Why Do People Get Scammed? (Replay)

What makes a con succeed? Does snake oil actually work? And just how gullible is Angela?

 

SOURCES:Robert Cialdini, professor emeritus of psychology and marketing at Arizona State University.Yaniv Hanoch, professor of decision sciences at Coventry University.Hugo Mercier, research scientist at the French National Centre for Scientific Research.George Parker, 19-20th century American con artist.Clark Stanley, 19th century American herbalist and quack doctor.William Thompson, 19th century American criminal and con artist.Danny Wallace, British filmmaker, comedian, writer, and actor.Stacey Wood, professor of psychology at Scripps College.

 

RESOURCES:"They Thought Loved Ones Were Calling for Help. It Was an A.I. Scam," by Pranshu Verma (The Washington Post, 2023)."Who Experiences Scams? A Story for All Ages," by the Federal Trade Commission (2022)."The Scams Among Us: Who Falls Prey and Why," by Yaniv Hanoch and Stacey Wood (Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2021)."The Nigerian Prince Scam Is Still Fooling People. Here’s Why," by Eleanor Cummins (Popular Science, 2020)."How Gullible Are We? A Review of the Evidence From Psychology and Social Science," by Hugo Mercier (Review of General Psychology, 2017)."The Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower. Twice," by Jeff Maysh (Smithsonian Magazine, 2016)."Why Your Brain Loves Good Storytelling," by Paul J. Zak (Harvard Business Review, 2014)."A History Of 'Snake Oil Salesmen,'" by Lakshmi Gandhi (Code Switch, 2013).Yes Man, by Danny Wallace (2005)."For You, Half Price," by Gabriel Cohen (The New York Times, 2005).Influence, by Robert Cialdini (1984)."Arrest of the Confidence Man," (New York Herald, 1849).

 

EXTRAS:"Are N.F.T.s All Scams?" by Freakonomics Radio (2022)."Trust Me," by Freakonomics Radio (2016).