I’ve always been interested in the darker side of a person’s personality, especially deviant behavior. I want to know why someone would turn away from the straight and narrow. So I often watch shows about scam artists and their victims. And I’m thinking to myself, how did they fall for their scams? Do they use certain tools to manipulate someone? Do they have to have certain personality traits to pull off a scam? Is there a perfect victim? Well, all of the above are true. But before we examine the signs of a scam artist, let’s take a look at the type of person they are targeting.

Perfect time for cheat artists

Unfortunately, anyone can fall victim to a scam artist. We are all incredibly busy these days. We don’t have time to check every email, text, or phone call. Furthermore, scam artists target us from every conceivable angle.

Decades ago, the con artist had to be confident and articulate. They must have face-to-face communication skills to convince someone to part with their money. We get the term fraudster from “confidence man.” But things have changed dramatically.

These days, we talk to people thousands of miles away without even seeing them. Likewise, there are many different forms of communication. And this is a big difference in our time.

In the past, the fraudster would have had to confront his victim. He (or she) will see, up close and personal, the damage done as a result of their deception. Now, the scammers are people who have sat away, in their gym clothes, targeting unknown people to whom they have absolutely no emotional connection.

As a result, anyone and everyone is under constant attack. If our intelligence is poor, our defenses are wide open.

So who is the perfect victim for a scam artist?

over the sixties
Lonely widower
Elderly retiree
Look for Love
risk takers
exhibition
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Scam artists will look for a specific type of victim, depending on the scam they want to perform. It is important to remember that a scam victim is not stupid. This is because scammers manipulate our feelings, not our intelligence. So, anyone in a vulnerable situation is particularly at risk.

For example, someone who recently lost their job, partner, or child. A person who is going through a major upheaval in life. But positive things can also make you vulnerable. For example, extremely good luck can skew your judgment.

All successful tricks depend more on desire than rationality. Scam victims often don’t want to know many details about the scam. They just need to know the outcome. In other words, would they be better off?

“Victims are not looking for why the show is a scam; they are looking for why the show is making them money. They want you to make them feel good so they can pull the trigger.” Anonymous fraudster

9 Signs of a scam artist and their tools of manipulation

They use your name

Using a person’s first name is an effective way to connect emotionally with someone. It instantly creates a bond between two people. You feel special, like you matter to that person, especially if this is your first meeting.

It mirrors your body language

This is a classic manipulation tool used by scammers. By copying your body language, the scam artist is subconsciously forming an attachment to you. You feel drawn to them but aren’t sure why.

‘ We’re in this together

“We’re in this together.” “You and I will become rich.” “We’ll make a lot of money.” First, why would someone want to share their wealth with you? Especially if you are a stranger to them.

Humans tend to hoard their wealth, so be very careful if a stranger wants to include you in a money-making scheme. Second, you will feel like a team and not alone in any risky activity.

But there is always a time limit

You will often see unscrupulous salespeople doing this to close a deal. There is this great offer on hand, but you have to sign on the dotted line within the hour or the deal is over. This tactic plays on the FOMO effect. We don’t want to miss out on much. Listen, no deal is a good deal because it doesn’t stand up to scrutiny and time spent away thinking about it.

You will win a little at first

To get you to sign up for any scam, you will earn a small amount of money in the short term. This is done to build your confidence. This is also done to lock you in a situation. You are now locked into a scheme. You are an investor, both literally and figuratively. You have a psychological need to keep going. Of course, it won’t last.

Camera artists are good listeners

You might think that the majority of scammers are skilled communicators, but having good listening skills is just as important. The reason they listen so much is because they need to know what is going to be a deal breaker for you and what is a deal breaker.

They will show their flaws

Studies show that we trust someone who is not perfect. At first, the scam artist will let you in on small blemishes showing their flaws. Of course, it wouldn’t be a huge thing to put you off. I mean, they wouldn’t trust a psychopath who just killed his mother. He will be young enough to earn your trust.

Scammers start small

Romance scammers tend to ask for small amounts of money that then increase over time. Reasons can vary from paying off small debts to helping stop bankruptcy. Although the amounts may start as low as 100 pounds or a dollar, the victim could end up giving away their life savings in the hundreds of thousands.

A scam artist who will count on your embarrassment

Why do so many scams go unpunished or prosecuted? Because the victim feels very embarrassed about being deceived. This is what the scammer is counting on. We often see elderly scam victims refuse to come forward because they feel too ashamed of being scammed.