Scam psychology – how scammers get in our heads (and wallets)
Apr 1, 2023
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Forensic neuropsychologist Dr Stacey Wood reveals tricks and techniques scammers use, and what makes us most vulnerable. They discuss the prevalence of scams, especially romance scams on social media. They explore the grandparents scam and AI-cloning voice scams. The chapter concludes with advice on safeguarding against scams and building resilience.
The psychologist hypnosis scam manipulates victims' emotions and induces a state of compliance and hypnosis, highlighting scammers' boldness and innovation in exploiting fear and emotional vulnerability.
Scammers employ a three-stage playbook to engage and deceive victims, capturing attention through intense emotions, developing relationships aligned with authority figures, and maintaining control through tactics like gaslighting and isolation, targeting specific vulnerabilities and blind spots.
Deep dives
Psychologist Hypnosis Scam
The psychologist hypnosis scam involves scammers calling psychologists, notifying them of a missed court date and threatening to revoke their license unless a large fine is paid. This scam manipulates the victim's emotions, inducing a state of compliance and hypnosis. Scammers employ repetitive phrases, sound effects, and authority figures in the background to enhance credibility and maintain control over the victim. The amygdala is activated, inhibiting analysis and deliberation. This scam highlights the boldness and innovation of scammers in exploiting fear and emotional vulnerability.
Scammers' Playbook
Scammers utilize a three-stage playbook to engage and deceive victims. The first stage involves capturing the victim's attention, often by eliciting intense emotions such as love, fear, or reward. The second stage focuses on swiftly developing a relationship or connection, aligning themselves with authority figures or trusted brands. The final stage centers on maintaining the relationship, utilizing tactics like gaslighting and isolating the victim. Scammers exploit human vulnerabilities and blind spots, adapting their approaches to target specific demographics.
Factors and Vulnerabilities
Various factors contribute to an individual's vulnerability to scams. States like loneliness, depression, and major life events increase susceptibility. Less educated individuals may fall for scams involving sweepstakes or easy money, while more educated individuals may be targeted through high-stakes investment scams. Humans have blind spots, especially when in emotional states, and asking for external input from trusted sources can help mitigate vulnerability. The reality is that anyone can be a target, and building resilience through addressing emotional states and being cautious with personal data is essential.
A lot of us would like to think we could spot a scam a mile away. Spelling errors, suspicious email addresses and requests for money… all tip offs that something isn't right.
But none of us are immune to scammers' psychological tricks – not even psychologists.
In this episode, forensic neuropsychologist Dr Stacey Wood reveals the tricks and techniques scammers use, and what makes us most vulnerable to their tactics.
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