The Costume of Truth: Why We Trust the Logo, the Lab Coat, and the Lanyard

Not all deception hides in the shadows. Some of it walks right in — wearing a badge, a clipboard, or a lab coat. In the latest issue of Deceptive Minds, I explore one of the most powerful tools in the scammer’s playbook: credibility theater — the subtle art of looking legitimate enough to bypass your skepticism. Inside this issue: 🎭 Why we trust uniforms, logos, and titles more than facts 🧠 The psychology behind “surface-level trust” 📜 Historical scams that used nothing but confidence and costumes 🔍 How social engineers, phishers, and marketers use the same tricks today 🛡️ And how to train your brain (and your team) to see through the performance Because sometimes, the most dangerous deception doesn’t sneak past you — it gets waved through the front door. 🧠 Join 4,000+ others exploring how deception works — and what to do about it. Want to check out the print version? You can ⁠⁠get here as a LinkedIn newslette⁠r⁠. Or you can subscribe to the email version on my website: ⁠⁠https://TheDeceptionProject.com⁠⁠ Anything you'd like me to cover in a future edition? Stay sharp, — Perry hello [at] 8thLayerMedia [dot] com Check out The FAIK Files, episode 27: Prove Yourself!! Audio version of the podcast: https://thecyberwire.com/podcasts/the-faik-files/37/notes YouTube Version: https://youtu.be/m4TYB40oThg?si=AqzkaqHqD3QBXLLu Link to my Google VEO 3 experiment, "The Sandwich Incident: https://youtu.be/DvsFm1XII6U Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices