Escaping Scams #5 — Why We Get Scammed

January 7, 2025

Chesa Keane, an Associate member of Global Travelers, is a long-time consultant in many aspects of IT. As members of a virtual Rotary club, we are all, by definition, on-line to various degrees. And, like many things in life, being on-line comes with risk. Chesa has generously agreed to create a web series for our members with tips for helping us avoid becoming the victim of online scams. This is her fifth installment, focused on why we fall victim to scams.

In future articles, I’ll continue to address specific scams and hacks to watch for. This month, I want to focus on how/why we get caught up in these awful predicaments in the first place.

Trusting Our Fellow Humans is Natural

For most of us, trust is an important element in our lives and our relationships. This is probably why Rotary is such a good fit for us. After all, the first statement in the 4-Way Test is “Is it the Truth?” and we tend to feel comfortable in a Rotary environment because of the 4-Way Test. But not everyone is a Rotarian and not everyone finds that honesty is a necessary character trait to embrace.

Why is trust so important? Without trust, we can’t count on what another person says, and we rely on another person’s word to plan our next step for doing anything. Furthermore, without trust, we can’t be vulnerable and if we can’t be vulnerable, how do we engage in personal and business relationships with a sense of security? Answer: We can’t.

Changing Times Brought to You by Technology

For many, technology has been thrust upon them in a way where they may not have been ready for it. Remember your first email? What an amazing thing to be able to communicate with anyone in minutes instead of waiting for the U. S. Postal system to deliver your message in days, weeks or even months. But as life speeds up, the time for reflecting on whether the message received is real or not has also shortened.

Technology has brought the ability to communicate quickly; the ability to stay home and have goods arrive at our door; the ability to create new relationships without leaving the house; and the ability to meet our financial obligations online without writing a check or even going in person to the bank. Technology is awesome! But technology misunderstood makes it difficult to perceive the depth of hidden problems. When we wrap our good behavior expectations around a new concept of electronic communication that doesn’t need pen and paper, a lot is hidden from view. Now we don’t necessarily know who is at the other end of our computer or phone. And the person who no longer acts with honorable, normal, expected behavior can convince you they are honest when they are not.

When It’s Too Good to Be True ~ It Probably Is

Often what we believe and what we want to believe are contradictory. Consider when someone explores a new relationship online and all the right things are said that flutter the heart…but you can’t see their eyes or hear their voice. Too often, a scammer is well-aware of how to fool their target because emotions are pretty easy to read in another’s responses online. When a scammer is without compassion, the goal of getting another person to do what they want isn’t that hard.

What if you are experiencing financial strain and a business offer is presented that will get you out of your money problems with little or no effort on your part? How is this promise sold? Usually there is a heavy reliance on anecdotal stories and testimonials that tell you that you can do this! You can be wealthy with little or no effort. Maybe it’s the widow of a Prince from Nigeria who asks for your help in converting her husband’s estate of millions of dollars into usable funds. Without you, she can’t get her money. She needs your help. Seems like a low risk, high reward offer. But it’s not.

General Precautions

There are so many new scams being revealed every single day. Just when you think you have a handle on how to be safe, another scam rears its ugly head. Not all scams are based in technology; some are simply the twisting of human nature into something you didn’t expect. A reversal of normal, expected human behavior. I will continue to share specific scams and hacks in future articles. But for today, my focus is on how we let ourselves be fooled by what we expected that didn’t evolve as it should have. Or by our desire to believe something that we would love to be/have/do/receive that is skewed against us.

Most often we are scammed because we are not careful; we trust too much; or we kid ourselves about the reality of the situation. Yes, there are specific scams and hacks that can be identified, but in order to avoid being the victim, you must take precautions first.

Here are examples of precautions you can take:

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Research carefully.
If you are promised security by providing your personal information, don’t do it because there is no security worth giving away your personal information. Those making the promise of that security are the ones who want your personal information to hurt you.
If you receive a threat from someone you don’t know, they are most likely bluffing. Hard as it is, ignore them.
If you receive requests or demands from businesses, banks or credit card companies that require your response, you are most likely looking at a scam. The general practice now is that corporations will not give you a link in asking for information from you. Instead, go directly to that website rather than using a provided link to correct a problem.
If you receive threats or scary warnings from a business, bank or credit card company, again do not use the links they provide. Instead, go directly to the website. If you are given a phone number to call, do not call. Go directly to the website and find a number from the website to call.
One of the best sales techniques used by valid and invalid salespeople is the Appeal for Urgency. That is, act now before it’s too late. If you are faced with this sales technique, step back. There’s plenty of time to research. And a real offer will come again. Don’t be fooled into acting too quickly.

Step one in being safe online or offline is being cautious, not blindly trusting and taking the time to research the offer/issue. In other words, you are your own first line of defense.

Thanks for letting me share these ideas on how to avoid scams and hacks. I will be providing specific cases to watch out for in future articles. Basically, don’t jump too fast in response to a stranger reaching out to you with a warning, threat or unrealistic promise. Be safe, be smart.

Looking for more? Read Chesa’s other informative articles: