Excellent article – particularly for showing how powerful the limbic system is and how it can completely overwhelm the neocortex (logical, rational part of the brain) – a phenomenon referred to as amygdala hijack [1]. The article shows anyone could fall victim to such a scam – not just those who are stupid and/or greedy. I was also struck by how the article detailed – in addition to the monetary loss – the longer-term emotional consequences of being deceived by scammers.
> My dad had received robocalls in the past and ignored them. But this one was different: it was a real, authoritative person on the line who knew his full name and address.
Earlier, the article reported that scammers get this personal information from data brokers and it struck me that this is a reason why people should care about privacy and who they trust with their personal data. This data could end up being used against them – or their loved ones.
> Earlier, the article reported that scammers get this personal information from data brokers and it struck me that this is a reason why people should care about privacy and who they trust with their personal data. This data could end up being used against them – or their loved ones.
This is a key point worth mentioning in any "nothing to hide, nothing to fear" discussions about online tracking and the dangers of giving away private information to websites, big or small. Once the data is out there, it's available to any company with deep enough pockets to purchase it.
> My dad had received robocalls in the past and ignored them. But this one was different: it was a real, authoritative person on the line who knew his full name and address.
Earlier, the article reported that scammers get this personal information from data brokers and it struck me that this is a reason why people should care about privacy and who they trust with their personal data. This data could end up being used against them – or their loved ones.
1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amygdala_hijack