Wow a similar thing happened to a friend of mine in what he calls the "flying dragon" story. About 5 years ago my friend Bob (not his real name - real name is

Wow a similar thing happened to a friend of mine in what he calls the "flying dragon" story. About 5 years ago my friend Bob (not his real name - real name is Andrew) started an entertainment business to do shows like Cirque du Soleil. He advertised on websites looking for acts. A man came in saying he was an agent that represented a flying dragon. Bob was incredulous. He asked to see the dragon. The agent told him the dragon would only come out for performances. Bob paid the agent $1000 up front and spent another $3000 on marketing for the dragon's first performance. On the night of the performance, the agent called Bob and told him the dragon was sick but that he could definitely do a better, bigger show the following week. Bob paid another $1000 but the dragon didn't show up again. Three weeks later the agent told Bob that the dragon died but had already spent the $2000 on his lair. Bob now says, "Make them show you the dragon," as advice for almost any situation.