Selling the Scam: Recognizing Fraudulent Schemes Online

Whereas a successful salesperson is good at selling a product, a successful con artist is good at selling the scam . At the heart of that is the singular skill that really makes a scammer and a salesperson equally successful: You probably haven’t thought of it that way before, but you should. Plus, here’s a truth that everyone needs to be aware of: Your state of mind, your desires and your motivations can change at any moment. More than that, your motivations and your behaviors (your decisions) can be influenced and even manipulated by a message, depending on the circumstances. That’s where the art and science of selling comes in. We took a look at an article for people in sales on the topic of buyer motivation. The article explored the many and range of factors that often influence a person’s buying decisions. These buying motivations, the article said, cited what those factors consist of—the instincts, feelings and thoughts that run through someone’s mind that could pave the way to a buy or do-not-buy decision. One paragraph in the article encouraged new salespeople with this advice: Advice to a SALESPERSON – “If you could figure out your buyer’s top motives, you’d find it easy to design an effective sales approach to suit their desires and interests to generate the response you want. In fact, if you mastered that skill, you’d never lose out on a sale.” We took that same paragraph and, with a few tweaks and word substitutions, reworded it to see how scam bosses might encourage their teams to do their dirty work: Advice to SCAMMERS – “If you could figure outyour target’s hot buttons , you’d find it easy to create an effective lure and lie to match their instinctual desires and interests and generate the response you want. In fact, if you mastered that skill, you’d never miss a scam opportunity .” It’s no wonder why so many scams are successful. Contrary to what we might think, they’re not all wild and crazy propositions. They’re simple messages delivered by a scammer…with the skills of a highly effective salesperson. Let’s take a look at the startling parallels in the components and processes of a sale and a scam: Sales Components Salesperson Sales prospect Product Sales pitch Identify buying motivator Handling sales objectives A buyer Sale and commission Scam Components Scammer Scam target Core opportunity or problem Scam lure and lie Manipulating desires and/or needs Increasing pressure or urgency A victim Scam and stolen money This scenario of comparing a sale to a scam works whether the scammer targets a prospect or someone inadvertently “courts” the scammer. Here are few instances where that can happen: Here’s yet another look at the parallels between the successful sales method and a successful scam method. We’ll compare the buyer’s journey in the sales process versus the victim’s journey during the scam. Sales coaches say there are primarily three phases in a buyer’s journey : A seasoned and skilled salesperson can assess where their prospect is at each phase of the sales journey and can guide them (and influence them) along the process. As they come alongside the prospect with support, encouragement and the right words at the right time, the chance of sealing the deal increases. That all makes perfect sense to us, right? It seems reasonable and we don’t blame the salesperson for doing their job as they take us through the buyer’s journey. But when it’s a scammer taking you through the phases of the victim’s journey (and you’re clueless to your role), it’s a whole different story. When we merely switch the scenario and the terms, you’ll see why scams work as often as they do: Here are the phases a victim is taken through, sometimes with the direct influence of the scammer. A highly motivated and skilled scammer can assess where their would-be victim is along their scam journey and can entice and guide them throughout the process. Whereas the salesperson offers support and clever encouragement to close the deal, the scammer uses fear and huge promises to persuade the victim often against the victim’s better judgement. We’ve gotten so used to salespeople offering to help us, as well as advertisement bombarding us everywhere we turn. We’ve accepted sales tactics as normal living, and we’re oblivious to how easily we can be swayed by our buying motivations. And maybe that’s why a well-timed, well-designed scam in the hands of a master manipulator can easily—and surprisingly—slip through our defenses. Hear experts talk about scams, fraud and cybercrimes and surviving the challenges in the world today. You can find the podcast on your favorite platform, as well as EasyPrey.com.