
SCARS Institute’s Encyclopedia of Scams™ Published Continuously for 25 Years

RSN™ Guide: Anti-Scam Security Test For Your Friends & Family
Pretend To Be A Scammer To Save Your Friends & Family
Do You Want To Save Your Friends And Family From Scammers?
Here Is An Anti-Scammer Intrusion Test
The purpose is to test your friends and family reactions to a real-life scammer. In the world of cybersecurity, it is completely normal to perform unannounced tests to see how people respond.
For This Test You Will Need:
- A NEW GMAIL ACCOUNT
– Go to gmail.com and create a new Gmail email address - A NEW FAKE FACEBOOK ACCOUNT
– Create a new Facebook account using your new Gmail address – share a couple of things from other pages so you have a couple of posts in your timetime, and use a fake graphic as your profile image – we suggest photos of puppies or kittens.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Facebook tracks browsers. So to have two profiles you will need to devices or different browsers such as Chrome and Edge or Firefox.
Test Procedure:
- Find your original profile and send a friend request so you give access to your real profile and all of your friends and family. This will also let you see what others can see in your profile.
- Flip over to your real profile and accept your Friend Request
- Go back to your new fake profile
- Send Friend Requests to all of your real friends and family from the fake profile!
- See how many actually accept the friend request.
The purpose of this test is to see how many of your friends and family will accept a friend request from a stranger!
Results & Conclusion:
Every one of your friends and family that accepted the fake profile friend request could already be a victim of a scammer, because they accept friend requests from people they don’t know.
You don’t have to tell them the fake profile was you – but you can to drive home the point. You can tell them that they accepted a fake profile as a friend, and what if it had been a scammer or worse.
Talk to them about what this means, and that when they accepted the fake as a friend they gave the fake access to all of their friends too – including YOU!
Help them understand how dangerous fake profiles are, and how to protect themselves from them.
This is especially important if children accepted the fake friend request – you must explain why this was dangerous – children think they know more than you do about the web, so be explicit – a little fear can be healthy.
You Have To Do More To Fight Against Scammers And One Way To Do That Is Help Your Friends And Family Understand The Risks. Educate Them And Warn Them!
We would love to hear how this went for you? Please share your results!
RSN™ Team
a division of SCARS™
Miami Florida U.S.A.
END
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Tell us about your experiences with Romance Scammers in our Scams Discussion Forum on Facebook »
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FAQ: How Do You Properly Report Scammers?
It is essential that law enforcement knows about scams & scammers, even though there is nothing (in most cases) that they can do.
Always report scams involving money lost or where you received money to:
- Local Police – ask them to take an “informational” police report – say you need it for your insurance
- Your National Police or FBI (www.IC3.gov)
- The Scars Worldwide Reporting Network HERE or on www.Anyscam.com
This helps your government understand the problem, and allows law enforcement to add scammers on watch lists worldwide.
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Visit our NEW Main SCARS™ News & Information Facebook page for much more information about scams and online crime: www.facebook.com/SCARS.News.And.Information
To learn more about SCARS visit www.AgainstScams.org
Please be sure to report all scammers HERE or on www.Anyscam.com
All original content is Copyright © 1991 – 2018 SCARS All Rights Reserved Worldwide & Webwide – RSN/Romance Scams Now & SCARS/Society of Citizens Against Romance Scams are all trademarks of Society of Citizens Against Romance Scams Inc.
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Table of Contents
- RSN™ Guide: Anti-Scam Security Test For Your Friends & Family
- Pretend To Be A Scammer To Save Your Friends & Family
- Here Is An Anti-Scammer Intrusion Test
- For This Test You Will Need:
- Test Procedure:
- Results & Conclusion:
- You Have To Do More To Fight Against Scammers And One Way To Do That Is Help Your Friends And Family Understand The Risks. Educate Them And Warn Them!
- Tell us about your experiences with Romance Scammers in our Scams Discussion Forum on Facebook »
- Please be sure to report all scammers HERE or on www.Anyscam.com
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Important Information for New Scam Victims
- Please visit www.ScamVictimsSupport.org – a SCARS Website for New Scam Victims & Sextortion Victims
- Enroll in FREE SCARS Scam Survivor’s School now at www.SCARSeducation.org
- Please visit www.ScamPsychology.org – to more fully understand the psychological concepts involved in scams and scam victim recovery
If you are looking for local trauma counselors please visit counseling.AgainstScams.org or join SCARS for our counseling/therapy benefit: membership.AgainstScams.org
If you need to speak with someone now, you can dial 988 or find phone numbers for crisis hotlines all around the world here: www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines
A Note About Labeling!
We often use the term ‘scam victim’ in our articles, but this is a convenience to help those searching for information in search engines like Google. It is just a convenience and has no deeper meaning. If you have come through such an experience, YOU are a Survivor! It was not your fault. You are not alone! Axios!
A Question of Trust
At the SCARS Institute, we invite you to do your own research on the topics we speak about and publish, Our team investigates the subject being discussed, especially when it comes to understanding the scam victims-survivors experience. You can do Google searches but in many cases, you will have to wade through scientific papers and studies. However, remember that biases and perspectives matter and influence the outcome. Regardless, we encourage you to explore these topics as thoroughly as you can for your own awareness.
Statement About Victim Blaming
Some of our articles discuss various aspects of victims. This is both about better understanding victims (the science of victimology) and their behaviors and psychology. This helps us to educate victims/survivors about why these crimes happened and to not blame themselves, better develop recovery programs, and to help victims avoid scams in the future. At times this may sound like blaming the victim, but it does not blame scam victims, we are simply explaining the hows and whys of the experience victims have.
These articles, about the Psychology of Scams or Victim Psychology – meaning that all humans have psychological or cognitive characteristics in common that can either be exploited or work against us – help us all to understand the unique challenges victims face before, during, and after scams, fraud, or cybercrimes. These sometimes talk about some of the vulnerabilities the scammers exploit. Victims rarely have control of them or are even aware of them, until something like a scam happens and then they can learn how their mind works and how to overcome these mechanisms.
Articles like these help victims and others understand these processes and how to help prevent them from being exploited again or to help them recover more easily by understanding their post-scam behaviors. Learn more about the Psychology of Scams at www.ScamPsychology.org
Psychology Disclaimer:
All articles about psychology and the human brain on this website are for information & education only
The information provided in this article is intended for educational and self-help purposes only and should not be construed as a substitute for professional therapy or counseling.
While any self-help techniques outlined herein may be beneficial for scam victims seeking to recover from their experience and move towards recovery, it is important to consult with a qualified mental health professional before initiating any course of action. Each individual’s experience and needs are unique, and what works for one person may not be suitable for another.
Additionally, any approach may not be appropriate for individuals with certain pre-existing mental health conditions or trauma histories. It is advisable to seek guidance from a licensed therapist or counselor who can provide personalized support, guidance, and treatment tailored to your specific needs.
If you are experiencing significant distress or emotional difficulties related to a scam or other traumatic event, please consult your doctor or mental health provider for appropriate care and support.
Also read our SCARS Institute Statement about Professional Care for Scam Victims – click here to go to our ScamsNOW.com website.
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