To say scammers are getting more sophisticated is an understatement. Not only do they have the ability to capture our voices, they are excellent at psychological warfare.
If you’ve ever said “Let me sleep on it,” then this tactic should be easy to understand. Scammers will always want to close the deal quickly. By rushing us, scammers seek to hijack the part of us that is cautious about making decisions.
Many of us have gotten phone calls from people doing tax scams. These are similar to other urgencies scammers use to justify rushing you into paying to resolve the issue. I once received a call from “City Light,” claiming I had to pay $400 to keep my electric from turning off.
Scammers can threaten to:
- Revoke different kinds of insurance
- Arrest you
- Close credit card and bank accounts
- Repossess your car
- Seize other property
Perhaps the most frightening new capability at scammer’s disposal is deep fake technology. What was once so expensive that only movie studios could do it (badly), but now anyone can do it for free. The worst part: they only need three seconds of our voices to make an accurate deep fake of our voices.
To avoid deep fakes, experts recommend a safe word to be included in all voicemails, etc. All the other items have solutions that overlap: Take time to think it over, don’t be rushed by a stranger who called you. You can and should ask to call the person back at their company number — no legitimate business or governmental agency would have a problem with this.
At JHA, we’ll beat the heck out of scammers on your behalf. Contact us for more information!
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