If you’ve never fallen for a scam yourself or become a victim of identity theft, you may think that anyone who does has to be either insanely stupid or insanely naive. Truth is, this is not the case at all, according to an article in the May issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. Instead, the author reveals that there are several attributes of human nature that make people – all people – vulnerable.
We Believe in First Impressions
When thieves present themselves as being articulate, professional, and – well – legitimate, we tend to believe that they are who they say they are. Even if we notice little cracks in the veneer, we tend to ignore them since they don’t fit with our already determined idea of who the person is. Sometimes scam artists will create someone “official†to confirm their offers and identities, since people tend to believe references from individuals with important sounding titles.
We Think It Won’t Happen To Us
While some people expect the worst all the time, most people don’t. Thieves latch onto optimism by promising something good will happen instead of something bad. For example, you get an email saying you inherited millions of dollars from a nonexistent relative, or you get a decent sized royalty check before losing that money and more in an investment scam. When we have to take action to achieve that good result, we feel like we are in control, like nothing can touch us. It’s funny that the article states that the people most likely to fall for a scam actually have some experience with the area in which the scam is carried out, such as investing or the lottery.
We Have a False Sense of Security
Many believe that the government, computer software, or security policies on their credit cards will offer them protection from identity theft. It won’t. A study from the University of Exeter stated that this is “unrealistic or simply impossible.†But still, it seems the majority of people who are vigilant about protecting themselves from identity theft are the ones that have already been victimized and know how bad the experience can be.
While an identity theft protection company can work for these people, it’s really important that people who haven’t been victimized use one for preventive purposes. You buy auto insurance in case you’re in an accident in the future. You don’t wait until the car crash and then start interviewing agents. Same goes for house insurance or boat insurance, so why not protect your most precious asset…. your identity.