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I don't think most people who get scammed this way pause to say "oh, this might be someone stealing my credit card number", then disregard that thought because it's too much of a pain to call back on an official line. Instead I think they don't question the situation at all, or the scammer has enough information to sound sufficiently authoritative. Most non-technical people I've talked to about this are pretty scared of getting scammed, but tell me the thought never crossed their mind they could call back on a trusted number.

I like the "hang up, call back" approach because it takes individual judgment out of the equation: you're not trying to evaluate in real time whether the call is legit, or whether whatever you're being asked to share is actually sensitive. That's the vulnerable area in our brains that scammers exploit.



I'm sure a lot of people are like what you describe (this doesn't occur to them), but I think it does affect those who are a bit suspicious/on the fence, potentially like the person in the article. ("Throughout the conversation, the employee grew more and more suspicious, but unfortunately did provide [the MFA code].")


The old adage is that a con artist makes the best mark.




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