Why Nobody Is Truly Scam-Proof?
Last Updated on September 29, 2025 by Rose Ann
It turns out that none of us are as scam-proof as we’d like to believe. From celebrities like Tiger Woods and Ben Stiller to retirees and everyday internet users, scams find their way into all corners of society.
The numbers speak volumes: in 2024, Australians lost more than A$2.03 billion to scams across nearly half a million reported cases—most of them carried out online or by phone.
What makes this worth paying attention to isn’t just the staggering losses, but the surprisingly simple psychology behind these scams.
As Mamello Thinyane, Associate Professor of Cybersecurity at the University of South Australia, explains, scammers succeed because they tap into the very things that make us human — our emotions, trust, social instincts, and yes, even our overconfidence.
They use persuasion principles we all encounter daily. The “need and greed principle” offers us what we most desire: money, jobs, or love. The “authority principle” impersonates a trusted figure, like your boss. The “kindness principle” tugs at the heart with fake charities.
Then there’s the “scarcity principle” — from false countdown timers to “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunities designed to cloud judgment. Add distractions, manufactured urgency, or manipulations of trust, and it’s easy to see why even the savviest among us let our guard down.
The real sting? Overconfidence can actually make us more vulnerable. Believing we’re “too smart” to be scammed leads us to cut corners in judgment, failing to spot those little red flags. As Thinyane notes,
“Even cyber security professionals fall for scams. So what hope is there for the rest of us?”
Perhaps the most sobering takeaway is that scams are not just random strokes of bad luck — they’re carefully designed to match the vulnerabilities of different groups. Older Australians often face romance and investment scams.
Mothers are targeted with “Hi Mum” texts from supposed family members in need. Meanwhile, men tend to lose money to investment schemes, women to romance tricks, and younger adults run into threat-based scams.
So why does this matter now? Because scams aren’t merely about stolen money, they fracture trust, relationships, and sometimes even independence, especially for older adults. And unlike some other risks, scams evolve as fast as technology itself, meaning vigilance must evolve too.
The good news is, knowledge is still your strongest shield. Initiatives like Scamwatch’s “Stop. Check. Protect” campaign underline the importance of pausing before reacting.
Ask three quick questions: ‘what’s the intent’, ‘who benefits’, and ‘do I really have a choice?’, and you may just save yourself from becoming another statistic.
Scammers prey on what makes us human. But that same humanity, our ability to learn, adapt, and look out for one another, is also our best defense.
Read the full article on The Conversation to dive deeper into the tactics scammers use, and how you can spot them before they spot you.
