Psychological Tactics Used for Identity Frauds
March 30, 2009
Earlier I have posted an entry concerning security measures taking place in Japanese banks, to jam phone calls near their ATM.
A recent article in a magazine called Shincho45 interviews the head of the gang which systematically executes the fraud. It turns out, that tactics are evolving in much greater speed, and unfortunately people are continued to be deceived.
According to the article, these band of gangsters now uses Japan's efficient delivery services. In recent years, most delivery companies come at your door with a simple phone call to receive the packages you would like to send. The very service which takes away the effort of the sender is also used to send of cash.
The article also mentions that the frauds are knowledgeable in psychology. They make phone calls to relatively old people who most likely have their children already grown up and living in different cities. They say that the children did some wrongdoings, like hitting someone by car, and only an urgent financial compensation can make them escape from, say, being a criminal. Out of concern and panic, surprising number of people pay money.
What really intrigues me is that they know how to fake their identity. Recent technique is to leave a voice message on a phone saying "Mom, this is my new mobile number". What parents will do next, is just like what anyone will do; save those number as "My Son/Daughter" in their phone. Once saved, a hot line is created between the fraud and the victim. They will then make another phone call saying that he or she is in an emergency situation, such as hitting someone while driving a car, and ask that money is urgently needed to compensate and avoid being in prison; Although there maybe something strange in the voice, parents reason themselves that perhaps it is the panic that makes your child sound strange. The money is already on its way.
This very psychology of parents, making an assumption and believing in them despite of all the signs indicating otherwise, is what is Confirmation Bias in psychology. The article mentions that they are precisely aware of this term, and merely applying it in practice.
The article shows that the crime is expanding in Korea, China, and Taiwan. As new techniques are constantly invented, we could only be cautious of ourselves.
A recent article in a magazine called Shincho45 interviews the head of the gang which systematically executes the fraud. It turns out, that tactics are evolving in much greater speed, and unfortunately people are continued to be deceived.
According to the article, these band of gangsters now uses Japan's efficient delivery services. In recent years, most delivery companies come at your door with a simple phone call to receive the packages you would like to send. The very service which takes away the effort of the sender is also used to send of cash.
The article also mentions that the frauds are knowledgeable in psychology. They make phone calls to relatively old people who most likely have their children already grown up and living in different cities. They say that the children did some wrongdoings, like hitting someone by car, and only an urgent financial compensation can make them escape from, say, being a criminal. Out of concern and panic, surprising number of people pay money.
What really intrigues me is that they know how to fake their identity. Recent technique is to leave a voice message on a phone saying "Mom, this is my new mobile number". What parents will do next, is just like what anyone will do; save those number as "My Son/Daughter" in their phone. Once saved, a hot line is created between the fraud and the victim. They will then make another phone call saying that he or she is in an emergency situation, such as hitting someone while driving a car, and ask that money is urgently needed to compensate and avoid being in prison; Although there maybe something strange in the voice, parents reason themselves that perhaps it is the panic that makes your child sound strange. The money is already on its way.
This very psychology of parents, making an assumption and believing in them despite of all the signs indicating otherwise, is what is Confirmation Bias in psychology. The article mentions that they are precisely aware of this term, and merely applying it in practice.
The article shows that the crime is expanding in Korea, China, and Taiwan. As new techniques are constantly invented, we could only be cautious of ourselves.
