Unraveling the Mystery: Why Most Scams Are Blatantly Obvious

Why are most scams so blatantly obvious?

Unfortunate as it may be, people who do not immediately recognize an obvious scam are often the most likely to fall for it. Scammers view these individuals as more gullible and target them accordingly.

Why Are People Fooled by Obvious Scams?

It isn’t always so obvious, is it… can’t disagree. My background as a former police detective and ongoing involvement with the agency provide me with insights into internet scams through IT notifications. Given that emails and texts designed to scam people often contain clumsy spelling and grammatical errors, it is indeed clear that the scammers are fooling less gullible individuals. How does it make sense for someone to come up with a scam that is so clearly a scam, and expect people to still fall for it? No one is that stupid, right?

How Scammers Design Their Schemes

From the scammers' perspective, the potential outcomes can be categorized into two groups:

They receive a payout. Their attempt results in nothing.

The second group can be further divided into two subcategories:

They put a lot of effort into the scam but receive no payout. The potential victim identifies the scam early and terminates any interaction without the scammer expending much effort.

If you’re a scammer, you prefer to not spend time leading people on for weeks or even months. Instead, it is far better to target those who are likely to believe your scam from the outset. Once these individuals have dropped out early, you can focus on those who are more gullible and may fall for your scam.

Common Characteristics of Obvious Scams

For example, an email from the Secretary General of the United Nations with spelling and grammar errors and a request to respond to a Hotmail address would immediately set alarm bells ringing. If such emails or messages don’t raise suspicion, there’s a good chance those people might be the ones scammers specifically target.

Prevention Tips for Online Scams

To stay safe, always:

Assume any unsolicited emails or text messages are scams. Check for grammatical errors and poor formatting. Verify the sender’s email address. Do not provide personal information, unless you are certain of the sender’s identity. Report suspicious emails or messages to your email service provider.

By taking these precautions, you can significantly reduce the risk of falling for an obvious scam.