9 Common Scams and The Tactics to Watch Out For

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsTypes of Scams to Watch Out ForThe Psychology of Getting ScammedHow You Can Protect YourselfCommon Red FlagsWhat To Do If You’ve Been ScammedKeep in Mind

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Types of Scams to Watch Out For

The Psychology of Getting Scammed

How You Can Protect Yourself

Common Red Flags

What To Do If You’ve Been Scammed

Keep in Mind

Close

When we hear stories about people who’ve been scammed, it’s easy to make a quick assumption that the victim was careless or gullible. We’re sympathetic, but question how they were unable to see the red flags.

This is why it’s important to understand the most common types of scams and how these scams operate. It allows us to better protect ourselves and our loved ones from falling prey to cybercrime.

Here are some of the most common scam types to watch out for:

Imposter Scams

Scammers may pose as a law enforcement official, bank representative, recruitment agency or employer, or tech support of a legitimate business with bogus credentials.

Pig Butchering Scams

The swindlers let you enjoy small wins initially to build trust and encourage larger investments, aka “fattening up the pig,” until you go all in. Once you do that, they disappear with all your money (aka the “butchering”).

Romance Scams

This type of long-drawn fraud involves attackers using fake online personas on dating sites or social media to trick potential targets. They go to great lengths to win your trust and affection and convince you that the relationship is real. Once they have your heart, they come for the money. It’s often in the form of a false emergency that requires immediate financial help.

The scammers use exploitative tactics likelove bombingandgaslightingto make the victim question their own judgment and pressure them into acting hastily.

Payment App Scams

These scams use unauthorized methods to steal your money or sensitive information via peer-to-peer (P2P) payment apps such as Venmo, Cash App, Paypal, etc. Fraudsters may send fake emails, invoices, or money transfer requests, pretend to be a buyer who made an overpayment, or “accidentally” send you money and request you to give it back.

Online Shopping Scams

Online purchase scams use fake websites, emails, or ad listings on social media (e.g., Facebook Marketplace) to trick people into buying something that doesn’t exist or isn’t what was advertised. Attackers employ various tactics to extract your money or personal data, including:

Delivery Scams

Package delivery scams use fake shipping alerts pretending to be from a legitimate courier service like USPS or FedEx to deceive online shoppers into paying for bogus deliveries. These scams often prompt you to click on a phony link to “reschedule” or “update your address,” which swindlers use to access your details.

Lottery Scams

Charity Scams

Charity scams involve seeking donations for nonprofits that do little to no work or don’t exist. For example, they may pretend to collect donations for local firefighters or military veterans. Charity scams are most prevalent during the holiday season and after disasters.

Robocall Scams

These scams use automated calls with pre-recorded messages to target potential victims. Answering a robocall puts you at risk of scammers stealing your personal or financial information. Common types include customer care, loan fraud, and travel scams.

Scam artists use several psychological tricks to establish trust and manipulate emotions. These include:

Because of the deeply violating nature of the crime, scam survivors often experiencesevere mental and emotional fallout.

“Being scammed can be a major psychological trauma,” says Dr. Stratyner. This can manifest as anxiety, paranoia, insomnia,PTSD, and depression.

In addition, difficult experiences like these can challenge a person’s ‘just world belief.’ “This is a belief that, in general, when people work hard and do the right things, good things will happen to them,” explainsArianna Galligher, associate director of the Stress, Trauma, and Resilience (STAR) program at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

So when something terrible does happen, “some people will conclude that they must have done something wrong to bring about this outcome. This can also lead to heightened anxiety and difficultytrusting oneselfand others,” says Galligher.

How Cognitive Biases Influence the Way You Think and Act

It’s important to first acknowledge that scams can happen to literallyanyone. Many people assume it would never happen to them, it in fact makes them more vulnerable because they let their guard down more easily, says Dr. Choulet.

In psychology, this is known as optimism bias, which is the cognitive tendency to think we’re less likely than others to experience negative outcomes. “In reality, it’s a false sense of security,” Dr. Choulet explains.

Here are other key things to keep in mind to better protect yourself against scams, according to cybersecurity experts:

Below, Dr. Ramzan shares common warning signs that can help identify potential scams:

For Websites

For Email

For Online Shopping

Other Do’s and Don’ts

DoCreate strong, unique passwordsKeep software up-to-dateVerify identity before sharing personal informationUse secure payment methodsRegularly monitor your accountsCheck your privacy settingsUse a VPN on public wifiStay updated on scam alertsSeek help if needed

Create strong, unique passwords

Keep software up-to-date

Verify identity before sharing personal information

Use secure payment methods

Regularly monitor your accounts

Check your privacy settings

Use a VPN on public wifi

Stay updated on scam alerts

Seek help if needed

Reuse passwords

Ignore security alerts

Answer unsolicited requests

Share your verification codes or passwords

Save your bank card details on websites

If you suspect you have been scammed, it’s crucial to act quickly to minimize potential damage. Here are some recommended steps from O’Neill:

Report the scam

There’s a Reason Even The Smartest People Fall For Scams

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