Threatening, lying, or flirting online. These are some of the tactics fraudsters are using today to try to get their hands on your money. Can you tell when you're being manipulated?

Today, fraudsters can pose as anyone; they have the technology to do that. They communicate via the Internet, phone and chat and work together in groups, taking on different roles. Their main tactics involve elaborate manipulation and various psychological tricks that directly zero in on your emotions. In particular, they evoke fear, or a feeling of infatuation and they provoke the desire to get rich. Anyone who has experienced a manipulative attack knows how difficult it is to tackle the situation. Manipulators devote a lot of time to their "customer", "lover" or even "investor". They lie and gradually wrap their victim around their finger. When warned by the bank, the victim of manipulation usually does not trust the bank anymore and sends the money into the wrong hands anyway. 

The three most common manipulation techniques are:

1. The manipulator evokes a feeling of infatuation or friendship:
   This technique, which is commonly used for example on social networks, but also on dating sites, is called "love scamming" or "romance scamming". The scammer creates a false identity, which they are ready to support with photos and videos, but most importantly with a heartbreaking story. They establish an online relationship with you and eventually get you to send money. Initially, maybe just some spare change for a "ticket" so they can finally visit you, but then complications arise and more and more money is needed. You end up losing your savings without ever seeing your online "friend".
   
   
   1. How to resist "romantic manipulation"?
      1. Check your networks very closely to see how the person who’s wooing you actually got to you.
      2.  Ask your friends who the person is, whether they know them. Look for more evidence that the person does not actually have a fake identity.
      3.  Never hide your online romantic story and confide in your loved ones. Talk to more people, friends, family. Talk without shame about the fact that someone "from the online world" wants money from you and you probably love them. It can happen to anyone.
          
2. The manipulator scares you on the phone, says you'll lose money:
   The practice that involves over-the-phone manipulation is technically known as "vishing" (voice phishing). You get a phone call from a supposed banker, police officer, security representative or banking association representative telling you that you may lose money. They say someone is trying to take out a loan in your name or that your account has been hacked and you need to act fast. It all sounds very serious and urgent, fraudsters switching roles to accentuate the seriousness of the situation. After all, it takes so little to save money! Send it to a "safe" account or deposit it in an ATM, through which it will go to the "safe" account. If you succumb, you will unfortunately never see your money again, the "safe" account was in fact the fraudsters' account.
   
   
   1. How do you spot a fake phone call?
      1. The caller claims to be from a bank or the police and makes you transfer money to a "safe account" or deposit it in a "safe ATM".
      2. They ask you to withhold any information on the situation from your loved ones and those around you, they want you to lie to your bank.
      3. During the phone call, you feel pressured, rushed into action.
          
3. Manipulators conjure up visions of quick and easy riches:
   Offers to invest under the banner of big companies or famous personalities or to invest in cryptocurrencies, all with the prospect of a return that is too good to be true. This is how investment scams start. Detailed information on how these scams usually transpire and what can be done to defend yourself against them is available here.