The Dark Art of Social Engineering - Manipulation and Deception in Online Scams

In this episode we define what social engineering is and how it is used to manipulate scam victims into giving money away to criminals. We talk about what happens in our brain and different concepts such as mirroring, leveraging cognitive biases and the human nature of kindness and helpfulness. We review stories shared by guests from previous episodes such as Erin West, Matt Friedman, Chris Salgado and Seth Ruden, and analyze the specific manipulation that happened in each of those scam stories.

Support groups:

1. Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams: https://romancescamsnow.com/
2. Scam Survivors: https://scamsurvivors.com/
3. Victim Support: https://www.victimsupport.org.uk/
4. Fraud Aid: https://www.fraudaid.com/
5. Cyber Civil Rights Initiative: https://www.cybercivilrights.org/
6. The National Cyber Security Centre: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/
7. Consumer Fraud Reporting: https://www.consumerfraudreporting.org/
8. The Cyber Helpline: https://www.thecyberhelpline.com/
9. The Federal Trade Commission: https://www.ftc.gov/
10. AARP Fraud Watch Network is https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/fraud-watch-network/.

In addition to these resources, the AARP Fraud Watch Network also offers a helpline (1-877-908-3360) staffed by trained volunteers who can provide support and guidance to individuals who have been targeted by scams.

 This podcast is hosted by Ayelet Biger-Levin  who spent the last 15 years building technology to help financial institutions authenticate their customers and identify fraud. She believes that when it comes to scams, the story starts well before the transaction. She has created this podcast to talk about the human side of scams, and to learn from people who have decided to dedicate their lives to speaking up on behalf of scam victims and who take action to solve this problem. Be sure to follow her on LinkedIn and reach out to learn about her additional activities in this space. Organizations which fight scams www.theknoble.com - connecting fraud fighters to combat all fiorms of human crime www.gasa.org - connecting several groups such as regulatory, law enforcement, vendors and others to drive change www.romancescamsnow.com - support victims of romance scams