<p>I’m often surprised by stories about people who I know well being ripped off. But we’re fooling ourselves if we think only certain types of people become victims of scams. That’s because we have a number of false beliefs about who’s vulnerable and who’s not. For one thing, we might mistakenly assume that smart people are good at managing their money. They might believe they’re good at detecting deceptive people, and many trust authority figures. <br><br>On the other side, sophisticated scammers do their homework and understand the people they’re targeting. They build relationships, credibility and trust before executing the scam plan, and they usually create a sense of urgency about the fictional opportunity or problem. Finally, scam artists focus on exploiting emotion rather than intelligence. It’s easy for anyone to make a bad decision when they’re feeling excited and pressured. <br><br>If you’re interested in money lessons from a scam artist, <a href="https://www.social-engineer.org/social-engineering/lessons-from-a-scam-artist/" target="_blank">check this out</a>. <br><br><a href="https://www.diamondcertified.org/" target="_self">Use Diamond Certified Resource to find top rated companies.</a><br><br><strong>Related Articles</strong><br><a href="https://www.diamondcertified.org/Guide/Savvy-Consumer/" target="_self">Your Guide to Being a Savvy Consumer</a><br><a href="https://www.diamondcertified.org/find-expert-advice/" target="_self">Get Expert Advice From Owners of Top Rated Local Companies</a><br><a href="https://www.diamondcertified.org/membership/" target="_self">Become a Diamond Certified Preferred Member (Always Free)</a>&nbsp;</p>