Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that a Florida woman had been convicted of the incident. fraud victim With an online love scheme. When she pleaded guilty, she admitted laundering more than $2.7 million to co-conspirators overseas.
Although this criminal organization was busted, the Department of Justice reports that there are many other criminal organizations out there, and that such fraud is increasing every year. Gone are the days of receiving misspelled emails from deposed “Nigerian princes” demanding money. Social scientists have discovered that scammers use sophisticated social engineering techniques that are adaptable, realistic, and often irresistible.
How often do scams occur?
An email from a Nigerian prince who needed money to regain wealth and power seems almost archaic compared to today’s scammers. In 2022, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that consumers lost about $8.8 billion To fraud. This amount has increased by 30% since 2021, showing that people are becoming more susceptible to fraud.
The rip-offs also included romance scams, where scammers pretend to be someone romantically interested in the victim and begin demanding money. The scams also included fake investments, fake sweepstakes, and tech support scams where people were told they had a problem with their computer and told they could fix it for a fee.
As technology has evolved, criminals have turned to deepfake videos and voice clones to fabricate crises involving family and friends. Typically, victims receive a call from a voice that sounds like a loved one saying they are stranded and need help getting home. In some cases, the person calling may say they are in jail and need bail money. By 2022, adults aged 60 and over will 73% likely Rather than young people reporting falling for such scams.
read more: Understanding the psychology of catfish fishing
Decoding the deception
How do scammers become successful? In the 2022 survey in American Criminal Justice Journalresearchers analyzed how victims described their interactions with scammers to identify patterns in both how the communication unfolded and how victims perceived it. . The study found that scammers use complex human psychology and proven principles of persuasion to trick their victims.
In this study, researchers analyzed the accounts of fraud victims (n=52). All of the victims had been approached on social media sites such as Facebook or dating apps. The study found consistent themes in how victims reported their interactions with scammers.
One common strategy is for scammers to initiate a give-and-take with their victims. “Giving back tapped into the victim’s sense of obligation through small gifts and gestures, fostering trust and creating emotional debt,” said Fang Zhou, lead author of the study and assistant professor of criminology at the University of Texas at Arlington.・Mr. Wang says: and criminal justice.
For example, the victim received a bouquet of flowers. One person surprised me with a flower arrangement on Valentine’s Day. “I admit it,” the victim wrote. “I was completely blown away by this guy.”
Fabricating a crisis was another manipulative technique in which scammers claim some kind of personal financial emergency and are in need of urgent assistance.
“These strategies highlight the ability of scammers to exploit human psychology to achieve their goals,” Wang said.
Part of that exploitation involved weaponizing social norms, especially the obligation people feel when asked to help in times of crisis.
For example, one victim said she believed she was in an emergency situation where she could not pay her electricity bill because the woman she communicated with online had reallocated funds to pay for her sick mother’s medication. . She claimed that there was no one to help her other than the victim.
“If I can help her this time, it will mean a lot to her,” the victim said. “Despite my misgivings, I sent her $100. That was all I had.”
read more: 3 historical hoaxes that fooled the public, scientists, and media
What are persuasion techniques?
In addition to appealing to social norms, scammers used established techniques of persuasion to sell themselves to their victims. For example, likeability is known as a persuasion factor because people are reluctant to turn down someone they like. The scammers in this study worked overtime to impress and relate to their victims, which could lead to them making poor decisions when asked to send money. has increased.
Similarly, researchers have found that people are more likely to be persuaded by authority figures, and this study identified how deceivers rely on appeals to authority. Because people are socially conditioned to obey authority figures, scammers use documents such as doctor’s notes, letters from bank officials, and notices from government agencies to support their claims. often sent.
For example, if a scammer claims that he needs $3,000 to pay customs duties to import gold bars and promises to share the money with his victim later, they appear genuine. We created an official letter with a stamp and logo.
Analysis found that scammers used multiple strategies, leaving victims with complex and deep feelings about what happened, Wang said.
“Many of the victims continued to justify their relationship with the scammer even after the discrepancy occurred,” Wang said.
How to avoid scammers
In this study, all of the victims met the scammer online through social contexts such as Facebook or dating apps. In some cases, scammers and victims began communicating by phone or text every day, making the relationship feel real.
To avoid scammers, Wang advises caution if you meet someone online and want to move your off-platform communication to text messages or phone calls.
Scammers often make declarations of love early in the communication, which should be seen as a red flag, Wang said. You should also be wary if your new “friend” asks for financial help in the event of some sort of crisis.
If the other person feels the love is real, Wang recommends verifying that information. “Use reverse image search, verify credentials, and check the consistency of the scammer’s claims,” she says.
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Emily Ruckage writes for some of the nation’s largest newspapers, including the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and Los Angeles Times. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and a master’s degree from DePaul University. She also holds a Ph.D. She received her PhD in communications from the University of Illinois at Chicago with an emphasis on media framing, message construction, and stigma communication. Emily is the author of three nonfiction books. The third book, A Light in the Dark: Surviving More Than Ted Bundy, will be released by Chicago Review Press on October 3, 2023 and is co-authored with survivor Kathy Kleiner Rubin. There is.
