I was previously scammed, am I at greater risk of being scammed again?

A response by Jon Caldwell, Security Consultant, at Caldwell Security.

More Blogs available at https://caldwellsecurity.co.uk/blog.

Research indicates anyone who has previously been scammed is at a higher-risk of being the victim of a scam again.  Quite often once a scam has been successful the Criminals will place the Victims details on a ‘Suckers List’ which is then sold on the ‘dark web’, where other Criminals can try their luck.

Many scams are targeted at the vulnerable, potentially older people, isolated and lonely individuals, those with mental health issues, and those looking for love on Dating Websites.  When someone has been scammed, they often feel very embarrassed, and are not prepared to tell their family and friends, and therefore do not receive the help, and welfare, and advice, to reduce the risk of being scammed again.

Scammers are usually cunning and clever, and will prey on an individual’s emotions, and will use tactics designed to put an element of urgency into the scam, and thereby put pressure on the Victim to act quickly, and transfer money, or provide personal information, enabling the Criminal to steal their money.

There are a wide range of scams, such as telephone, e-mail, postal, text, and the majority of these scams can be administered from anywhere in the World, and can involve sending hundreds, if not thousands, to unsuspecting victims, in the hope that some will fall for the trap and provide the Criminal with their ill got gains.  On many occasions the Victims are bombarded with repeat letters, or e-mails, or recorded telephone messages, designed to break down an individual’s resistance.

Family and Friends of potential vulnerable people, who may fall victim to a scam, should keep vigilant, and look for signs that might show a person has been scammed, such as lots of flyers, marketing material, lottery requests, or signs of the person suffering from anxiety.  If the Victim will allow access to the their e-mails, or texts, there might be evidence of scamming, and if Bank Accounts are available to be viewed, checks can be made that suspicious sums of money are not being transferred.

You may consider joining the low-cost Caldwell Security Scam Prevention Service, which can help reduce the risk of being scammed. Learn more by clicking HERE .

Caldwell Security Consultants will provide, no obligation, security mitigation recommendations, but they do not provide installation, or supply, of any security products.