From this article and the Vanity Fair piece it looks like she was very good at identifying and cultivating marks who either served the ultrawealthy (e.g. the concierge, the trainer, the real estate lawyer, the photo editor) or who were dimwitted courtiers (e.g. the magazine editor and the other jet-setters).
She would only run into trouble when she tried to put one over for big money on the banks and real estate developers and landlords, who spotted her for what she was very quickly – at that point she had to resort to fake documents and cheque kiting.
The other thing this article illustrates is how different things are when you’re wealthy (or when people think you are). Just try to check into a luxury hotel like she did without providing a credit card, and without being asked for one for over a month in residence because you promise a wire transfer will arrive any day now. It’s a different lifestyle.
The most talented grifters follow Costanza’s rule:
