As someone with a BA in Psychology and Sociology I find the psychological manipulation tactics that scammers use to be both fascinating and infuriating. They are experts at what they do and they know how to turn the tables and or change the script based on the responses they are getting. So how does it work?  A great explanation has been provided by Robert Cialdini, a behavioral psychologist and author of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. In his book, Cialdini describes six principles of influence: reciprocity, commitment and consistency, social proof, authority, liking and scarcity. Here they are in a little more detail:

Reciprocity: returning a favor (think free samples)

Commitment and consistency: if someone has committed they will continue to honor that commitment (think if a time when you have already invested time in money in something and you don’t want to have wasted it all so you keep going even against your intuition)

Social Proof: people are more likely to do things they think other people are doing (ex - I just spoke with your co-worker and they told me their username and password)

Authority: people tend to obey authority figures or people with titles (ex - Hello my name is John I am an FTC agent and my badge number is 7564839310)

Liking: people are easily persuaded by people they like (scammers use flattery and kindness while they are working you for money)

Scarcity:  perceived scarcity generates demand (think limited time only)

Social engineers use some or all of these tactics at different times and in different ways to get people to do what they want which is divulge either PII (personal identifiable information) like social security numbers or other useful information like credit card numbers, usernames, passwords, or OTPs (one time passcodes). 

I share this information not only to make you aware of signs and tactics to look out for but to keep in mind that these people are experts at manipulation. This knowledge is imperative when providing support for someone you know who has been a victim. All too often, scam survivors are victimized twice - first by the perpetrator and second by the public. The public can be harsh when commenting on scam survivor stories with comments such as:

“Who would be dumb enough to fall for that?”

“I would have hung up immediately!”

“How could someone be so gullible?”

Scam victims are just that - victims. You would never criticize a victim of a violent crime or robbery in that way. Unfortunately, it’s not just the public who is hard on these victims but they themselves can be the worst critics plagued by thoughts of shame and regret.  This article by AARP is a great resource for assisting scam survivors with what to say and how to help.

Let’s change the dialogue and offer understanding, empathy and support for these victims and provide the help that scam victims need. 

If you are a scam survivor or know someone who is, contact us!

References

Cialdini, R. B. (2021). Influence, New and Expanded: The Psychology of Persuasion. Harper Business.

Shifting the Conversation About Scams: No More Victim Blaming. (n.d.). AARP States. Retrieved October 6, 2024, from https://states.aarp.org/new-hampshire/shifting-the-conversation-about-scams-no-more-victim-blaming