Scammers Use And Exploit Victim Needs To Lure Victims In And Control Them
Scammer Lures: Decoding Our Obsession With Needs And Greed
Karl Marx famously said humans are “creatures of need.” But as even this remark suggests, we’ve always been “creatures of want.”
“I’m not needy. I’m wanty.”
ScamScam A Scam is a confidence trick - a crime - is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust through deception. Scams or confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, irresponsibility, or greed and exploiting that. Researchers have defined confidence tricks as "a distinctive species of fraudulent conduct ... intending to further voluntary exchanges that are not mutually beneficial", as they "benefit con operators ('con men' - criminals) at the expense of their victims (the 'marks')". A scam is a crime even if no money was lost. victims need to understand how their needs can be exploited and used to lure them into the scam. These are some of the more basic scammer lures they use.
Understanding them can help you both understand what happened to you but also how to avoid scamsScams A Scam is a confidence trick - a crime - is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust through deception. Scams or confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, irresponsibility, or greed and exploiting that. Researchers have defined confidence tricks as "a distinctive species of fraudulent conduct ... intending to further voluntary exchanges that are not mutually beneficial", as they "benefit con operators ('con men' - criminals) at the expense of their victims (the 'marks')". A scam is a crime even if no money was lost. in the future.
Where Did Our Obsession With Needs And Need Fulfillment Begin?
The most visible resource for this is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. This eminent psychologist proposed that humans are not nearly as transparent in their motivations as the word “need” suggests. We are not driven purely by necessities. Instead, Maslow delved into our collective psyches and unearthed different kinds of needs.
Perhaps Maslow’s limitation — and therefore of those who adopt his framework — is the sweeping label of “needs” he gives to the higher-order life drivers. More appropriately, these are desires. Or, as we could call them, greeds. We use the words greed, desire, and want interchangeably to signal that consumption is no longer driven by necessity.
The Key Point Is That Needs Are Finite, And We Have Long Moved On From Satisfying Them. Greeds, On The Other Hand, Are Infinite
Consider that physiological “needs” are as basic as breathing. However, we no longer merely “need” to breathe to live. We want air purifiers, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, air conditioners, air fresheners, and nonpolluting vehicles. We want rejuvenating areas that satisfy our craving for space that doesn’t cramp us physically or psychologically. Spas are as much a solution for better breathing as they are for better being.
Shoes were originally created in response to a safety “need,” to protect feet from dust, grime, and harm from protruding objects on the ground. We only needed one pair, until they wore out then we needed another. Today, we desire shoes to match our clothes, our occasions, our personalities, and our social milieu. The biggest clue to where the future lies though is still in the plaintive cry of “I need new shoes!” we continue to hear from people.
Our sustenance needs food. But we crave a lot more from food than mere hunger satisfaction. We want to satisfy our desires for gluttony, for things gourmet, for comfort (“just like mom’s cooking”,) bragging rights (“you haven’t eaten at Salt Water Café yet? Where do you live?”,) achievement (“you haven’t arrived until you get the corner table at Bungalow 9”,) and so much more. For protection from the elements, we need shelter. But we want a lot more from the place we live in: elegance, attitude, vibrancy, the right vista, the right address, the right neighbors, the right amenities, the right schools in the neighborhood, the right conveniences, and the social signals that emanate from having all of the preceding.
It is obvious that needs have given way to desires. The hidden truth is that we are all also well on our way to turning desires into needs. Or at least in articulating our desires as our needs.
A new perspective thus emerges of what drives consumption, and in fact, human behaviorBehavior Behavior / Behavioral Actions Otherwise known as habits, behavior or behavioral actions are strategies to help prevent online exploitation that target behavior, such as social engineering of victims. Changing your behavior is the ONLY effective means to reduce or prevent scams.. The second, deeper meaning is this: Needs define a category (eg food, hunger satisfaction), but desires define societal segments (eg victims, connoisseurs, social butterflies, achievers). Distinct segments desire different inputs and outcomes. And we gravitate toward them instinctively. But criminals use them to exploit us all – they become the scammer lures that enable the scam.
Consider a 21st-century category such as social networking
Social networking serves the need of people to connect with one another. Some people gather on Twitter, friends and family often prefer Facebook, relationship seekers go to dating websites & appsApps Applications or Apps An application (software), commonly referred to as an ‘app’ is a program on a computer, tablet, mobile phone or device. Apps are designed for specific tasks, including checking the weather, accessing the internet, looking at photos, playing media, mobile banking, etc. Many apps can access the internet if needed and can be downloaded (used) either for a price or for free. Apps are a major point of vulnerability on all devices. Some are designed to be malicious, such as logging keystrokes or activity, and others can even transport malware. Always be careful about any app you are thinking about installing., entertainment seekers throng YouTube, geo-proximate people congregate on FourSquare, the visual stimulus enthusiast community hangs out on Instagram and Pinterest, and so on.
In simpler times, needs were much simpler. Today’s consumers, however, follow a more complex pattern of behavior. Abundant supply and choice in the marketplace signal the primacy of want (or desire or greed) in driving consumption.
So Why Are We Talking About This?
Because this is a driver of part of your vulnerability to scams, fraudFraud In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain (money or other assets), or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compensation) or criminal law (e.g., a fraud perpetrator may be prosecuted and imprisoned by governmental authorities), or it may cause no loss of money, property, or legal right but still be an element of another civil or criminal wrong. The purpose of fraud may be monetary gain or other benefits, for example by obtaining a passport, travel document, or driver's license, or mortgage fraud, where the perpetrator may attempt to qualify for a mortgage by way of false statements. A fraud can also be a hoax, which is a distinct concept that involves deliberate deception without the intention of gain or of materially damaging or depriving a victim., and deception we need you to understand how it plays into vulnerability and becomes a scammer lure. It is a tool that serves as scammer lures that pulls victims into the scam
However, the criminals’ success lies not just in catering to a victim’s wants. That is merely the first step. Lasting success comes from turning that want, that greed into a need over and over again throughout the life of the crime. Basic human nature, even in times of prosperity, tends to be predictably rational (or irrational, actually) in more easily justifying need fulfillment over greed fulfillment for fear of being judged by society as wanton creatures. The elusive formula, then, is to (a) go beyond need, (b) cater to greed, and (c) convert greed to need, in order to create enduring victims.
The bottom line is this. In seeking such desires, people turn to places (in the real world and online) where they think they will find it — as much for desire fulfillment as for choice, experience, and kinship with others who have sought fulfillment of the same desires. Then this becomes the way thatHow did we come to this?
Why did we explore this? Because this is part of what led you into the scam – this is a primary lure mechanism, and the scammers use this helps maintain passivity during the scam. In other words, this is an initial vulnerability and then exploited becomes part of the control mechanisms.
How Does This Apply To Different Scars?
The following will help you understand how needs set you up for failure and served as lures that scammers use to pull you in.
- Romance scams – the need in this case is the need for a relationship. Even if the victim did not want a relationship there was a need for human connection – someone to talk to and who would listen.
- Pig ButcheringPig Butchering Sha Zhu Pan 殺主盤 “Pig Butchering” This is a scam type that originated in China involving the scammer developing a relationship with the victim - sometimes romantic sometimes not - and leading the victim to invest in a fake company or asset. These typically target smart younger women. Scams – these begin in much the same way as a romance scam with basically the same need, but instead of carrying through on the full level of manipulation, the scam flips the need to a different type of greed. Why do people invest? They want what more money brings – so instead of heavy manipulation, this need drives the scam through to the end.
- Lotto Scams – this is a simpler kind of need or greed, the desire for a boatload of money, not at investment levels, but money falling from the sky levels.
- Phone Scams – most phone scams are based upon a desire for safety – they are fear-based – someone or something is in trouble and the person on the phone can fix it and take away the fear.
- Phishing Scams – these are the outliers, there is really no specific desire per se. The message can define the desire, but often it is just poor impulse control that results in these.
In essence, these are the desires, needs, greeds, that scammers use to lure you in. But once lured in, they own you until the scam ends or they make a functional mistake during their execution of the crime.
But You Felt It Was Not Right?
Keep in mind that victims often sense things during the scam. We don’t disagree with that, but we do not believe it is what victims believe they are.
- In a romance scam, it is also an abusive relationship. So victims sensed the abusive aspects of it without being aware of the crime.
- In the case of investment scamsInvestment Scams When a caller claims to have a promising investment opportunity that will help you get rich quick, it's likely a scam., it is often the case that the victim will have doubts about the amount of money they are investing – a kind of advance remorse or doubts – not about the crime being committed, but just about the investment risk itself.
Summary
It is very important to eventually deconstruct the scam into its relevant parts so that you can understand why it happened, what the initial mistake was, and why you are not to blameBlame Blame or Blaming is the act of censuring, holding responsible, making negative statements about an individual or group that their action or actions are socially or morally irresponsible, the opposite of praise. When someone is morally responsible for doing something wrong, their action is blameworthy. By contrast, when someone is morally responsible for doing something right, we may say that his or her action is praiseworthy. Blame imparts responsibility for an action or act, as in that they made a choice to perform that act or action..
Your biases and coping mechanism will tell you it was different than this, but when you have the ability to think this through you will come to accept it.
In the meantime, accept that you are the victim of well-trained professional criminals and you were neither prepared nor skilled enough to avoid the scam.
There is no shameShame Shame is an unpleasant self-conscious emotion typically associated with a negative evaluation of the self; withdrawal motivations; and feelings of distress, exposure, mistrust, powerlessness, and worthlessness. or blame in that!
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Our managed peer supportPeer support Peer support occurs when people provide knowledge, experience, emotional, social or practical help to each other. It commonly refers to an initiative consisting of trained supporters and can take a number of forms such as peer mentoring, reflective listening (reflecting content and/or feelings), or in a support group. Peer support is also used to refer to initiatives where colleagues, members of self-help organizations and others meet, in person or online, to give each other connection and support on a reciprocal basis. Peer support is distinct from other forms of social support in that the source of support is a peer, a person who is similar in fundamental ways to the recipient of the support; their relationship is one of equality. A peer is in a position to offer support by virtue of relevant experience: he or she has "been there, done that" and can relate to others who are now in a similar situation. Trained peer support workers such as SCARS Volunteers receive special training and may be required to obtain Continuing Education Units, similar to clinical staff. Some other trained peer support workers may also be law-enforcement personnel and firefighters as well as emergency medical responders. groups allow victims to talk to other survivorsSurvivor A Scam Survivor is a victim who has been able to fully accept the reality of their situation. That they were the victim of a crime and are not to blame. They are working on their emotional recovery and reduction of any trauma either on their own, through a qualified support organization, or through counseling or therapy. And has done their duty and reported the crime to their local police, national police, and on Anyscam.com and recover in the most experienced environment possible, for as long as they need. Recovery takes as long as it takes – we put no limits on our support!
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We also offer separate support groupsSupport Groups In a support group, members provide each other with various types of help, usually nonprofessional and nonmaterial, for a particular shared, usually burdensome, characteristic, such as romance scams. Members with the same issues can come together for sharing coping strategies, to feel more empowered and for a sense of community. The help may take the form of providing and evaluating relevant information, relating personal experiences, listening to and accepting others' experiences, providing sympathetic understanding and establishing social networks. A support group may also work to inform the public or engage in advocacy. They can be supervised or not. SCARS support groups are moderated by the SCARS Team and or volunteers. for family & friends too.
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This program is designed to help scam victims struggling to recover on their own and for those who want to understand the overall process. You can be using other resources, such as traumaTrauma Emotional and psychological trauma is the result of extraordinarily stressful events that shatter your sense of security, making you feel helpless in a dangerous world. Psychological trauma can leave you struggling with upsetting emotions, memories, and anxiety that won’t go away. It can also leave you feeling numb, disconnected, and unable to trust other people. Traumatic experiences often involve a threat to life or safety or other emotional shocks, but any situation that leaves you feeling overwhelmed and isolated can result in trauma, even if it doesn’t involve physical harm. It’s not the objective circumstances that determine whether an event is traumatic, but your subjective emotional experience of the event. The more frightened and helpless you feel, the more likely you are to be traumatized. Trauma requires treatment, either through counseling or therapy or through trauma-oriented support programs, such as those offered by SCARS. counseling or therapy, qualified support groups, or completely independent – on your own!
The SCARS Steps program is a complete program and is provided for the purpose of helping scam victims to overcome this experience. Throughout this SCARS Steps Program, we speak about issues and challenges that a victim may have and help guide them through their recovery. But each person is different and it is important to understand your own reasons for being vulnerable to being scammed.
After the trauma of being scammed, you need to take steps to recover and move on. This may be an alternative to counseling in the short term, but we still encourage you to seek out professional help & support. Throughout this SCARS Steps Program, we speak about issues, challenges, defects, or problems that a victim may have in a generalized way.
The SCARS GREEN BOOK will help you recover from your scam offline and it will always be there when you need it!
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A Guide For Families & Friends Of Scam Victims
HOW TO HELP ROMANCE SCAM VICTIMS FOR FAMILIES & FRIENDS OF SCAM VICTIMS
This SCARS Publishing book represents a complete guide to help the families and friends understand how these scams work and how to help the victim.
The SCARS Slate Book should be purchased by family and friends to better understand what happened to the victim and the traumatic impact on them. But it can also be shared by the victim so that they do not have to explain to family and friends about the scam. This publication is to help others to help Scam Victims to make it through this traumatic experience and recover.
Each person is different and it is important to understand how relationship scamsRelationship Scam A Relationship Scam is a one-to-one criminal act that involves a trust relationship and uses deception & manipulation to get a victim to give to the criminal something of value, such as money! Click here to learn more: What Is A Relationship Scam? work and why people are vulnerable; to being scammed, how they were lured in, then groomed and manipulated. This understanding is essential in helping them through the process of ending the scam and then on to recovery. The SCARS Slate Book will provide the information necessary to help support a victim through this process.
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As we have seen, money recovery/repayment programs can become available years after the scam ends and you need to keep all the details of this crime in case it is needed. We have also seen scammers being extradited to the U.S. and other countries, this will help in the event you testify or give statements, Additionally, this helps you have your information ready to qualify for victims’ benefits, compensation, or aid.
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By the Society of Citizens Against Relationship ScamsSCARS SCARS - Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc. A government registered crime victims' assistance & crime prevention nonprofit organization based in Miami, Florida, U.S.A. SCARS supports the victims of scams worldwide and through its partners in more than 60 countries around the world. Incorporated in 2015, its team has 30 years of continuous experience educating and supporting scam victims. Visit www.AgainstScams.org to learn more about SCARS. Inc.
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