A Free Public Service

SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is an inactive attorney in San Mateo County, California.

July 5, 2021

SOCIAL ENGINEERING SCAM

Courtesy Scambusters

 Social engineering sounds scientific, but it’s really a polite way of describing the techniques scammers use to fool their victims. Behind every scam, there’s a piece of social engineering — the technique and tactics that con artists use to convince people to give away information, money, or behave out of the ordinary.

If it were not so evil (at least in this context), you could call social engineering a science. That’s because being a good social engineer involves understanding what makes people tick. They know how to put pressure on you, spin a convincing hard luck story or strike fear in your heart. Pressure, trust, and fear are the scammers’ frontline weapons.

Sadly, social engineering is here to stay. But being aware of it and knowing how to counter it is a powerful starting point for beating the crooks. The more you learn, the less likely you are to be scammed.

REVERSE ENGINEERING

If you want to beat them at their own game, you’ve got to be constantly on the alert. In a way, you have to “reverse engineer” the scammers’ tactics. You have to know and deal with what makes you potentially vulnerable.

If you’re too trusting or gullible, you have to recognize this and adopt an attitude of skepticism about all that you see and hear.

If you give way to pressure easily, you must set a personal rule for yourself to disconnect from whoever is pressuring you so you have time to review what’s happening.

And if you’re the type who is easily scared by intimidation, you need to call on help and support from friends or family to help steer you past the threats.

The non-profit Center for Cyber Safety and Education has more information about how to counter the scammers’ techniques, by following key actions:

*Make your starting point to question the intentions of anyone asking you for money or information. Seek and check proof of identity.

*Be on your guard when you get a call from anyone you don’t know. You have no way of being sure who they are, even if their voice sounds familiar.

*Think before acting – not the other way around. Tell yourself to slow down in a situation where you’re being asked for money or information. Ask someone you trust for their opinion on what you’re being asked.

*Look out for red flags including paying with gift cards or money wire, or being told not to discuss your activities with anyone else.

*Don’t let a link (e.g. in an email, on a website, or a text message) control where you land. Find the site you’re interested in by yourself not via a link.

At Scambusters we recommend using “don’t click” as your default policy with links, unexpected attachments, and downloads.

*Foreign offers to buy, sell, or inform you of winnings/inheritances are usually fakes.

*Hit “delete” when you get messages asking for confidential information. Legitimate organizations simply don’t make these requests.

*Be suspicious… if you get an email offering of help you didn’t ask for, or seeming to answer a question you never asked.

Any suspected scam activity can be reported to the US Federal Trade Commission: www.ftc.gov for possible legal action.

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