“The victims of phone scammers are usually people over 60 years old. However, scammers target practically everyone – both seniors who use digital technologies and young people. Scammers exploit not only the fact that many do not part with their smartphones but also people’s emotions, haste, and trust in content seen online. Therefore, effective protection against criminals requires a combination of actions – smart technologies, our vigilance, and cooperation between institutions,” says Arūnas Mickevičius, CEO of “Bitė Lietuva.”
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According to him, currently, to avoid a scam attack, it is not enough to just ignore suspicious SMS messages or calls – deception also lurks on social networks.
“People increasingly encounter professionally made advertisements on social networks, fake online stores, or emails sent in the name of well-known companies. Therefore, sometimes just a few seconds are enough – clicking on an ad on social networks or opening a fake website to become a victim of scammers.
A new huge challenge has also become artificial intelligence (AI) tools, which help not only us to work or learn but also assist scammers in creating professionally looking emails, advertisements, or even imitating people’s voices,” notes the head of the digital services company “Bitė Lietuva.”
Scammers apply pressure
According to Police Department representative Ramūnas Matonis, some fraud schemes today resemble long-lasting manipulation that can continue for several months.
“Speaking about investment fraud, scammers communicate for quite a long time before achieving their goal. They constantly call the person, send fake emails with alleged investment reports, and urge to invest even more money,” says R. Matonis.
Meanwhile, in cases of phone scams, usually one or just a few calls are enough. According to the police representative, in such situations, scammers deliberately try to cause stress to the person and prevent them from calmly assessing the situation.
“Pressure is applied to the person, they are not allowed to hang up or consult with someone, and are threatened with consequences. The element of surprise is used, and an attempt is made to convince to make a quick decision. For example, it is said that the person’s account has been hacked and bank IT specialists must quickly connect and fix everything. Allegedly, the longer the delay, the more money the person will lose,” explains R. Matonis.
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Trust trips us up
Whether we become victims of scammers also depends on our emotional state – deception is easily believed not only by the naive but also by emotionally sensitive or tired people.
“Long-term stress, fatigue, life crises, or emotional exhaustion greatly reduce vigilance, so later the person themselves cannot believe how it happened. Scammers very well exploit the moment when a person is tired, tense, or scared because critical thinking naturally weakens then,” says psychologist Sonata Vizgaudienė.
According to the specialist, older people may also find it harder to recognize deception because they grew up in an environment where institutions were naturally trusted.
“Today, fraud schemes have become very professional and very realistic. Older people sometimes find it hard to believe that someone can pretend to be a police officer or a bank employee,” explains the psychologist.
She emphasizes that one of the most important rules when facing possible fraud is not to rush decisions.
“Scam schemes are usually based on rushing. The person is made to feel that the decision must be made here and now, so the most important rule is to stop. The more stress and tension we feel, the more we need to pause. When pausing, critical thinking activates, and the natural desire to verify information arises,” advises S. Vizgaudienė.
Experts agree that the most effective protection against scammers is critical thinking and verifying information. A few simple principles can help: if there are even the slightest doubts, it is recommended to end the conversation, not rush decisions, avoid financial actions during the call, verify information through official channels, and not click on links from unexpected messages or ads.
