How not to get caught by fraudsters? Scam Expert Tips | Business

“As insurance fraud experts, we aim to understand the mechanism of fraud, its process, psychology. As a result, we analyze different types of fraud, which allows us to refine the common principles used by fraudsters. Knowing them, we can manage the situation in time and protect ourselves from financial or other material damage”, says R. Švarcas.

He presents several real-life scam stories and the key lessons from each.

Contact, lie, emotion

According to R. Švarcs, although there are various types of fraud, all of them are characterized by the same steps: a communicative contact occurs, a lie is spread and an emotion is evoked.

“In order to deceive a person, there must first be some kind of contact: by phone, on the Internet, by e-mail or in person. When contact occurs through one of these channels, one switches to lying: creating the necessary role or pretending to be a specific person. The fraudster needs all of this to “disarm” the victim: she will lose her vigilance and, having caused an emotion, he could more easily manipulate her,” observes R. Švarcas.

It resembles classic cases of lying: pretending to be a relative in trouble, a rich man from a distant country, or the victim’s manager. Threats of money theft or suspicions lead a person to a fake website.

Recently, extremely realistic frauds created with the help of artificial intelligence, which allow falsifying video content or imitating voice on the phone, are becoming more common.

Zimbabwe dollars

“Nevertheless, there are also non-standard cases. For example, imagine: a small village shop, a person enters it, starts flipping through magazines. As if by chance, another customer walks in, it turns out that they know each other and start talking about trips and Zimbabwean dollars, which one of them allegedly needs to exchange, because he read that the exchange rate is very favorable and he is just about to travel”, says a fraud expert about one of the stories he heard .

The conversation about a favorable exchange rate continues for some time as if between others, until it turns out that one of the conversation participants would like to buy Zimbabwean dollars from the other, but, as if on purpose, does not have enough money.

“And here the eye turns to the saleswoman, who heard the whole conversation, asking for help, to temporarily buy Zimbabwean dollars with the money in the cash register, while the person drives to the ATM. Convinced by the naturally occurring conversation, she takes the money out of the cash register, and both “travelers” pass out. Later, it turns out that she exchanged the money from the cash register for fake game money”, says R. Švarcas.

A box of vodka

Another similar scam is a rich-looking person who enters the store and says that he is going to celebrate his anniversary, so he needs to buy a large amount of alcohol. After placing a large, thick wallet on the counter, he begins to list the drinks he will need. After asking him to put everything in a box, he takes it and asks him to fill another box with vodka before he takes the already stacked bottles to the car, leaving his wallet on the table.

After leaving, the buyer disappears, and upon checking the wallet, it turns out to be empty, stuffed with newspaper clippings.

“Both of these cases are united by the fact that fraudsters perform certain actions that convince us of their social status: they are people for whom money is not a problem. At the same time, this creates pressure on the victim not to appear inferior, not to emphasize large amounts. This scheme is also used in investment fraud, creating the impression that a few thousand euros is a pittance,” observes R. Švarcas.

Fear of saying no

According to him, in situations related to money, people are often afraid to appear suspicious or too scrupulous, to make a negative impression on others, which makes them easy to manipulate.

“I don’t know if it’s a coincidence, but two times when my colleagues and I went to the cafe and checked the bill, we noticed that it included more food and drinks than we actually consumed. The waiters apologized for the mistake, saying that they accidentally counted the order of another table, but strangely, this mistake was in both cases to the greater good. Suspicions may arise that this is done on purpose, thinking that the larger company will be shy to explain and calculate, not wanting to appear bad in front of each other”, R. Švarcas thinks.

According to him, inducing a feeling of fear and discomfort is another method of manipulation, so you should not give in to it and not be afraid to find out if everything is calculated correctly.

“Sometimes, people just don’t dare to say “no”, to show distrust, to cause negative emotions to others. However, it should be kept in mind that fraudsters use this successfully,” the expert reminds.

Excitement is conducive to manipulation

According to him, strong emotions block the ability to think logically, so fraudsters always try to excite the victim: to frighten, make them happy or throw them off balance.

“We all know the so-called “hello mom” scam, when a person is threatened with unpleasantness for a loved one. In other cases, scammers send letters signed by real officials, threatening fines, sanctions for child pornography, and the like. Accordingly, fraudsters always offer a quick way out of a difficult situation: pay money and your loved one will have no problems, they provoke you to react, to explain,” says R. Švarcas.

“To get relief as quickly as possible, a person swallows the hook, a method offered by scammers to solve the problem of paying money,” he adds.

Good emotions are also manipulated accordingly: urging you to take immediate action to buy real estate at a good price, invest at incredibly favorable terms, or receive an inheritance offered by an “overseas prince”.

Pressure to rush

One of the signs that can also reveal that you are being manipulated is excessive haste.

“The induced emotional state is temporary and soon subsides. Knowing this, fraudsters try to formulate their scenario in such a way that the problem cannot be solved later: a reaction is required here and now. Therefore, it is very important to always remain conscious, to be able to step back even in a tense situation and identify your emotional state”, says R. Švarcas.

He reminds that legal or investment issues are not resolved hastily, it is normal to delve into them and consult with specialists, so you should not give in to pressure, saying that you received a last-minute offer and the answer must be given here and now.

If you suspect that you are being “led by the nose”, the expert recommends asking for time to think, postponing the interview, if the suspicions become stronger – contact the police or other institutions, try to contact the institution whose representative is allegedly communicating with you, and contact them on your own.