Façade

It is fascinating that psychopaths can survive and thrive in a corporate environment. Day-to-day interactions with coworkers, coupled with business policies and procedures, should make unmasking them easy, but this does not always hold true. Large companies’ command-and-control functions ought to make dealing with them simple and direct; however, this may not be the case. ( META BANK’s customer relations are convoluted. Their publicity is basically a lie. META BANK Makes money for their CEO’s who are incredibly rich!!!)

Psychopathic manipulation usually begins by creating a mask, known as psychopathic fiction, in the minds of those targeted.

( Because of the way that METABANK representatives lied to me and tried to push blame on me for their actions , which I believe were intentional that allowed META BANK to hold my $5,000.00 and to keep me from having access to my own money… I believe that there is Pschopathic manipulation present in META BANK.)

In interpersonal situations, this façade shows the psychopath as the ideal friend, lover, and partner. ( How else would such a person get by and be kept by META BANK? Also I believe that this person or group of people may actually be rather high ranking at META BANK)

These individuals excel at sizing up their prey. ( META BANK is best at studying the needs of the American Consumer and perhaps consumer’s in general and they market the identical product using many new names designed to meet the real needs of their targeted customer, but META BANK really has only one kind of prepaid bank card and META BANK retains the right to change all of the rules whenever they see fit and as often as they see fit without notice to their customers…. What kind of a real relationship is this? … The design relies on publicity targeted and crafted to appear to meet consumer’s real needs, but that is part of the scam.)

They appear to fulfill their victims’ psychological needs, much like the grooming behavior of molesters. ( META BANK says in their publicity that by using their PREPAID BANK CARDS that this is safer for customers; it isn’t safe at all for customers given how META BANK takes over and fully controls a customer’s money and keeps the customer from being able to access their own cash money while META BANK has free use of the customer’s money; in this way the PREPAID BANK CARD works like an interest free loan to META BANK while doing nothing at all to protect consumers…. META BANK gets corporate partners to market their card for them, most likely with promises of increased revenue, but that partner corporation will lose their former customer base who will find that META BANK is impossible to deal with. META BANK has obviously courted those corporate partners. Their employees are issued gift cards, and then asked to push the prepaid cards to their customer base. For the employees they can honestly say that the cards work quite well because for them they do. So they can sell the cards with a straight face and with great sincerity. The customers who are issued prepaid cards that may look like those that the employees have are actually issued prepaid cards with a different numbers and the contact phone number on the back will bring each to their designated customer service representative. The customers will find great difficulty using the cards and in dealing with META BANK who has told customers that they haven’t used the card correctly… this has been repeated over and over again per customer’s online complaints to that effect.)

Although they sometimes appear too good to be true, this persona typically is too grand to resist. They play into people’s basic desire to meet the right person—someone who values them for themselves, wants to have a close relationship, and is different from others who have disappointed them. ( Wow!!! This is even how META BANK’s PREPAID CARD Publicity reads… Customers are studied and then marketed to based on those customer’s most vulnerable areas what ever they are because META BANK has a card for all of those vulnerable areas. Actually the card is the same; the publicity for the card is modified to appear to meet the needs of the customer. It has always been the same prepaid card that META BANK has offered just with a new name.)

Belief in the realism of this personality can lead the individual to form a psychopathic bond with the perpetrator on intellectual, emotional, and physical levels. At this point, the target is hooked and now has become a psychopathic victim.

Corporate psychopaths use the ability to hide their true selves in plain sight and display desirable personality traits to the business world. To do this, they maintain multiple masks at length. (I had wondered how this worked, but it would seem that the people who are behind the scam by which META BANK operates may convey a very congenial face to the world or they send a newly hired employee to speak to the public… that new employee doesn’t even know that what they have been given to say is a con and that they have been given only partial information… SEE: LISA BINDER who spoke to the press about the Dubai Assassination Using a  META BANK PREPAID CARD. )

The façade they establish with coworkers and management is that of the ideal employee and future leader. This can prove effective, particularly in organizations experiencing turmoil and seeking a “knight in shining armor” to fix the company. ( This knight in shining armor must exude confidence that draws people to them… I feel so sorry for the employees of META BANK… Pickhinkle is in prison for bank fraud/embezzlement or CD fraud, but what were her supervisors doing while she did this scam? I think that she was as much a victim as the enactor of the crime… just my opinion from the outside looking in. She indicated at her trial that she was following directions… I believe her.)

Con

How is it possible for psychopaths to fool business-savvy executives and employers?

They often use conning skills during interviews to convince their hiring managers that they have the potential for promotion and the knowledge, skills, and abilities to do an outstanding job. ( It may be in the very higher/higher eschelon of META BANK where the con actually began, but the way META BANK’s operates is a scam of their customer base through the use of misleading information, publicity that has little basis in facts and by lying to their customer base, per my own experience.)

Using their lying skills, they may create phony resumes and fictitious work experience to further their claims. They may manipulate others to act as references. Credentials, such as diplomas, performance awards, and trophies, often are fabricated.

Once inside the organization, corporate psychopaths capitalize on others’ expectations of a commendable employee.

( I believe that META BANK does this through employee reward systems)

Coworkers and managers may misread superficial charm as charisma, a desirable leadership trait. A psychopath’s grandiose talk can resemble self-confidence, while subtle conning and manipulation often suggest influence and persuasion skills.

Sometimes psychopaths’ thrill-seeking behavior and impulsivity are mistaken for high energy and enthusiasm, action orientation, and the ability to multitask. ( Meta Bank advertises for employees who can work in a fast changing and fast paced work environment…. no mention is made of honesty, integrity or the ability to work well with their customer base…. META BANK’s value system is skewed.)

To the organization, these individuals’ irresponsibility may give the appearance of a risk-taking and entrepreneurial spirit—highly prized in today’s fast-paced business environment. Lack of realistic goal setting combined with grandiose statements can be misinterpreted as visionary and strategic thinking ability; both are rare and sought after by senior management. An inability to feel emotions may be disguised as the capability to make tough decisions and stay calm in the heat of battle.

Damage

Evidence suggests that when participating in teams, corporate psychopaths’ behaviors can wreak havoc.

In departments managed by psychopaths, their conduct decreases productivity and morale. These issues can have a severe impact on a company’s business performance. ( I had felt that the reason that METABANK employees lied to me, bold and brazenly lied to me as their customer originated in the higher ranks among their CEO’s. The mind set is a really sick one at META BANK that would permit them to lie to their customer in such a brazen way…. Had they never seen that they were lying? META BANK had mailed me a check at my home address and then said that I ( pleased note that META BANK was pushing the blame off on the consumer/customer base) had never given them my address. META BANK had a canceled check with my correct mailing address on it… Why did META BANK feel the need to lie? I saw through the lie, but once META BANK has your money, you have lost all control and even complete accessibility to your own money.)

There also is the risk for economic crimes to be committed. For the corporate executive and the criminal justice professional, the issue is the possibility of fraud. ( It was clear to me that META BANK had designed the prepaid bank card as a way to keep money from consumers. The way that the idea was put in place was to scam their customer base rather than to serve them… META BANK’s mindset is really sick.)

Today’s corporate psychopath may be highly educated—several with Ph.D., M.D., and J.D. degrees have been studied—and capable of circumventing financial controls and successfully passing corporate audits.( META BANK’s corporate pyschopath may actually have a law degree and be dedicated exclusively to pushing META BANK’s agenda.)

Investigation

Investigators should familiarize themselves with the typical traits and characteristics of psychopaths. They must understand the manipulation techniques used to create and manage the psychopathic bonds established with victim organizations. ( I can assure you as a former META BANK customer that there is something very wrong with the way that META BANK does business. The red flag for me was META BANK’s desire to push the blame off on me and to boldly lie to me… there is something very sick in the dynamics and internal practices at META BANK.)

Their reputations, as judged by those in power with whom they have bonded, known as patrons, often provide added protection from closer investigation.

As a result, the investigator may need to build a case with management for the use and broad application of more sophisticated techniques.

Psychopaths can be expert liars often immune to traditional deception-revealing techniques. Some practice avoiding detection in anticipation of being caught and interrogated. Therefore, investigators independently should corroborate any information provided by these individuals.³

Psychopaths often compartmentalize their behavior, enabling them to present themselves differently to various people. ( META BANK obviously wined and dined their partner corporations in order to get those partner corporations to push their META BANK PREPAID CARD. As a META BANK PREPAID CARD HOLDER, I was taken advantage of and misused.Because of this, I feel compelled to speak out  to try to protect other consumers.)

This can help them hide their manipulation and control over victims.(META BANK wanted and wants full control of customer’s money. It is an interest free loan to META BANK. META BANK has offered classes to other banks to show them how to do this same scam. Then if they are all doing it and basically they all need to do it in order to be able to survive, it may appear that the underlying principles of the META BANK CARD are usual and normal, but in reality it is only an expansion of the same scam. This time, since “Everybody is doing it” there is an added sense of legitimacy to the original scam.)

Coworkers may have knowledge or suspicions about the psychopath’s actions that can be useful to the investigator. However, they either may fear repercussions or fall under the influence of the psychopathic bond. (I don’t know what the deal is at META BANK internally, but from what I have observed, there is a major problem. META BANK needs for others to imitate their practices when in fact these practices are very harmful to the general public.)  

If investigators establish rapport and trust with coworkers, information that will make their work easier may be forthcoming. The difficulty comes when these associates are persons of interest. Fortunately, some companies have hotlines for employees to report coworker fraud and other complaints. This information provides an invaluable source of leads.

Corporate psychopaths with exceptional verbal skills make crafty interviewees.( I have felt that META BANK is very skilled at creating publicity on line… it is just too good to be true that any entity could actually meet a customer’s real needs. META BANK has customers self identify according to their own perception of their most vulnerable places. Then META BANK sells the same prepaid bank card using a new name but the same old prepaid bank card after hooking the customer.)  

This ability provides an opportunity embraced by many of them to fool law enforcement officers. In these cases, investigators should proceed with caution.⁴ Specific interview strategies should focus on exposing psychopaths’ vulnerabilities. Possession of a sense of superiority and lack of empathy can enable them to boast about the brilliance of their latest fraud scheme. They often believe that only someone equal in intelligence to them could understand their actions. Strategies specifically designed to elicit such boasting can result in a wealth of information for the investigator.

Corporate psychopaths are successful because they single out and isolate their targets.(META BANK’s customers are often sought out online and never come face to face with META BANK employees. Frequently META BANK customers must pay extra to phone META BANK . I was handed from one person to the next after having been put on hold. The scale of META BANK’s scam, by using many different names, is great and therefore a serious problem.)

They sometimes manipulate several victims at the same time. Investigators never should assume they are immune to a psychopath’s approach. One conversation may be enough for the bond to be established. Investigators must know themselves so that psychopaths’ attempts at bonding fail. It is valuable for investigators to allow psychopaths to believe they have established rapport with someone inside law enforcement.

Investigators must work as a team, communicate openly, and take all observations seriously. This is necessary for personal self-defense, proficient investigative work, and successful prosecution.

Officers must take heed to avoid being impressed with a suspect’s credentials and success. ( I think that META BANK has given large amounts of cash to re-election campaigns in Iowa to buy some credibility.)

Occasionally, when psychopathic white-collar offenders are identified, they seek out the media and give interviews. They may believe their skills of persuasion are effective enough to convince the public that they have done nothing wrong and are being targeted unjustly by law enforcement. To prevent serious problems with the investigation and prosecution, investigators must remain prepared for all possibilities.

Conclusion

Psychopathy, one of the most studied personality disorders, can cause numerous problems for investigators. Therefore, law enforcement officers must become familiar with psychopaths’ traits and characteristics, prevent psychopathic bonds from forming, corroborate information, and take all observations seriously. Investigators must know themselves, work together, communicate with one another openly, and be prepared to deal with the corporate psychopath.

Endnotes

¹ Functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) registers blood flow to functioning areas of the brain.

² Hare’s Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) is an assessment tool. Psychopathy, as determined by the PCL-R, is indicated by an overall score of 30 or above out of a possible 40. Many point configurations could result in the overall score, determined by adding up the total points for each of the 20 individually listed traits.

³ Research on psychopathy and lie-detection equipment has yielded conflicting results and remains inconclusive.

⁴ Once established that a perpetrator truly is a psychopath, reviewing the videotaped interrogation can be a lesson in their subtle, yet sophisticated manipulation techniques. This is the same method used by psychopathy researchers.