The Scams Among Us: Who Falls Prey and Why

Not a week goes by without stories about scams appearing in popular media outlets. Given the ease with which scams can be circulated, they have become one of the most common crimes globally, inflicting high emotional, financial, and psychological tolls on millions of individuals. Despite their profound and pervasive impact, researchers know relatively little about why some individuals fall victim to scams but others remain immune to the techniques utilized by scammers to lure potential victims. For example, research thus far provides mixed results about the impact of demographic characteristics (e.g., age) as well as personality variables (e.g., risk taking) on individuals' susceptibility to scams. Even less is known about how the nature or type of scam affects an individual's susceptibility. Gaining a deeper understanding of these issues is the key to being able to develop preventive programs and reduce the prevalence of victimization. Here, we discuss some promising directions, existing gaps in current knowledge, and the need for decision scientists to address this important problem.

Automated summary

Scams have become one of the most common crimes globally, inflicting high emotional, financial, and psychological tolls on individuals. Little is known about why some individuals fall victim to scams, highlighting the need for further research in this area.