We’re sympathetic, but question how they were unable to see the red flags.
Scammers use sophisticated psychological tactics to bypass our rational defenses and cloud judgment.
They know exactly which emotional buttons to push and when.
Verywell Mind / Stocksy
This is why it’s important to understand the most common types of scams and how these scams operate.
It allows us to better protect ourselves and our loved ones from falling prey to cybercrime.
Once you do that, they disappear with all your money (aka the “butchering”).
They go to great lengths to win your trust and affection and convince you that the relationship is real.
Once they have your heart, they come for the money.
Its often in the form of a false emergency that requires immediate financial help.
For example, they may pretend to collect donations for local firefighters or military veterans.
Charity scams are most prevalent during the holiday season and after disasters.
Robocall Scams
These scams use automated calls with pre-recorded messages to target potential victims.
Answering a robocall puts you at risk of scammers stealing your personal or financial information.
Common types include customer care, loan fraud, and travel scams.
The Psychology of Getting Scammed
Scam artists use several psychological tricks to establish trust and manipulate emotions.
These include:
Once they have gained your trust, scammers create a crisis to evoke an emotional response.
This leads victims to act hastily or impulsively without assessing the legitimacy of the situation.
Because of the deeply violating nature of the crime, scam survivors often experiencesevere mental and emotional fallout.
“Being scammed can be a major psychological trauma,” says Dr. Stratyner.
This can manifest as anxiety, paranoia, insomnia,PTSD, and depression.
In addition, difficult experiences like these can challenge a persons ‘just world belief.’
This can also lead to heightened anxiety and difficultytrusting oneselfand others," says Galligher.
How you might Protect Yourself
It’s important to first acknowledge that scams can happen to literallyanyone.
“In reality, it’s a false sense of security,” Dr. Choulet explains.
