The Fraud Files: How to Spot Scams, Cons & Crooks

There can be no doubt as to the need for competent video instruction in discerning scams and cons in our increasingly credulous society, but is this $59, half-hour shy production (at over $2.25/minute!) the goods? Straight out of the Dragnet school of staging, the mood here is oh-so-serious, which I suppose might be anyone's mood at $2.25-plus per minute, but aside from stylistic and fiduciary quibbles, this is a pretty fair program, comfortably paced and possessed of notably sharp picture and sound attributes. The authoritative instruction (while hardly news to cynics) could be very valuable instruction for its suggested audiences--community watch or block meetings, civic and community organizations, church groups, etc.--while well-staged reenactments of case studies add verisimilitude to the proceedings. Scam situations are dramatized and dissected, and analyses of what the victims might have done to protect themselves are accompanied by reasonable, on-target advice. This handy little package is a little pricey for a "how-to," but quite informative, making it recommended, overall. Aud: P. (M. Tribby)