Social engineering
Manipulating a person into doing something — sending money, sharing a code, granting access — rather than attacking a system.
Almost every scam on this site is social engineering with a different costume. The technical parts — a spoofed number, a cloned website, a remote-access tool — exist to support a conversation, not the other way round.
The recurring levers are authority (someone you are trained to obey), urgency (a window that is closing), reciprocity (they helped you first), isolation (do not tell anyone), and sunk cost (you have come too far to stop). Recognising the lever being pulled is more useful than memorising the pretexts, because the pretexts change weekly and the levers do not.
Where it shows up
- Bank impersonation and the safe account — A call from your bank's real number, telling you your money is at risk and must be moved somewhere safe.
- Fake tech support — A fake problem with your computer, solved by giving a stranger control of it — and then of your bank.
- SIM swap — Someone convinces your mobile carrier to move your number to their SIM, and every code you rely on starts arriving on their phone.