SCARS™ Subject Focus: The Psychology Of Romance Scams
Romance Scams Are Infinitely Complex And Leave Victims With Significant Trauma
Attention is like a spotlight, which means when it’s pointing in one direction it pretty much ignores everything else. This is how a Romance Scam starts!
Except people don’t realize how little information coming in from the outside world we actually process. Naturally, you don’t notice what you don’t notice, plus the mind is designed to fill in the gaps for us. But fraudsters do know and almost every con uses some kind of distraction – a kind of social engineering to get you to do what the scammer wants you to do.
Scammers know all about social compliance and happily exploit our automatic deference to authority figures such as soldiers. People will hand over credit cards to people they think are waiters, car keys to people they think are car park attendants and give access to their house to people they think are from the water board. The best known online example is a ‘phishing attack’ where people give fraudsters their bank details in response to an email that purports to be from their bank.
These are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to social engineering scams. To truly learn how victims are manipulated and all of the mechanisms involved, we invite you to read our SCARS Library (below) on the subject of the Psychology of Romance Scams!
SCARS™ Team
A SCARS Division
Miami Florida U.S.A.
Scams & Magic Part 17 – The Build-Up: Crafting Suspense and Anticipation – 2024
Scams & Magic - The Build-Up: Crafting Suspense and Anticipation Part 17 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 [...]
Scams & Magic Part 16 – The Setup or Pre-Show Work – 2024
Scams & Magic - The Setup or Pre-Show Work Part 16 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 [...]
Scams & Magic Part 15 – The Clean-Up: Final Acts – 2024
Scams & Magic - The Clean-Up: Final Acts Part 15 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 [...]
Scams & Magic Part 14 – The Controlled Reveal: Crafting Suspense – 2024
Scams & Magic - The Controlled Reveal: Crafting Suspense Part 14 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 [...]
Scams & Magic Part 13 – The Switch: Deception – 2024
Scams & Magic - The Switch: Deception Part 13 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 [...]
Scams & Magic Part 12 – The Misdirection Through Details – 2024
Scams & Magic - The Misdirection Through Details Part 12 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 [...]
Scams & Magic Part 11 – Sleight of Hand – 2024
Scams & Magic - Sleight of Hand Part 11 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 [...]
Scams & Magic Part 10 – Patter and Rapport – 2024
Scams & Magic - Patter and Rapport Part 10 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 [...]
Scams & Magic Part 9 – The Setup and Anticipation – 2024
Scams & Magic - The Setup and Anticipation Part 9 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 [...]
Scams & Magic Part 8 – Other Stage Magic Techniques Used in Scams – 2024
Scams & Magic - Other Stage Magic Techniques Used in Scams Part 8 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 [...]
Scams & Magic Part 7 – The Time Pressure: Urgency as a Tool – 2024
Scams & Magic - The Time Pressure: Urgency as a Tool Part 7 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 [...]
Scams & Magic Part 6 – The Flourish: Adding Flair and Distraction – 2024
Scams & Magic - The Flourish: Adding Flair and Distraction Part 6 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 [...]
Scams & Magic Part 5 – The Backstory Setup: Crafting Believable Narratives – 2024
Scams & Magic - The Backstory Setup: Crafting Believable Narratives Part 5 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 [...]
Scams & Magic Part 4 – The Misdirection: A Key Element – 2024
Scams & Magic - The Misdirection: A Key Element Part 4 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 [...]
Scams & Magic Part 3 – The Prestige: The Ultimate Revelation – 2024
Scams & Magic - The Prestige: The Ultimate Revelation Part 3 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 [...]
Scams & Magic Part 2 – How Relationship Scammers Use Techniques Similar to Magic Acts – 2024
Scams & Magic - How Relationship Scammers Use Techniques Similar to Magic Acts 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 [...]
Scams & Magic Part 1 – Understanding Financial Fraud Through The Lense Of Stage Magic Manipulation – 2024
Scams & Magic - Understanding Financial Fraud Through the Lense of Stage Magic Manipulation Introduction - Part 1 An Introduction to the Methods Used by Both Scammers and Magicians to Deceive Psychology of Scams - A SCARS Insight Author: • Tim McGuinness, Ph.D., DFin, MCPO, [...]
Coping with the Reality of Crime Victimization
Coping with the Reality of Crime Victimization Helping Scam Victims Understand What They Are Going To Face! Scam Victim Recovery - A SCARS Institute Insight Author: • Tim McGuinness, Ph.D., DFin, MCPO, MAnth - Anthropologist, Scientist, Director of the Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams [...]
Psychic Scams – Exploiting Scam Victims’ Cognitive Biases And Magical Thinking – 2024
Psychic Scams - Exploiting Scam Victims' Cognitive Biases and Magical Thinking Our Own Cognitive Biases and Belief in the Supernatural make us Prime Targets for Scammers! How Scams Work - A SCARS Insight Authors: • SCARS Institute Encyclopedia of Scams Editorial Team - Society of [...]
Sending A Letter To Your Scammer – Getting The Last Word – 2024
Sending A Letter To Your Scammer - Getting The Last Word! Most Scam Victims Wish They Could Have A Last Word! This Will Allow That Safely! Psychology of Scams - A SCARS Insight Article Abstract Sending a letter to your scammer can offer emotional closure [...]
TAGS: Psychology of Scams, Romance Scams, Social Compliance, Amygdala Hijack, Gaslighting, Stranger Trust, Trauma Bonding, PTSD, Victim Syndrome, Complex, Syndromes, Victimization,
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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|CDN™ Cybercriminal Data Network – 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 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 – 2020 SCARS All Rights Reserved Worldwide & Webwide – RSN/Romance Scams Now & SCARS/Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams are all trademarks of Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Incorporated (formerly the Society of Citizens Against Romance Scams)
Legal Notices:
All original content is Copyright © 1991 – 2020 SCARS All Rights Reserved Worldwide & Webwide. Third-party copyrights acknowledge.
SCARS, RSN, Romance Scams Now, SCARS|GLOBAL, SCARS, Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams, Society of Citizens Against Romance Scams, SCARS|ANYSCAM, Project Anyscam, Anyscam, SCARS|GOFCH, GOFCH, SCARS|CHINA, SCARS|CDN, SCARS Cybercriminal Data Network, Cobalt Alert, Scam Victims Support Group, are all trademarks of Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Incorporated.
Contact the law firm for the Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Incorporated by email at legal@AgainstScams.org
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