A scam is a false promise of something or someone that doesn't exist.

Peer pressure, need for consistency, and lack of self-control make certain people vulnerable to scams.

Recently scams have begun to prey more on those who respect authority.

“Sorry, I’m running late for lunch, I’ll see you soon,” the text reads.

Confused, you write back, “I’m sorry, you have the wrong number.”

“Oh, no! I was supposed to meet my friend for lunch. I must have messed up her phone number. I apologize, I’m Mary.”

But Mary isn’t texting the wrong number. She is trying to attract potential fraud victims.

Mary will soon tell you about her family, her personal issues, and her financial woes as she struggles to make a living. You become fast friends, or more than friends if Mary has struck gold and found a willing romantic partner to dupe with this scam.

A scam is an exchange whose purpose is to gain your trust and inspire a sense of urgency by offering the promise of something that doesn’t exist, whether that something is money, love, or power.

What makes people fall for a scam?

According to a 2013 study by David Modic and Stephen E.G. Lea, some individuals are more likely to comply with scams than others. To answer the question of who is more likely to fall for a scam, the authors created a Susceptibility to Persuasion Scale, which was tested and normed on 250 undergraduate........

© Psychology Today