[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by Boomer

I started this thread over a month ago when I was reading the book Scam Me If You Can. I just now decided to add to the info because I have been reading more about scams — and — wow — even more sad, scary scams out there.

As I wrote in an earlier post here, there is actually neuroscience behind how scams work the brain, going after emotional responses.

I just found info on 60 different kinds of scams. Who knew there could be so many. And now we have to be aware of the potential for 2020 Census scams.

Of course, I know there are people who get all in a tizz at any mention of AARP. But if you are among those, I am asking you to please not cut your nose off to spite your face, please give some thought and maybe some time to reading further:

To find a ton of info, go to aarp.org and find the menu, top left. Drop down and there you will find a section titled “Scams and Fraud.” Lots of stuff there and when you scroll all the way to the bottom, that’s where you will see the list of more versions of scams than you could ever imagine. If something on the list gets your attention, just tap on it to open an article with the details.

It is known that seniors are often targeted by scammers. Why not learn what you can because what you don’t know just might hurt you.

I'm a member of AARP, have been one since the day after I turned 55. Hubby too. We used to get tons of discounts at local stores, but now we live in the Villages and there aren't any available for what we want (used to get 10% off at the local supermarket for instance). I also disagree with a lot of the information they pass on to people, especially medical advice. It's too generic, very "Cosmo Magazine-ish". Like 10 ways to lower your blood pressure and 20 best diet tips and 50 best excercises for over 60 and what not.

But when you pull the wheat from the chaff you find some useful tidbits.

[ColdNoMore]

Originally Posted by Boomer

Hey, BK, here goes:

Even though we already know some of this stuff, I still think Abagnale's book, Scam Me If you Can, is definitely worth reading.

Earlier in this thread, I talked about the part of the brain called the amygdala being targeted by cons.

Abagnale does not use the word 'amygdala' and does not dig into neuroscience, but in the section of the book called "The Playbook Exposed," he writes the CliffsNotes version of the same thing, as follows:

Con men are well trained in the techniques to get targets "under the ether." Ether is a condition of trust and even infatuation with what is being presented. Getting a victim under the ether is crucial to all cons, no matter where or how they are perpetrated. This heightened emotional state makes it hard for the victim to think clearly or make rational decisions. To get these victims under the either, fraudsters hit their fear, panic, and urgency buttons.

Whatever the scam, the victim's emotions must be tapped into.

The chapter "Great Real Estate Ruses" covers various types like rental rip-offs, timeshare resales, home-repair, etc. At the end of that section, he has a list of things to watch out for when hiring work to be done on your home. How many times have we seen posts on TOTV where a homeowner has been taken advantage of.

It would take way too long to get into all the types of scams covered in this book. But there sure is a whole lot stuff that will make you shake your head -- and stop and think.

BTW, today we got two of those Social Security scam calls, one from Texas and one from NY. We did not answer, but one of them left a voicemail saying that the SS number had been used at the Texas border and we should call back immediately. The voice on the message was that of a somewhat older woman, sounding so kind and sincere. -- Yep. Uh-huh. Such concern she pretended to have -- while running that old try-to-tap-into-paranoia routine.

Anyway, Scam Me If You Can is a quick read and entertaining, as well as downright scary -- and scams are only going to get worse. Abagnale quotes some dollar figures that are absolutely horrifying. On and on it goes.

I must have missed it when you originally posted it or I would have commented before now, but the underlined above...certainly explains a LOT of things.


Thanks!

[Boomer]

Please forgive me if I am making you feel like I am trying to launch some kind of lecture series, or trying to assign homework, with all these posts I keep writing about scams — but here I go again. (I figure maybe, just maybe, a potential victim or two might pick up some information that could make all the difference.)

The psychology of scamming is terrifyingly fascinating. Romance scams are among the most profitable.

For obvious reasons, romance scams are thriving in the world of the internet—even though there are plenty of romance scammers still out there, working their victims in-person.

Beyond the book and the list of articles that I have recommended, so far, in this thread, a Google of Romance Scams will also give lots of info on methods, along with appalling statistics.

(And, yes, I know it just happens to be Valentine’s Day. )

[Bucco]

Originally Posted by ColdNoMore

I must have missed it when you originally posted it or I would have commented before now, but the underlined above...certainly explains a LOT of things.


Thanks!

And always watch the "other hand"

[Velvet]

You just keep lecturing, Boomer. At least I appreciate it.

I bought the book you recommended and my hubby is still sore a bit about the debit cards I confiscated because of the warnings. (Had to give them back because he actually uses them when he can’t use credit cards.) But there are many other ideas in the book like the micro cut shredder, gel pen etc. that are useful.

[Boomer]

Originally Posted by Velvet

You just keep lecturing, Boomer. At least I appreciate it.

I bought the book you recommended and my hubby is still sore a bit about the debit cards I confiscated because of the warnings. (Had to give them back because he actually uses them when he can’t use credit cards.) But there are many other ideas in the book like the micro cut shredder, gel pen etc. that are useful.

Thank you, Velvet.

At least, I can promise not to give any pop quizzes.

I have read the book but am not yet through reading every one of those 60 one-page articles that can be opened from that list I recommended. Even the titles bring visions of terrible consequences for victims.

Speaking of books — a couple of years ago, I read a book titled Charlatan: America’s Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of FlimFlam by Pope Brock.

“Charlatan” is the true story of John R. Brinkley, who in 1917 made a fortune performing insane surgeries on men who thought he could restore their virility.

He had a staggering number of eager “patients” and became one of the richest men in America and a celebrity.

Brinkley was quite adept at using advertising and the media, including broadcasting, to rein in his willing victims — and this was in 1917. He certainly would have been even richer if he had today’s cyber-alleys and television available to him.

The quack-buster Morris Fishbein was on a mission to get him.

It is an interesting, chilling read. It is sad, too, because we know that when it comes to the human natures of scammers and their victims, there is “nothing new under the sun.”

And (sigh) just like in the title of the book about 1917, that “Age of FlimFlam” is still with us and thriving beyond what could ever have been imagined.

[Boomer]

Here comes another one.

Scam phone calls have started now — trying to trap naive people into giving their bank account numbers and other info. The scammers say it is so the government checks can be deposited. Hang up! Or better yet, do not answer.

[Funkman]

For a mere $10.00 I'd be more than willing to tell you how to avoid ever being scammed again. My advice comes with a 100% money back guaranteed.


Trust me