Working PIby John M. Gaspar and Anthony Luizzo
Over the years we’ve written several articles illustrating how the checklist can help guide investigative sleuths to perform their tasks. Scamming today exploits not just greed, but emotion, authority, fear, and urgency. From romance and investment fraud to business email compromises (BEC), to elder exploitation; scammers adapt rapidly to technology and human psychology. Drawing on decades of investigative experience, casework, and published research, this article will focus on the preparation of a scam prevention checklist.
Introduction: Understanding the Threat Landscape
Scam and fraud prevention is not rocket science. Scamming is an equal opportunity employer that has evolved from a simple confidence trick to complex, multi-layered fraud schemes that leverage technology and human behavior. No demographic is completely immune. Seniors (keen-agers) are especially targeted since they are believed to be sitting on piles of cash, they are usually not tech-savvy, and to avoid embarrassment, they rarely reach out to trusted family members and/or friends for advice.
Aspects of the Anatomy of a Scam
At its core, scam prevention is about awareness, verification, skepticism of pressure tactics, and disciplined money and data handling practices.
I. Personal Awareness and Behavior Checklist:
Many scams succeed because they exploit fundamental psychological levers such as urgency, fear of loss, and the desire to help. Prevention starts with personal habits. Some preventative tips include:
☐ Independently verifying all identities before sharing information. It’s important to note that a name, number, or logo can be easily spoofed. (Spoofing is a fraudulent deceptive activity, where a person or program impersonates another entity). With the magic of the internet, it’s extremely easy to independently confirm via this medium.
☐ Never rely solely on caller ID. Caller ID can be falsified. Real agencies will offer callback verification.
☐ Question urgency and emotional pressure. Scammers often rush decisions: “Act now or lose out!”
☐ Resist secrecy. Oftentimes the scammer’s pitch includes: “If you tell anyone, you’ll lose the opportunity.” Legitimate organizations do not demand secrecy.
A recurring theme in our published research is that victims often comply because ingenious scammers use “pressure and fear” as powerful psychological triggers.
II. Financial Protection and Money Movement Safeguards
Money movement is the point of no return in most scams; once funds are sent, recovery is difficult or impossible. Preventative tips include:
☐ Monitor financial activity regularly. Checking statements weekly or setting alerts for transactions over a set threshold helps catch anomalies quickly.
☐ Use account alerts for all large transactions. Real-time alerts create opportunities to intervene.
☐ Place fraud alerts and consider credit freezes when appropriate. If personal information has been exposed, proactive measures provide a line of defense against identity theft.
☐ Never share banking credentials, one-time passcodes, or MFA codes. These are essentially keys to your accounts.
☐ Before wiring funds, call known contacts at a verified number to confirm instructions.
☐ Vendor payment fraud and BEC rely on scammers replacing legitimate banking info with their own. Out-of-band verification stops this.
☐ Avoid high-risk payment methods such as gift cards, prepaid cards, wire transfers without verification, or cryptocurrency for unverified parties. These methods are favored by scammers because they are fast, irreversible, and difficult to trace.
Dual controls, strict payment protocols, and transaction verification processes dramatically reduce victimization. For individuals, mimicking some of these business controls—like verification calls and second-person review—adds protection.
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III. Digital Security—The Foundation of Prevention
Scammers increasingly exploit digital vulnerabilities — phishing, malware, fake apps, and compromised websites. Some preventative tips include:
☐ Use unique, strong passwords for every account. Note: password reuse is one of the most common security failures.
☐ Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) whenever possible. MFA dramatically reduces unauthorized access.
☐ Keep all software and devices updated. Security patches protect against known exploits.
☐ Do not click links or open attachments from unknown sources. Many scams begin with a single click.
☐ Confirm URLs and avoid typing credentials on unverified sites. Look for the “S” in HTTPS web addresses as well as correct domain names.
☐ Limit personal data shared on social media. Scammers scrape profiles for clues which they use in their social engineering endeavors.
☐ Shred documents with personal information. Physical data should be destroyed as conscientiously as digital data.
It’s important to note that digital attack vectors often precede financial scams. Phishing emails or fraudulent websites harvest credentials, enabling identity theft or unauthorized transactions. Thorough digital hygiene can create a protective layer that complicates scammers’ efforts.
IV. High-Risk Scam Indicators
Scams often contain repeating “red flag” characteristics identified in investigative casework. Some proactive preventative examples include:
☐ Requests for secrecy or confidentiality, e.g., “This is between us!”
☐ Urgent requests for immediate action, e.g., “You have minutes to respond!”
☐ High-pressure payment types (gift cards, crypto).
☐ Refusal to meet in person or via verifiable video calls. This is a common tactic in romance and rental frauds.
☐ Overpayment with refund requests. This classic scheme is a favorite of scammers, i.e., you paid “too much” and asks you to furnish your financial information so they can prepare a refund.
☐ Unsolicited prize, lottery, or inheritance notifications.
☐ Promises of unusually high, guaranteed investment returns.
These patterns surface repeatedly in scams across demographics from seniors targeted with fake grandchild emergencies to executives fooled by fraudulent wire instructions.
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V. Business & Professional Safeguards
Businesses face organized scams such as invoice fraud, BEC, vendor impersonation, and payroll diversion. Some preventative tips include:
☐ Dual verification for wire transfers. Always require two independent approvals.
☐ Payment changes must be verified in writing and by callback. Always do your homework by double checking before sending out your financial documentation.
☐ Regular employee fraud awareness training. People are often the weakest link—and strongest defense.
☐ Segregation of duties for financial tasks always reduces opportunities for internal fraud and misdirection.
☐ Vendor background checks and periodic reviews.
☐ Clear incident reporting protocols. Always encourage internal reporting of suspicious activity.
☐ Annual reviews of cyber insurance and compliance policy efficacy.
In particular, small and medium businesses often face financial loss and reputational damage when scams succeed. The controls listed above reflect best practices that have reduced losses in corporate environments—and can be adapted for smaller organizations and nonprofits.
VI. Protecting Seniors & Other Vulnerable Populations
Seniors are often targeted because of isolation, trust, and established financial means. Some proactive preventative strategies include:
☐ Designate trusted contact persons on financial accounts. A second pair of knowledgeable eyes often sees what the primary account holder misses. It’s also important to establish a security code word or phrase to be used in dire situations to verify and/or authenticate legitimacy.
☐ Set spending limits and alerts.
☐ Vet all caregivers and service providers.
☐ Monitor for unusual activity. Friends and family can help detect abrupt changes. It is important to note that isolation and emotional vulnerability are powerful risk multipliers. Encouraging open communication and involving trusted advisors early can defuse many scam attempts.
VII. If You Suspect a Scam—Immediate Response Checklist. Some proactive preventative strategies include:
☐ Act quickly if a scam is suspected.
☐ Stop all communication with the suspected scammer.
☐ Preserve all records of emails, texts, voicemails, screenshots.
☐ Contact your financial institution immediately.
☐ File official reports: Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at ReportFraud.ftc.gov
☐ FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3.gov)
☐ Local law enforcement
☐ Consider identity theft monitoring services.
☐ Consult a licensed private investigator for forensic analysis and evidence preservation.
It’s important to note that rapid response to fraudulent activity can limit losses and improve the chances of recovery. In published case reviews, evidence collection was frequently pivotal to police or civil remedies.
Behavioral Psychology of Scams. Why Good People Get Fooled. Scammers are expert manipulators of human behavior. Some examples include:
• Authority bias people trust official logos or titles.
• Reciprocity biases a small favor creates a sense of obligation.
• Fear of loss urgency triggers fight-or-flight decisions.
• Social proof “everyone is doing it” mentality.
Understanding these psychological triggers helps to interrupt the automatic compliance that scammers always depend upon.
Scam Red Flags: Practical Examples
Real-World Case Examples (Summarized from Published Works) Case A Romance Scam with Investment Hook. A victim was approached through a social platform, developed emotional trust, and was persuaded to exchange money for “joint investments.” Red flags included isolation, rushed financial requests, and reluctance to communicate via verifiable methods. The transaction was stopped by applying the “delay and verify” principle.
Case B Vendor Impersonation Fraud. A mid-sized company received a legitimate-looking invoice with updated banking info. Controls were weak; the payment was made without a verification callback. The funds were diverted. This reinforced the critical need for dual verification and strict vendor payment change policies.
The two above examples aren’t cherry-picked; they are representative of patterns seen and documented repeatedly.
Conclusion A Checklist for Everyone
Fraudsters and crooks like to take advantage of dire times to scam the anxious. In the recent film, “Hidden Figures” it is mentioned that, “Checklists help us to do the math and look beyond.” Seeing that there is an innovator in all of us investigative sleuths, scam prevention doesn’t require paranoia; it requires systems and habits that slow down decisions and demand verification. Whether you are an individual, senior, business owner, or investigator, this checklist can become a daily habit that protects you and others. The scams of today are increasingly sophisticated, but so are the strategies that stop them. By combining behavioral insight with practical controls, we reduce vulnerability one decision at a time. Checklists help investigative technicians to see clearly with open eyes and hear with open ears and reduce the complicated to the simple!
About the Authors
John M. Gaspar is a retired NYPD detective and former economic crime supervisor for the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. He is an experienced forensic investigator and a published author on investigative methodologies and fraud prevention.
Anthony Luizzo is a seasoned investigative professional and co-author with John Gaspar on multiple published works related to fraud prevention, checklists in investigative practice, and economic crime.
We’re always listening. Send your story submission/idea to the Editor: kendra@orep.org.
