from multiple sources.
- Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) collects data on suspected elder financial exploitation submitted by financial institutions.
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