The Psychology of Fraud, Persuasion and Scam Techniques: Understanding What Makes Us Vulnerable

Cover
Endorsement
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Table of contents
Figures
Foreword
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1 Introduction
	My scam experience
	Anatomy of the scam experience
		Contents
Chapter 2 What is fraud and who are the fraudsters?
	What is fraud?
	When is fraud a fraud?
	Who are the fraudsters?
	Fraud taxonomy
	Fraud reporting and sanctions
	Fraud victimisation from the victim’s perspective
Chapter 3 Different types of frauds and scams
	Nigerian or advance fee frauds
	Identity and synthetic fraud
	Romance scams
	Phishing and other social engineering attacks
	Psychic or clairvoyant scams and cold readings
	Miracle cures
	Charity scams and crowdfunding campaigns
	Lotteries, prize draws, sweepstakes and giveaways
	Investment or business opportunities and job scams
	Sextortion and extortion scams
	Mortgage fraud
	Food fraud
	Further reading
Chapter 4 Deception and communication
	The process of communication
	Deceptive communication
	View of deception through cultural and societal conventions
	Detecting deception
	How fraudsters deceive
	Deception and its role in fraud victimisation
	Note
	Further reading
Chapter 5 How we think and make decisions and why this matters in fraud situations
	System 1 and System 2
	Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) of persuasion
	Decision-making styles
	Cognitive biases
		Framing effects
		The Barnum effect
		Anchoring effect
		Illusion of control and just world hypothesis
		Sunk-cost fallacy
	Further reading
Chapter 6 Persuasion and scamming techniques
	Evoking visceral influence
	Liking and similarity
	Credibility and legitimacy
	Evoking social norms
	Authority
	Commitment and consistency
	Scarcity and urgency
	Social proof and social influence
	Dishonesty and distraction
	Priming
	Altercasting
	Grooming
	Further reading
Chapter 7 Human factors in fraud
	Impulsivity and self-control
	Compliance and obedience to authority
	Risk assessment and sensation seeking
	Flattery and intimidation
	Information processing and need for cognition
	Trust and gullibility
	Vigilance, delayed decisions, scam awareness and background knowledge
	Demographics and circumstances
	Behaviours and beliefs
	Human factors and information security
	Further reading
Chapter 8 Theories and models that could explain why we fall victim to fraud and scams
	Errors in judgment
	The Model of Scamming Vulnerability
	Models of Gullible and Foolish Action
	Phishing susceptibility framework
	Suspicion, Cognition and Automacity Model of phishing susceptibility
	The Model of Fraud Susceptibility
Chapter 9 Learning to spot scams, fraud and persuasive communication
	Scam situations and factors that contribute to compliance
	Spotting scam techniques in phishing correspondence
Chapter 10 SCAMS checklist: Advice for reflection and protection
	Scrutinise the correspondence
	Consider scam techniques
	Assess emotional state
	Moderate the response
	Share your experience with others
References
Index