Given a recent incident reported by The Cut, freelance finance writer Charlotte Cowles fell victim to an elaborate scam that highlights the dangers of social engineering. The scam began with a call from a number appearing as “Amazon,” leading Cowles to believe she was a victim of identity theft. The caller, posing as a Federal Trade Commission official, connected her with a fake CIA agent named Michael. Over hours on the phone, “Michael” convinced Cowles that she faced serious charges related to the identity theft and persuaded her to withdraw $50,000 in cash. The twist? She was instructed to hand over the money to the CIA, which would inexplicably issue her a check for her own funds.
Despite suspicions during the ordeal, the scammers manipulated Cowles into isolation, urging her not to involve her family or the police, claiming it could jeopardise their safety. This tactic of isolating the victim is a common element in scams, aiming to heighten emotions and push individuals into making decisions they might not otherwise make. The scammers played on Cowles’ fears for herself and her family, using personal details like the last four digits of her Social Security number to further erode her judgement.
Experts emphasise that falling victim to professional scammers is not a matter of lacking savvy. Selena Larson, a senior threat intelligence analyst, stresses that fraud perpetrators excel at social engineering and employ tactics like instilling fear, excitement, or urgency to manipulate their targets. To protect against such scams, Larson advises people to be wary of anyone trying to isolate them fro
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