Having recently lost my father to cancer, I couldn’t believe that anyone would be monstrous enough to fake a brain tumor. Even more shocking was how many people she conned—quickly becoming a social media influencer and building a wellness empire based on her lie of curing multiple cancers with diets and alternative medicine therapies.
I had to remind myself to calm down and that it’s just TV. And then I remembered it was not: Apple Cider Vinegar is based on a lie by the real-life Australian scammer Belle Gibson, a sociopath who took advantage of sick people desperate for hope and a cure.
It can be hard to catch a liar—let alone a professional liar. Below, psychologists break down how con artists manipulate others and how to see through the deception.
Con artists often prey on people’s emotions. They are adept at identifying their target’s pain points, such as financial difficulty or loneliness, and exploiting them to foster a fake intimacy, says Dr. Leslie Sanders, PsyD., a clinical psychologist and program director for the AToN Center.
“By reflecting the target’s feelings, emotions, or actions, the con artist is able to establish trust at an astounding pace that feigns authenticity,” adds Sanders. “A relationship like this can easily shatter a target's barriers, making them much more inclined to deception.”
Scammers like to instill a sense of urgency or loss surrounding a stressful situation. When anxiety or fear peaks, the emotional distress has people making less rational decisions.
These include chaotic and complicated scenarios that trigger people to react emotionally. Then, the con artist swoops in as a savior, offering exciting, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and overpromising positive results for what they’re selling.
Related: 10 Early Signs of Emotional Manipulation, According to Psychologists
Not only did Gibson pose as a cancer survivor, but she also held a position of authority by claiming she defied all medical odds and used natural methods to cure herself. Scammers like to appear grandiose and tend to exaggerate their accomplishments, adds Jones. By making herself out to be an expert on cancer treatments, Gibson boosted her credibility and made it easier to create loyalty and trust with her warm and charismatic social media posts.
Reciprocity
Con artists like to set psychological traps to encase victims in their web of lies. This can be as small as doing the smallest of favors or offering a small token so that someone feels the need to repay them in the future. Those small acts of kindness add up and when it’s time to collect on the favor, Sanders says the victim will be more likely to accept out of a sense of obligation even when it’s not in their best interests.
How to Avoid Falling for Scammers and Con Artists' Schemes
The most dangerous scammers and con artists are the ones good at lying and making you doubt yourself. “Manipulation happens when they try to convince you to override your intuition. The moment you feel that happening is the moment to take pause and step back,” says Jones.
“They may try to persuade, pressure, guilt-trip or even threaten you, but remember that you don’t owe them anything,” Freymuth advises.
Related: Fan Moved to New Zealand After Scammer Posed as 'Virgin River' Star
Sources:
Dr. Leslie Sanders, PsyD.Dr. Logan Jones, PsyD.Lauren Freymuth, LPC Read More Details
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