“You also see that time pressure come into those impersonation scams when somebody might be telling you that someone has access to your bank account, and you need to take action right away. It’s that sense that you’ve got to do something super quick so you can feel back in control of the situation, and your brain feels really comfortable with that.”

Authority bias

“One of the other tricks we see coming through is the use of authority bias, when somebody tries to make it sound like they’re coming from a trust position, whether they’re trying to impersonate the bank, or a police officer or some other investigative force, like HMRC,” Dr Brooks says.

“And that kind of authority bias can make you panic, because you feel like you’re being told something from someone at a trusted organisation – and we like to feel like we can trust people in authority, so that can be played upon.”

Greed and status

“Greed and status is a trick which is used in investment scams and other similar fraudulent schemes,” Brooks explains. “We all like to feel that we’re getting something that somebody else isn’t, and that drive can sometimes turn us into a very poor decision-maker, as we’re motivated to take care of ourselves as opposed to others.

“Scammers are experts at exploiting the fact people want to grow their assets, and that we can sometimes put our better judgement aside for a high return opportunity.”

Scam psychology: 3 common tactics fraudsters use to trick victims (and how to stay one step ahead)