Psychologically Blackmail: How Scammers Manipulate Good Hearts

A Family Affair with a “Noble Cause”

Let me tell you a little scam story. A scam story about faith and doubts and one well-structured and complete con job that should take the Oscar for the best plot twist. It’s a true tale, shared by a victim who experienced it firsthand, and it involves a “family gang” of scammers — yes, you read that right, a family business of fraud.

Chapter 1: The Heart-Tugging Message

It all began when our victim (let’s call her Sarah) received a message from a girl’s Facebook account. The message was crafted to perfection, designed to tug at your heartstrings harder than a Bollywood sob story.

“Help Needed: A father of 4 daughters is in dire need and has an operation tomorrow. The cost is 35,000 Rs, but they’ve managed to gather 5,000 Rs. Just 10,000 Rs more is required. Please help. If you’re willing, one of our family members will contact you.”

Sarah, being the empathetic soul she is, was moved. The reports they sent looked authentic, and when she Googled the images, nothing suspicious popped up…