The Ever Present Risk of Being Scammed

 

Source: Unsplash- Bench accounting

 

We are living in a world that teams with all sorts of illicit activities. This trend has been so unrelenting that sometimes we take it as a normal part of our lives, if not acceptable. Fraudulent activities and outright scams are on the rise and are increasingly being perpetrated right before our eyes. The recent unparalleled developments in information and communication technologies have greatly compounded and exacerbated the proliferation of crimes of all sorts and descriptions.

 Prevalence of fraud

Frauds and scams are so commonplace nowadays that victims of such crimes may sometimes question the efficacy of deterrent measures that have been put in place. A day hardly passes without news of fresh victims of one scam or another. It’s quite surprising just how gullible we people can be at times.   

The Overseas Security Advisory Council (O.S.A.C) website reports that,

Cyber-crime is an increasing problem in Zambia, according to various media reports. Although the rate of personal computer ownership is about 50%, many Zambians have smartphones and regularly access social media, where online scams are prevalent.

… Sometimes scammers convince victims to provide bank account data, credit card information, and financial authorization they then use to drain their accounts; as a result, they incur large debts against their credit and lose their savings.

 

Common marketing strategies used

What makes scams so subtle is the fact that they often employ the same marketing strategies employed by legitimate businesses. All the elements of the marketing mix are utilized when perpetrating scams. These elements of the marketing mix or the "four Ps" as they are sometimes called include place, product, price, and promotion.

Scammers go to lengths to make sure that their ‘businesses’ look as genuine as possible. They make sure that they give you their physical address or location. This information you can readily find on their websites or in their publications. They will have a product or service that they are promoting or pretend to be selling at a particular price. Most scammers have a good working knowledge of online and network marketing.

Part that the internet plays

It goes without saying that the internet provides a new space for the perpetration of scams against a much larger pool of potential victims. At the click of a button so many people, from various backgrounds and locations, could be scammed if unwary.

Computer-mediated communication

Computer-mediated communication has played a very big role in the escalation of online fraud in that perpetrators have the technology at hand that they can exploit to further their clandestine agenda. Scammers have a means of presenting themselves in such a way as to appear socially desirable and acceptable to would-be fraud victims.

The environment created by computer-mediated communication has a tendency of shutting out the outside world leaving scam targets to focus all their cognitive resources on online communication. This is more pronounced in online dating scams.

Due to the nature of the environment and the kinds of interaction that prevail under such circumstances, fraud victims develop hyper-personal relationships with scammers. There is even a tendency to idealize ‘partners’ due to the messages that victims receive.

Final thought

There are certain attributes in would-be victims that give them away. These are exploited by scammers and they predispose victims to fall prey to scams. As such, it is cardinal to watch out for the tell-tale signs of a scam and minimize chances of being caught out!

Related posts

Network marketing in Zambia, scam or legit 

Frauds, scams, and economic prosperity

 

 

February 25, 2021

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