Becoming a victim of fraud, many ask themselves why they believed the scammers, how it happened that a cautious person could become a victim.
Scammers can lurk in various areas, dangers may lie in social networks, by phone, in real life, online stores, payment systems.
Psychology of Fraud Victims
Possessing a considerable amount of knowledge about human psychology, scammers know which method to use to deceive people. It is applied to the victim, gaining their trust and affecting emotions.
Often, victims of scammers are people with poorly developed critical thinking, which allows them to draw conclusions and where a cold mind is above emotions.
Scammers also prey on the elderly, using various deception schemes, although a person of any level can become a victim of scammers, the main thing for the scammer is to find an approach and gain trust, which is what they do.
Frequent victims of scammers are people with a desire to:
- make easy money;
- receive gifts;
- participate in promotions or draws;
- achieve sky-high profits with little effort.
Why People Trust Scammers
Trust in scammers can be caused by the illusion of quick high earnings with little effort. With knowledge of psychology, scammers easily find an approach to victims, individually communicating and understanding which methods of influence suit a particular person, they can press on the most vulnerable spots in the victim's character.
If a person easily makes new acquaintances or can instantly trust people, then they become an obvious target for a scammer. People who lack attention in communication may feel significant and needed with a scammer, so they easily trust con artists.
Sensitive people or those in critical situations who need help, seeing a friend and helper in the situation, develop trust and become a victim of a scammer, even without realizing it at the initial stage.
How to Protect Loved Ones from Scammers
First of all, it is necessary to introduce an informational explanatory conversation within the family circle, discussing moments to avoid:
- not to download links sent by unknown contacts;
- ignore suspicious SMS messages;
- do not answer unknown phone numbers;
- keep banking details secret;
- not to share passwords and PIN codes of payment cards.
This concerns internet safety. Scammers also actively work directly, contacting the victim by phone, posing as police or bank employees, organizing random meetings and acquaintances on the street.
They come to homes, posing as sales representatives, gaining trust as marriage scammers. There are many fraudulent schemes, so it is necessary to be attentive, especially towards new acquaintances.
Typical Signs of Scam Victims
There are two factors affecting the chances of becoming a victim for scammers - impulsiveness and an insatiable desire to take risks.
Low self-control and high activity in online resources, such as reading all emails, making online purchases, is determined by a high risk of becoming a victim of scammers. Scientists have determined that the most frequent victims of scammers in online investments are individuals who love to make unexpected purchases or are quite gambling.
It is possible that one of us could become a victim. Scammers skillfully use social engineering methods. This is scammers' work with human weaknesses, allowing them to manipulate a person into taking actions beneficial to them.
The most vulnerable emotional qualities are manifested in irrational and risky people with a high degree of emotionality, guided by:
- curiosity;
- anger;
- fear;
- panic;
- emotional excitement.
Psychology of Trusting Scammers
The most common scammers' scheme is threats. Especially if the threat concerns finances. Receiving a fake notification about a card block or bank hacking, a person's critical thinking shuts down and in a state of fear, instincts kick in, as they say, at a primitive level. In a state of effect, a person easily becomes a victim of scammers.
To protect themselves and their funds, the victim begins to trust the scammer and follows their instructions. Shielding themselves from problems and shifting them to other shoulders, a person tends to think the problem is solved and they will definitely be helped by those they trusted, often such people are barely known.
Why People Fall for Tricks
There are many factors and reasons why people fall for tricks:
- some love risk;
- some feel lonely;
- some lack a sense of trust or security;
- some are simply greedy, dreaming of enrichment;
- some are in stress or a state of affect.
Scammers are good psychologists, so they can find an approach to any category of people. There are well-developed plans for everything, which have been effective on people for many years of fraudulent activity.