Conned, tricked, spammed, slammed and scammed!
Apparently, we are getting ripped off more and more. It is now so prevalent that Nigel Latta, New Zealand’s go-to psychologist, has done a television series on the subject: You’ve Been Scammed. In this series, Latta demonstrates the various psychological tactics used by scammers to cajole, confuse and coerce people into unwittingly forking over wads of their hard-earned cash.
He exposes the tactics used by scammers, the psychological ruses they use to gain the confidence of their targets. These include playing on people’s Fomo (fear of missing out) by insisting time is running out to take advantage of a particular gold-plated opportunity. Even sleight of hand and distraction are used, the scammers conjuring up the skills of a classic magician.
Over the school holidays, we had our granddaughter stay. One of the activities she took part in was magic - she had a magician’s box of tricks which she used to enthusiastically perform tricks to her various whānau members. Tiny pompoms disappeared into false thumbs, cards appeared and disappeared, and a magic wand was waved about with much flourish. Tune in to Latta’s show and he will show you the allure of the magician is all part of the scammer’s toolbox.
It’s always baffling when you hear of people getting scammed, particularly when you know them and know they are otherwise sensible people. A few years ago, a friend of mine was convinced they had been randomly selected to get an overseas trip at a heavily discounted price. The international jaunt included a Caribbean cruise and five-star beachfront accommodation.