SCARS Institute’s Encyclopedia of Scams™ Published Continuously for 25 Years
Scams & Magic – The Turn: A Critical Moment
Part 18
Understanding the Methods Used by Both Scammers and Magicians to Deceive
Psychology of Scams – A SCARS Insight
Author:
• Tim McGuinness, Ph.D., DFin, MCPO, MAnth – Anthropologist, Scientist, Director of the Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc.
Article Abstract
“The Turn: A Critical Moment in Magic and Scams” explores how both magicians and scammers utilize a pivotal phase to deepen audience or victim engagement.
In magic, “The Turn” is where the magician performs the central action of the trick, maintaining suspense and heightening curiosity. This phase involves core manipulations, such as making objects disappear, while engaging the audience through misdirection and interactive elements, ensuring the final reveal is more impactful.
In scams, “The Turn” involves a critical escalation, such as a sudden crisis or urgent request, exploiting the victim’s trust and emotional investment. Scammers introduce high-stakes situations to induce stress, urgency, and compliance, making the victim more likely to act without critical evaluation.
Recognizing the structure of “The Turn” in both contexts can help individuals maintain a critical perspective and avoid manipulation.
The Turn: A Critical Moment in Magic and Scams
The Turn: A Critical Moment In Magic
In the realm of stage magic, “The Turn” refers to the middle phase of a magic trick where the magician performs the central action that sets up the climax or final reveal. This phase is crucial as it involves the actual execution of the main technique or trick that the entire performance hinges upon, yet it does not resolve the trick or reveal its secret to the audience.
Execution of Technique:
Core Action: The turn often involves a key action or manipulation, such as making an object disappear, changing its form, or secretly switching one object for another. The magician performs this action under the cover of misdirection, so while the audience knows that something critical is happening, they cannot discern exactly what.
Sustained Suspense: The magician maintains the suspense built during the build-up, keeping the audience guessing about how the trick will resolve. This heightens their anticipation and focus on the magician’s every move.
Deepening the Mystery:
Complexity and Confusion: During the turn, magicians might introduce additional elements or complexities that make the audience question their initial assumptions about the trick. This adds layers to the illusion, enhancing the overall mystery.
Engaging the Audience: This phase often involves direct audience interaction, where participants may be asked to verify something or make a choice that seems to influence the outcome. This engagement is critical in making the audience feel involved and responsible for the outcome, further deepening their engagement and surprise during the reveal.
Psychological Effects in Magic:
Enhanced Curiosity and Investment: The turn increases the audience’s curiosity and emotional investment as they try to figure out the trick. The heightened suspense makes the final reveal more impactful.
Cognitive Engagement: The audience is actively trying to solve the mystery, which keeps them cognitively engaged and more susceptible to being amazed by the trick’s outcome.
Misdirection Success: Effective use of misdirection during the turn keeps the audience’s attention diverted from the magician’s covert actions, making the magic feel more impossible and thus more impressive.
The Turn: A Critical Moment In Scams
In scams, “The Turn” is the phase where the scammer’s narrative takes a pivotal turn, often involving a crisis or a significant escalation of commitment. This is where the scammer’s true intentions begin to emerge more clearly, yet the full deceit is not completely unveiled.
Critical Request or Crisis:
Escalation of Demands: After building trust and engagement in the build-up phase, the scammer introduces a critical, often urgent situation that requires the victim’s immediate response, such as a financial emergency, a legal issue, or a personal crisis.
Request for Action: The victim is asked to take significant action, typically involving sending money, sharing sensitive information, or making a substantial commitment. This request is often framed as essential and urgent, exploiting the victim’s emotional investment.
Increasing Psychological Leverage:
Exploitation of Trust: By this point, the scammer has likely established a degree of trust, which they exploit to make their requests seem legitimate and necessary.
Amplifying Emotional Stakes: The turn in a scam is designed to create high emotional stakes for the victim, making them feel that failing to comply could have disastrous personal or financial consequences.
Psychological Effects in Scams:
Urgency and Stress: The introduction of a crisis or urgent demand induces stress and a sense of urgency, impairing the victim’s ability to think critically and evaluate the situation rationally.
Increased Commitment: The sunk cost fallacy may take effect, where the victim feels too invested to back out now, leading them to comply with the scammer’s escalated demands.
Emotional Distress: The turn can create significant emotional distress, as the victim is faced with the possibility of losing their investment, disappointing someone they care about, or facing imagined negative consequences.
Comparison and Conclusion
In both magic and scams, “The Turn” is a pivotal moment that deepens engagement and sets the stage for the climax. In magic, this engagement is used to enhance entertainment, making the audience part of a memorable and enjoyable experience. In scams, however, the engagement is manipulative and harmful, designed to deepen the victim’s involvement to a point where they are more likely to make significant concessions or decisions under duress.
Recognizing the structure of “The Turn” in both contexts can help audiences and potential victims maintain a critical perspective, recognizing when they are being manipulated and perhaps reconsidering their engagement before it leads to irreversible consequences.
Continue the SCARS Institute Series on Scams & Magic
- Scams & Magic Part 1 – Understanding Financial Fraud Through The Lense Of Stage Magic Manipulation
- Scams & Magic Part 2 – How Relationship Scammers Use Techniques Similar To Magic Acts
- Scams & Magic Part 3 – The Prestige: The Ultimate Revelation
- Scams & Magic Part 4 – The Misdirection: A Key Element
- Scams & Magic Part 5 – The Backstory Setup: Crafting Believable Narratives
- Scams & Magic Part 6 – The Flourish: Adding Flair And Distraction
- Scams & Magic Part 7 – The Time Pressure: Urgency As A Tool
- Scams & Magic Part 8 – Other Stage Magic Techniques Used In Scams
- Scams & Magic Part 9 – The Setup And Anticipation
- Scams & Magic Part 10 – Patter And Rapport
- Scams & Magic Part 11 – Sleight Of Hand
- Scams & Magic Part 12 – The Misdirection Through Details
- Scams & Magic Part 13 – The Switch: Deception
- Scams & Magic Part 14 – The Controlled Reveal: Crafting Suspense
- Scams & Magic Part 15 – The Clean-Up: Final Acts
- Scams & Magic Part 16 – The Setup Or Pre-Show Work
- Scams & Magic Part 17 – The Build-Up: Crafting Suspense And Anticipation
- Scams & Magic Part 18 – The Turn: A Critical Moment
- Scams & Magic Part 19 – Forcing: Manipulating Choices
- Scams & Magic Part 20 – The Load: Strategic Placement
- Scams & Magic Part 21 – The Vanish: Disappearance Acts
- Scams & Magic Part 22 – Transformation: Shaping Realities
- Scams & Magic Part 23 – Restoration: Rebuilding
- Scams & Magic Part 24 – Stage Magic Glossary
More About Magic and Scams
- Equivocation – The Magician’s Choice – The Arts Of Manipulation
- Psychic Scams – Exploiting Scam Victims’ Cognitive Biases And Magical Thinking
- The Art Of Deception: The Fundamental Principals Of Successful Deceptions
- Paradoxical Persuasion – A Scammer Psychological Manipulation Technique
- Suggestibility – A Victim Vulnerability
More About The Psychology of Magic
- The Psychology Of Illusion: How Magicians Manipulate Your Mind And Perception | Alan Hudson
- Advanced Card Magic Techniques: The Ultimate Guide – Card Tricks
- 100 BEST Magic Tricks Revealed! (Video Tutorials) – Improve Magic
- The Magical Art of Manipulation
- Editorial: The Psychology of Magic and the Magic of Psychology – PMC (nih.gov)
- Psychology, stage magic, and demand characteristics — A.P. Grayson (apgrayson.com)
-/ 30 /-
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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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