Most of these seem to boil down to "he seemed like a smart guy who knew what he was doing and wanted to help people." That's basic grifting. It seems odd to say

Most of these seem to boil down to "he seemed like a smart guy who knew what he was doing and wanted to help people." That's basic grifting. It seems odd to say that it only works on elites. Particularly the last. Elites love to help people, unlike common folks who are too selfish to fall for a con like this? That's the opposite of the usual stereotype.