- Hi, I'm a highly qualified professional.
If you're suffering from sleepiness, awakeness,
over eating, under eating, or a case of the shaky bones,
well then, I fully endorse
this brand new miraculous supplement
I am in no way affiliated with.
Trust me.
(electronic buzzing)
Why not? Right?
- [Narrator 1] If this highly accredited person signs off,
it must be trustworthy.
Sometimes these people are real experts
with our collective best interests in mind.
But other times,
a lab coat is just a prop to gain our trust.
So what is it about lab coats, and uniforms in general,
that might lure us into a trap?
(upbeat music)
- [Narrator 2] Sanjay is hard at work
when an email marked urgent steals his attention.
His stomach drops.
The IRS claims he owes back taxes and must pay immediately.
Sanjay flushes
and tilts his laptop screen so his coworkers won't see this
and think he's irresponsible,
or worse a criminal.
Fortunately, the fee is just a few hundred dollars
and he follows the instructions in the email
and wires the money from his bank.
Relieved, Sanjay takes his lunch break,
blushing from this near catastrophe.
That was a close one.
- [Narrator 1] According to a 2021 study
nearly one in four people find it hard to say no
to a request from a stranger
because they don't want to be rude.
Fraudsters often pose as polite, respectable figures
from reputable places.
This gives them a sense of legitimacy
that causes the target to lower their guard.
- We want to trust people
and that's what makes scams so effective
in conning you out of your money.
Trying to trick us into making the easy decision
they want us to make.
Whether that easy decision is to be afraid,
or the easy decision is to give them money
because we'll get greater returns in the long run.
- [Narrator] A study from 2020
showed that when given an instruction,
the responsibility we feel for our own actions is lowered.
In other words, if someone is telling us to do something,
we become more passive.
But do people just obey any orders given by anyone?
Does dressing like a professional
or sending an email from a professional looking account
really make a difference?
According to a phenomenon known as the lab coat effect,
it does.
- What the scammers are good about
is managing up, sort of what kind of lab coat
to what kinds of victim.
You know, certain dress, certain political views,
they all have done some background research.
- [Narrator 2] Maria is enjoying a book
on a lazy Saturday morning.
The ring of her doorbell pulls her from her fantasy novel
and back into her real life,
and her real surroundings.
She heads downstairs, curious who it could be.
She opens the door to a man with a work suit,
hard hat, and clipboard.
This seems serious.
He's a housing contractor working a job in the area
and he noticed some of structural damage at her residence.
A new homeowner, Maria's already overwhelmed
by the unending stream of upkeep.
She's relieved to have the keen insight of a professional.
The contractor assures her
that all she has to do is pay his reasonable fee now,
and he'll get to work tomorrow.
Fixing this now means avoiding greater future costs.
Maria nods, grabs her mobile phone,
and sends the payment with a few taps.
- [Narrator] Talking to people who seem like an authority
can cloud our normal decision-making skills.
Scammers take advantage of this dynamic
with many different types of scams,
including phishing scams,
door to door scams,
IRS scams,
and utility scams.
And it's profitable.
According to the Federal Trade Commission,
they received almost 5,000 complaints
of utility scams in 2020,
and $3.5 million scammed away.
So if our brains follow authority,
how do we bolster our defenses
against scammers in sheep's clothing?
The first thing to do is learn what a scam looks like.
- If they're asking you to pay via gift cards
and they want the gift cards to solve a problem,
it's probably a scam.
If you are not expecting contact from the utility company,
then hang up the phone,
don't respond to the email.
Actually contact the company directly
through a known good phone number.
Look it up on your bill.
- [Narrator] At the end of the day,
we are all subject to the lab coat effect.
But by taking a moment to slow down
and verify the information,
we can better protect ourselves against this type of scam.
And most importantly, Zelle would like to remind you
to only send money to those you know and trust.
(upbeat music)