Young Adults · Lesson 1
The Scam Playbook: How Criminals Get You to Act
The more a request combines urgency, secrecy and money, the more important it is to stop rather than comply.
- Urgency: 'Act now or your account will be closed.'
- Fear: threats of arrest, account loss, fraud or legal trouble.
- Authority: pretending to be a bank, government agency, employer, school, police officer or technology company.
- Greed: unusually high returns, prizes, giveaways or easy money.
- Emotion: romance, family emergencies, sympathy or guilt.
- Secrecy: instructions not to tell parents, friends, banks or employers.
- Isolation: moving you to a private chat, phone call or unfamiliar payment method.
- Trust exploitation: using information from social media, breached databases or previous conversations to sound legitimate.
The more a request combines urgency, secrecy and money, the more important it is to stop rather than comply.
This is Lesson 1 of the Financial Scams Education Series (Young Adults). Continue with Identity Theft and Personal-Information Scams.
This article is for educational purposes and is not legal, tax, insurance, cybersecurity, or law-enforcement advice. Scam tactics change. If you think you have been scammed, contact your financial institution immediately and consider reporting to appropriate authorities. Su Bella Vida is not a bank, broker, CPA, or law firm. Read our terms & disclaimer.