According to statistics, fraud ranks first among crimes. Sadly. But more and more people are resorting to this method of earning money.
Who are these people? What are they? Why will some never do this, when for others it almost becomes a way of life? Let's figure it out.
Research shows that people who commit fraudulent acts are characterized by certain intellectual and psychological characteristics.
It's a hot summer day, everyone is in a hurry to go on vacation. Therefore, tickets cannot be obtained. Two men wander around the station unsuccessfully, in despair that they cannot get to their homeland. Then a stranger approaches them, decently dressed and quite pleasant in appearance.
During the conversation, it turns out that he is a fellow countryman of these men and has been working in the police in another city for three years. No suspicions. The young man is very keen on the problem of fellow townspeople that they cannot get to their homeland. Here the desire to help awakens in him: “I know everyone. I will help you get home." Are there really any good people left?
The policeman leaves for about 20 minutes. Of course, it’s hard to believe that something can be done, but then he returns and asks with a smile: “There are no tickets to Tashkent, but there are tickets to Chikment, will you fly?”
The men agree with joy: “Such a kind man, fellow countryman!” How lucky. Here, without hesitation, they give away their documents, money and think about how they can thank their new friend. They wait for a long time... hope dies last... But, as we understand, they never saw any tickets, nor did they see their money with documents...
Fraudsters are very cunning people. Playing on people’s brightest feelings doesn’t bother them at all. At the same time, they are excellent actors - they devote a lot of time to thinking through the story, getting used to the role, working it out to the smallest detail.
In addition, white-collar criminals carefully choose a victim: As in our situation, people are desperate, they really need help, it is natural that the level of rational thinking is reduced + mentality features - they have a very developed familiarity. And voila. Deception was not difficult.
Oil tycoon Meadows, who is a professional collector, also turned out to be a victim of fraud. 44 paintings out of 56 turned out to be fakes... 11 are probably originals, 3 more remain in question. What's most interesting is that each piece of art had a certificate of authenticity.
Here we see that any person can become a victim, and this is not at all a matter of intellectual, material capabilities and so on. Fraudsters are able to quickly find an approach to any person. Their methods are so sophisticated that their skillful use leaves virtually no chance of detection.
Tendency to manipulate other people for personal gain.
Fraud and manipulation are very closely related. Each scammer pays close attention to studying various techniques that can turn a person’s consciousness in their favor. This behavior is based on selfishness, love of money and risk appetite.
From our article on manipulation, you probably remember that manipulation is a relationship between subject and object, that is, the person being influenced is not perceived as a person. With scammers, everything is exactly the same; they perceive the victim as something inanimate - a means to achieve a goal.
Fraudsters best master such methods of influencing the victim as persuasion, suggestion, and street hypnosis.
With the advent of the coronavirus pandemic, there has been a lot of speculation on this topic from scammers. The article “Social fraud “COVID 19” and manipulative technologies of social engineering” by V. G. Romanov shows how quickly scammers began to commit their crimes based on a new disease.
The numbers are staggering, but 70% of coronavirus websites were created by scammers. The criminals came up with a lot of things: fake news about the vaccine being released (even before it was actually created); a miracle medicine that can cure in a matter of days, at a great cost, of course; infected money; fake coronavirus testing kits.
Someone even broke into houses under the guise of a disinfection service, after which they successfully took away what they considered necessary. One of the most popular types of fraud during the pandemic was the creation of phishing sites and phishing emails.
Once on the road they meet a rider on a horse and a man on an old donkey. Suddenly the man gets off the donkey and loudly declares:
“I’m ready to exchange my donkey for your horse!”
- Are you a fool? Why do I need your donkey?
“I’m not a fool, I wanted to check if you’re a fool!” — the owner of the frail donkey answered confidently and calmly.
He handled the situation brilliantly, didn’t he?
Another example, which is described by Yu. Borev, perfectly demonstrates the ingenuity of scammers.
Soldatenko is a swindler who served 6 years in places not so remote, and now worked in low positions to earn his living. With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, a truly “brilliant” idea came to his mind: “What if you call your boss and ask for a promotion, introducing yourself as Stalin?”
Without thinking twice, our swindler did just that. And what do you think, did it work? Yes... At that time, few people thought that such deception was possible. So Soldatenko became a director, where he worked throughout the war. However, the temptation to steal was too strong, for which he was suspended.
But then Soldatenko came up with a new brilliant idea of spraying aluminum onto iron so that it would not rust. Interestingly, there was no trace of any higher education. By some miracle, he patented this idea and now they have begun to implement it everywhere.
And Soldatenko received interest from this. Thus, he accumulated a fortune. But the eternal craving for even greater wealth led him to a dead end. The deception of attributing military exploits to oneself did not work. But this was already in old age.
Here you can take infocygan as an example. Many of them, if you dig deep, have a dubious reputation. However, they work hard to ensure that all unpleasant situations are either erased or have undeniable justifications.
Here, by the way, you can remember the film “Catch Me If You Can.” Were you surprised by the fact that the main character committed really big thefts, but nowhere in the film is he shown to regret it? In general, in this film the main character is presented as a genius, and evokes only positive emotions, although if you think about it...
A monkey sits on the bank of a river and concentrates on rinsing a banana peel in the water. A crocodile swims by, looks for a long time and asks:
- Tell me, what are you doing?
- Give me a dollar, then I’ll tell you.
- Okay, just say it.
The monkey hides the dollar and says:
- You see, I’m rinsing the banana peels.
- That's all?
- All.
- What a fool you are!
“Maybe she’s a fool, but she never left without thirty dollars.”
This anecdote clearly shows how a cunning monkey makes good money by relying on confidence in the stupidity of others. She was not afraid of even a crocodile, and she made no mistake.
In the understanding of scammers, honesty is frankness with “colleagues” in criminal activities, and loyalty is reliability in relation to the closest circle of people.
They also view justice very narrowly—the division of profits between partners in proportion to the contribution. Lying to authorities is not bad. Their activities are not bad.
The main values of a fraudster are the desire to rise above others, power, the desire to obtain benefits without much difficulty (often observed among victims), the desire for pleasure (hedonism), perseverance in achieving one’s goals, and focusing only on one’s own opinion. And of course, at the head of all these attitudes is the desire for material superiority; in general, material desires come first.
An interesting direct connection was also found between the level of harm and the degree of selfishness. Unfortunately, moral values among scammers are in the second ten of all values.
We looked at the most common expenses of scammers. It can also be noted that scammers have a pathological craving for money; they never have enough. Criminals need more and more to feel the rush of endorphins and re-experience that pleasant rush that makes them feel happy. At least for a little while.
As we have seen, scammers do have a number of specific qualities. Knowing them, we can also protect ourselves. We hope you liked our article. If you have any questions, ask them in the comments!
List of sources:
(c) https://stolohov.com/poleznye-stati/psixologicheskij-portret-moshennika.html
Who are these people? What are they? Why will some never do this, when for others it almost becomes a way of life? Let's figure it out.
Qualities of scammers
People, depending on their field of activity, have certain qualities. Teachers are famous for their patience and endurance, artists for their imagination and creative inclinations, singers for their artistry, and so on.Research shows that people who commit fraudulent acts are characterized by certain intellectual and psychological characteristics.
Insidiousness
Let's look at an example:It's a hot summer day, everyone is in a hurry to go on vacation. Therefore, tickets cannot be obtained. Two men wander around the station unsuccessfully, in despair that they cannot get to their homeland. Then a stranger approaches them, decently dressed and quite pleasant in appearance.
During the conversation, it turns out that he is a fellow countryman of these men and has been working in the police in another city for three years. No suspicions. The young man is very keen on the problem of fellow townspeople that they cannot get to their homeland. Here the desire to help awakens in him: “I know everyone. I will help you get home." Are there really any good people left?
The policeman leaves for about 20 minutes. Of course, it’s hard to believe that something can be done, but then he returns and asks with a smile: “There are no tickets to Tashkent, but there are tickets to Chikment, will you fly?”
The men agree with joy: “Such a kind man, fellow countryman!” How lucky. Here, without hesitation, they give away their documents, money and think about how they can thank their new friend. They wait for a long time... hope dies last... But, as we understand, they never saw any tickets, nor did they see their money with documents...
Fraudsters are very cunning people. Playing on people’s brightest feelings doesn’t bother them at all. At the same time, they are excellent actors - they devote a lot of time to thinking through the story, getting used to the role, working it out to the smallest detail.
In addition, white-collar criminals carefully choose a victim: As in our situation, people are desperate, they really need help, it is natural that the level of rational thinking is reduced + mentality features - they have a very developed familiarity. And voila. Deception was not difficult.
Sensitivity
Real scammers have a keen understanding of human psychology.Oil tycoon Meadows, who is a professional collector, also turned out to be a victim of fraud. 44 paintings out of 56 turned out to be fakes... 11 are probably originals, 3 more remain in question. What's most interesting is that each piece of art had a certificate of authenticity.
Here we see that any person can become a victim, and this is not at all a matter of intellectual, material capabilities and so on. Fraudsters are able to quickly find an approach to any person. Their methods are so sophisticated that their skillful use leaves virtually no chance of detection.
Tendency to manipulate other people for personal gain.
Fraud and manipulation are very closely related. Each scammer pays close attention to studying various techniques that can turn a person’s consciousness in their favor. This behavior is based on selfishness, love of money and risk appetite.
From our article on manipulation, you probably remember that manipulation is a relationship between subject and object, that is, the person being influenced is not perceived as a person. With scammers, everything is exactly the same; they perceive the victim as something inanimate - a means to achieve a goal.
Fraudsters best master such methods of influencing the victim as persuasion, suggestion, and street hypnosis.
Willingness to deceive
This interesting feature, like no other, is characteristic of scammers. They are psychologically ready to present false data as facts. As O. R. Onishchenko notes, this readiness is due to confidence in impunity and a certain “intoxication”, when a white-collar criminal is not able to stop himself, and lies become a solid component of his life, if not life itself.Modernity
Fraudsters are well versed in trends. Without this, they simply will not be able to carry out their machinations. Now, for example, few people can be fooled by the idea of a shortage of some goods, because they are all in abundance. Moreover, criminals understand many areas at once. This makes it easier for them to adapt to the victim.With the advent of the coronavirus pandemic, there has been a lot of speculation on this topic from scammers. The article “Social fraud “COVID 19” and manipulative technologies of social engineering” by V. G. Romanov shows how quickly scammers began to commit their crimes based on a new disease.
The numbers are staggering, but 70% of coronavirus websites were created by scammers. The criminals came up with a lot of things: fake news about the vaccine being released (even before it was actually created); a miracle medicine that can cure in a matter of days, at a great cost, of course; infected money; fake coronavirus testing kits.
Someone even broke into houses under the guise of a disinfection service, after which they successfully took away what they considered necessary. One of the most popular types of fraud during the pandemic was the creation of phishing sites and phishing emails.
Education and intelligence
Fraudsters are very educated people. At least in the area in which they engage in their “unclean” deeds. It is necessary to study a large amount of literature and documentation in order to create a working fraudulent scheme. Also, as studies show, such criminals have higher intelligence than representatives of other types of disorders.Once on the road they meet a rider on a horse and a man on an old donkey. Suddenly the man gets off the donkey and loudly declares:
“I’m ready to exchange my donkey for your horse!”
- Are you a fool? Why do I need your donkey?
“I’m not a fool, I wanted to check if you’re a fool!” — the owner of the frail donkey answered confidently and calmly.
He handled the situation brilliantly, didn’t he?
Another example, which is described by Yu. Borev, perfectly demonstrates the ingenuity of scammers.
Soldatenko is a swindler who served 6 years in places not so remote, and now worked in low positions to earn his living. With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, a truly “brilliant” idea came to his mind: “What if you call your boss and ask for a promotion, introducing yourself as Stalin?”
Without thinking twice, our swindler did just that. And what do you think, did it work? Yes... At that time, few people thought that such deception was possible. So Soldatenko became a director, where he worked throughout the war. However, the temptation to steal was too strong, for which he was suspended.
But then Soldatenko came up with a new brilliant idea of spraying aluminum onto iron so that it would not rust. Interestingly, there was no trace of any higher education. By some miracle, he patented this idea and now they have begun to implement it everywhere.
And Soldatenko received interest from this. Thus, he accumulated a fortune. But the eternal craving for even greater wealth led him to a dead end. The deception of attributing military exploits to oneself did not work. But this was already in old age.
Perfect reputation
Surprisingly, scammers have a crystal clear reputation, even if illegal methods are involved in securing it. They do everything for a great story. So that the victims do not even think that they are being deceived.Here you can take infocygan as an example. Many of them, if you dig deep, have a dubious reputation. However, they work hard to ensure that all unpleasant situations are either erased or have undeniable justifications.
No guilt
Fraudsters do not feel guilty for their crimes. This is a very interesting phenomenon. Moreover, if they felt it, they would stop committing their atrocities. Simply put, the fraud would not have occurred. In our article about the fraud triangle, we talked about how self-justification is one of the components of this triangle.Special lifestyle
Reading the biographies of scammers, one can assume that they like this lifestyle. Perhaps some kind of addiction is developing. In any case, they really get pleasure and satisfaction from things that are favorable to them. Thus, there can be no talk of repentance.Here, by the way, you can remember the film “Catch Me If You Can.” Were you surprised by the fact that the main character committed really big thefts, but nowhere in the film is he shown to regret it? In general, in this film the main character is presented as a genius, and evokes only positive emotions, although if you think about it...
A high self-evaluation
Economic criminals are very confident. Moreover, they believe that the victim herself is to blame for being deceived: “How can you be such a fool” is spinning in their heads. That is, scammers value their victims much lower than themselves, at least in terms of intellectual capabilities, which means there is nothing wrong with taking advantage of their inability to critically evaluate proposals.A monkey sits on the bank of a river and concentrates on rinsing a banana peel in the water. A crocodile swims by, looks for a long time and asks:
- Tell me, what are you doing?
- Give me a dollar, then I’ll tell you.
- Okay, just say it.
The monkey hides the dollar and says:
- You see, I’m rinsing the banana peels.
- That's all?
- All.
- What a fool you are!
“Maybe she’s a fool, but she never left without thirty dollars.”
This anecdote clearly shows how a cunning monkey makes good money by relying on confidence in the stupidity of others. She was not afraid of even a crocodile, and she made no mistake.
Con man's values
Can we say that the fraudster has no values? Of course not. As the results of a moral and psychological study of the value sphere of people who commit fraudulent acts have shown, their values are distorted. What does this mean?In the understanding of scammers, honesty is frankness with “colleagues” in criminal activities, and loyalty is reliability in relation to the closest circle of people.
They also view justice very narrowly—the division of profits between partners in proportion to the contribution. Lying to authorities is not bad. Their activities are not bad.
The main values of a fraudster are the desire to rise above others, power, the desire to obtain benefits without much difficulty (often observed among victims), the desire for pleasure (hedonism), perseverance in achieving one’s goals, and focusing only on one’s own opinion. And of course, at the head of all these attitudes is the desire for material superiority; in general, material desires come first.
An interesting direct connection was also found between the level of harm and the degree of selfishness. Unfortunately, moral values among scammers are in the second ten of all values.
Why do scammers need so much money?
- Maintaining status
- Payoffs and bribes
- Payment for the work of accomplices
- Trips
- Pleasure
We looked at the most common expenses of scammers. It can also be noted that scammers have a pathological craving for money; they never have enough. Criminals need more and more to feel the rush of endorphins and re-experience that pleasant rush that makes them feel happy. At least for a little while.
As we have seen, scammers do have a number of specific qualities. Knowing them, we can also protect ourselves. We hope you liked our article. If you have any questions, ask them in the comments!
List of sources:
- Romanov, V. G. Social fraud “COVID-19” and manipulative technologies of social engineering / V. G. Romanov, I. V. Romanova // Bulletin of the Transbaikal State University. - 2020. - T. 26. - No. 9. - P. 57-67. — DOI 10.21209/2227-9245-2020-26-9-57-67.
- Strizhov, E. Yu. Psychological analysis of the personality of a fraudster from the standpoint of the concept of moral reliability / E. Yu. Strizhov // Bulletin of Tambov University. Series: Humanities. - 2008. - No. 4(60). — P. 163-171.
- Onishchenko O. R. Manipulation of consciousness and behavior of victims during fraud: dissertation ... Ph.D. in psychology. – M.: Research Institute of Problems of Strengthening Law and Order under the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation, 2005. P. 81.
- Danilov A. A. Psychology of a fraudster / A. A. Danilov // WikiReading: from the book Magi of Crime. — 2004. Access mode: https://law.wikireading.ru/41279 (Access date: 05/03/2021)
- Borisov S. E. Psychological characteristics of persons who committed fraud, and their consideration during the investigation of crimes / S. E. Borisov // Applied legal psychology. - 2008. - No. 1. — P.108-115
- Onishchenko, O. R. Manipulation of consciousness and behavior of victims during fraud: specialty 19.00.06 “Legal Psychology”: abstract of the dissertation for the degree of candidate of psychological sciences / Olga Romanovna Onishchenko. - Ryazan, 2005. - 25 p.
- Strizhov, E. Yu. Moral and legal reliability of the individual: psychological model and development mechanisms / E. Yu. Strizhov // Applied legal psychology. - 2009. - No. 4. - P. 40-55.
(c) https://stolohov.com/poleznye-stati/psixologicheskij-portret-moshennika.html
