GarnetFox

1. The FBI's Famous Cases & Criminals archive (fbi.gov/history/famous-cases) has detailed breakdowns of real fraud cases, Ponzi schemes, and confidence operations. The language they use is clinical and precise, which is perfect for getting the procedural details right.

2. The FTC Consumer Sentinel Network publishes annual reports on the most common fraud tactics in the US. Great for understanding how modern scams actually work and what makes people fall for them.

3. The Smithsonian's American Art Museum has a free digital collection of forgery case studies. If your character forges documents or art, this is gold.

4. Court Listener (courtlistener.com) is a free legal database where you can read actual court transcripts from fraud trials. Want to know how a real con artist talks under oath? This is where you find out.

5. The Internet Archive's collection of old newspaper crime sections. Search for "confidence man" or "swindle" in papers from the 1920s through 1960s and you'll find incredible real stories that would feel too dramatic for fiction.

Bonus: The Psychology of Fraud section on the Association for Psychological Science website has accessible articles about why people trust, how deception works cognitively, and what makes someone a convincing liar. Essential reading if you want your con artist characters to feel psychologically real.

You are not going to pass a skillcheck against a rip current once it has you.

Waves will not bow to your physical prowess no matter how impressive.

Shock does not care that you used to be on your school swim team.

If you hit your head, being good at swimming isn't going to turn you face-up while you're unconscious.

"it's just fiction it's not that serious" is harmless if we're talking about TADC fans sending the creator death threats for not validating their headcanons or media critics needing to learn the difference between subject matter that's inherently harmful and subject matter that's just making them mildly uncomfortable

GFM unjustly terminated Fidaa's @fidaa-family2 campaign and she lost all of the funds she'd raised so far to help evacuate her family. She has to start all over with a new campaign.

Fidaa's campaign has been vetted here and here. Please consider donating to her if you have anything at all to give. Small dollar amounts can add up so never think you won't make a difference! If you have enough to buy a cup of coffee, consider skipping it to give to Fidaa instead. Imagine how frustrating it would be after months of fundraising to lose what you've worked hard for. We need to show Fidaa our support now more than ever!

You can also donate through Paypal directly.