Scams

Are you scam savvy: aware of the mental habits and shortcuts that make us easy to fool? It is human nature to be trustworthy and when a prize is dangled before us, the urge to comply is even greater. Who wouldn’t want to get a rich return with no risk of loss?

I recall the days of chain letters, which involved attempts to convince the participant to make a number of copies of the letter with an enclosed amount of money and pass them on to a certain number of recipients. It was a reverse pyramid scheme. I knew of a program in 1970 when whiskey instead of letters was to be sent. It worked for a while but any plan that is too good to be true, is too good to be true.

Frauds are ever evolving and can become very complex and sophisticated. Many of us have clicked on dubious links in emails. Psychologists argue that our brains have a “truth bias.” We automatically tag incoming information as true and must exert an effort to remain objective. If we question everything we hear and see, major decisions would be compromised. Do you check every price on the receipt at Walmart and the accuracy of ingredients listed on a package? Probably not, but what would it harm? Now that we have “deep fake” technology, people can be shown saying or doing something totally out of character.

Don’t assume that what you see is all there is. Magicians specialize in that.