Con artists are highly skilled manipulators who prey on fundamental human emotions such as trust, fear, greed, or the inherent desire to help others, to successfully deceive their victims. According to psychologist Elena Shpagina, their primary objective is to provoke an immediate emotional reaction that effectively bypasses and disables critical thinking processes.
Shpagina emphasizes that the most crucial and effective step towards self-protection is not to analyze the situation immediately, but to implement an instant pause. In any potentially suspicious situation, the main goal should be to create a deliberate, artificial “stop signal” for yourself.
It is absolutely essential to internalize and give yourself the firm command: “Stop. I am not making any decisions right now,” regardless of the persuasive language or pressure tactics employed by the fraudsters. Interrupting the conversation or interaction under any plausible pretext will grant you invaluable time to escape their psychological influence and regain your composure.
Previously, law enforcement agencies have also brought attention to concerning indicators that might suggest scammers are influencing children. These include the unexpected emergence of unusual or suspicious vocabulary in a child`s speech, which parents should be vigilant about.
Clement Ashworth 
Barnaby Whitfield