Criminologist warns even sceptics can fall for scam traps

Even the most sceptical people can fall victim to scammers, criminologist Gintautas Sakalauskas told LRT Radio’s People Ask programme. He explained how fraudsters exploit circumstances, emotions and fatigue to influence even highly alert people.

Sakalauskas, an associate professor at Vilnius University, said people should remember that banks, the State Tax Inspectorate, Sodra and other institutions are not allowed to request card security codes, bank account numbers, login details or other personal information, especially by phone.

If someone claims that a family member needs money or that something has happened to a bank account, he advised people not to act immediately.

“If you really suspect that something may have happened and someone legally needs information, these things usually do not need to be dealt with urgently. If a grandchild calls claiming to need money, or a bank calls saying something has happened, it is almost certainly possible to deal with it tomorrow. There is a good saying that the morning is wiser than the evening. Simply put it off for a while and do not rush to act here and now,” Sakalauskas said.

He said it was wrong to mock people who fall for scams, even though media reports regularly highlight such cases. In stressful situations, the brain reacts differently than it does when a person is calm, meaning that even strong sceptics can be deceived.

“Mocking them is unkind and wrong because neurobiological research shows that the brain behaves very differently in a stressful situation. People think differently from when they are sitting calmly, considering things and understanding everything. This should also be taken into account,” the criminologist said.

Scammers can manipulate people by reporting not only bad news, such as claiming that a family member has been involved in a crash, but also positive news, such as a lottery win or an unexpected inheritance.

“People want to experience happiness. When someone calls and says that you have won money and should now send your account number, happiness hormones are released, which also strongly alter brain activity. This is important to assess. People should understand that money or cryptocurrency does not fall from the sky. That simply does not happen,” Sakalauskas said.

He added that scammers exploit fatigue and often call shortly before the end of the working day or in the evening.

“If someone calls at the end of the working day, there is a 90 percent chance that it will be a scammer, because they take advantage of the fact that you are tired and distracted after work. I know that if there is a missed call before 5 p.m., it will most likely be from scammers,” he said.

Sakalauskas also recalled receiving a fake message from the State Tax Inspectorate after working hours. He had been driving home tired after lectures when he received a message saying that he had received a notice from the inspectorate about an offence.

Because he thought the message might concern a speeding violation, he initially wanted to open it and check the fine. After visiting the linked website, he realised that it was a scam.

The criminologist said scammers exploit specific situations and times of year. For example, they often report lottery wins during the Christmas period, while impersonating State Tax Inspectorate officials around the end of the income declaration deadline.