There is often an assumption that victims of scammers have specific traits, such as being elderly or not well educated. In fact, they have a lot of educated victims. Scammers know no bounds, and they keep fishing until they catch something. The most upsetting thing about being scammed is feeling stupid after the event. Have you been scammed?
Listen to how people got scammed here:
I know someone who got scammed by a lady on OLX. She said she wanted to pay fees. They exchanged??at McD Ghandi. She looked at the back of?+ home screen& was happy. Got home,camera was a R500 phone quality& couldn’t install Apps.Lady’s phone was on voicemail ? #HowIGotScammed pic.twitter.com/7BDUWJ7LNI
— ?? Ndlovukazi ?? (@Original_65) March 18, 2021
#HowIGotScammed I was from church, went to Woolies Sammy Marks. I was a student @ TUT staying in the Main Campus. This old lady came to me nd took me to Mr Price coz they scam ppl bcoz of no cameras. She took the bag with phone, taxi fare to res, bible nd student card.
— Phumzile Sibanyoni? (@PhumiS3) March 18, 2021
#HowIGotScammed 04 December 2020 some idiots scammed me using my friend’s phone to chat via whattsap and said I must send ewallet I’ll get it the following day. After I’ve chatted with the idiot explaining how I only have my last R1500 I finally send that ewallet…
— Pinkie Raphiri ? (@Pinklash14) March 18, 2021
3TSpoons on: Why We Get Scammed.
- FOMO: People are generally worried about missing out on an opportunity, perhaps for “the next big thing”. And if such an “offer” is for a limited time only, then the principle of scarcity suggests that people are more likely to be drawn to it.
- You Scratch My Back: Scammers usethe principle of reciprocity. If someone does something for us, we feel more obliged to do something for them. Scammers use this type of “enforced indebtedness” to elicit an unwise action from their target. For example, someone offering you an exclusive opportunity to invest your money can be seen to be doing you a favour. That, in turn, makes people want to return the favour – which could be as simple as continuing to listen to their sales pitch, leading to a destructive signing up for a bogus scheme.
- They Seemed So Nice: They also use the principle of similarity this suggests that we tend to like people who seem to be the same as us, and, in turn, we are much more likely to agree to a request from someone we like. Scammers take advantage of this and try to find out things about us in order to appear to be like us. They ask questions, and from your answers they draw parallel with themselves, which in turn has the unconscious effect of making you like them more – and hence more likely to agree to their requests.
