Stop! Think Fraud > How to spot fraud

Here are some of the psychological tactic’s fraudsters use (sometimes called ‘social engineering’) to get you to act fast without having time to stop and think.

• Authority / a ‘trusted’ voice – pretending to be from someone official e.g., important people or well-known organisations.
• False urgency – claims you will be subject to negative consequences/not receive a reward or benefit if you don’t respond in time.
• Emotion – using emotional levers to tug at your heartstrings or appeal to your generosity.
• Scarcity – Being offered something that’s in short supply or not widely available to make you act quickly.
• Current events – criminals will exploit current new stories, big events or specific times of year e.g., end of tax year to make their approach seem genuine.
• Building relationships - Fraudsters often try to earn your trust by building rapport and finding shared interests before they ask you for money or personal information – before you’ve even met them in real life.

By staying vigilant and knowing what to look for, we can all help to protect ourselves and each other. Fraudsters will often prey on people’s emotions, creating a sense of urgency to make people react quickly, so it’s important to always take a moment to stop and think. Always verify requests for money or personal details, even if it seems to come from a person or organisation you know. Don’t automatically click a link, particularly in unsolicited messages. Contact people or companies directly through official websites, numbers or email addresses. Avoid paying by bank transfer or virtual currency. Think carefully before you hand over any money or personal details.