Scammers Trained to Tap Into Emotions

Fuad Hamidli may be the only person who loves getting phone calls from scammers. The cybersecurity expert chats up as many as he can—to learn how they operate and then teach New Jerseyans how to avoid becoming victims.

Scammers have many tactics—from spoofing telephone numbers and disguising their voices, to stealing identities and hacking computers. But one of their most effective, Hamidli says, is tapping into people’s emotions to get them to let down their guard.

“They often ... study human behavior, so they already know how to trigger fear or trust,” says Hamidli, a senior lecturer in the computer science department at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. “If one trick fails, [they] switch to another.”

Over the phone, scammers often impersonate IRS agents, law enforcement or other authority figures. If someone claims to be with the FBI and says you did something illegal, even if you didn’t, “Our fear feeling will be triggered,” Hamidli explains.

He will be sharing his insights about how scammers work at AARP New Jersey’s annual fraud summit, set for Tuesday, Sept. 16, in Edison. The forum will also focus on the use of artificial intelligence technology in fraud.

Scammers can use AI for all kinds of fraud, including producing realistic sounding voice recordings or even videos that impersonate family and friends asking for money or personal information. They may also use AI to craft text messages that appear to be from legitimate sources and are aimed at getting people’s personal information.

“AI is powerful, but when misused, it can be really scary,” says Zoila Disla, AARP New Jersey’s associate state director for community outreach. Older adults should be informed about it, she adds.

A 'Significant Crisis'

AARP New Jersey has been stepping up its efforts to educate older people about scams this year. That includes doing more fraud presentations online and in community settings, such as libraries and senior centers. The group has about 50 volunteers available to give fraud talks.

The current situation “is a fairly significant crisis,” says Rich Sodon, an AARP member from West Milford who co-leads AARP New Jersey’s Speakers Bureau.

In 2024, New Jersey consumers reported losing $321 million to fraud, including impostor scams and identify theft, federal data shows. Officials believe true losses are much higher; fraud is underreported because people are often embarrassed to admit they have been a victim.

“It’s because of the way we tend to view scams and fraud,” says Sodon, 70, a retired technical product manager for Verizon. “If somebody is mugged on the street or their house is robbed, we ... feel sorry for them,” he says. “But when we talk about fraud, it’s like, ‘How could you fall for that?’ ”

He says AARP is working “to get people to think of these [scams] really as financial crimes and treat them in the same vein.”

Many scammers are employed by sophisticated global enterprises, and they undergo extensive training, including in how to manipulate people’s emotions, says Hamidli, who previously worked in cybersecurity for a company in Turkey. They do role-playing and operate off different scripts, depending on their target, he says.

“They mimic emotions—like sounding sad, scared or kind,” he says. The first step when they get someone on the phone is to ask “some simple questions like, ‘What is your age? Are you a homeowner?’ ” he says. The goal: “They want to make sure that you have money.”

If a scammer calls Hamidli during one of his classes, he puts the caller on speaker so his students can listen to their techniques. He gives different answers to see how scammers change their approach.

Scammers also will try to figure out if someone is living by themselves. That’s because they seize on loneliness, especially among older people. More than a third of adults make themselves vulnerable to fraud by responding to calls, texts or friend requests from people they don’t know, AARP research shows.

Here are some of Hamidli’s fraud prevention tips:

• Get educated in how scammers work. And don’t give any personal information to strangers over the phone, by text or via social media.
  
• Plan regular phone calls or in-person get-togethers with friends and family. This can help fight loneliness and reduce the temptation to engage in phone conversations with strangers.
  
• If someone calls claiming to be from a government agency or your bank, say you need to call them back. Then speak with someone you trust about the scenario from the supposed official. If it seems legitimate, look up the number of the agency or bank, rather than dialing the initial number.
  
• Stay calm. Scammers like to create a sense of fear and urgency, so you’re not thinking rationally. If the person is pushing you to act immediately, it’s a red flag. ■

Ann Hardie spent a decade covering aging issues for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She has written for the Bulletin for 16 years.

Also of interest:

• What to Know About Cryptocurrency Scams
• $12.5 Billion Reported Lost to Scams and Fraud in 2024, Older Adults Hit Hard
• Five of the Biggest Scams to Watch For in 2025