К ПСИХОЛОГИЧЕСКОМУ ПОРТРЕТУ ЖЕРТВ ТЕЛЕФОННОГО МОШЕННИЧЕСТВА

Abstract

Th e article presents the results of an empirical study of the relationship of psychological characteristics (traits of the Big Five, values, cognitive styles) with behavior when contacting telephone scammers pretending to be bank employees. Th e relevance of the study is associated with an increase in the number of victims of telephone fraud, especially among the elderly, and the need to clarify psychological characteristics that allow to resist manipulative infl uence. Th e aim of the work was to identify the psychological characteristics of people at risk of telephone fraud and prone to manipulative infl uences. Th e research is based on the hypothesis that such characteristics are revealed as “Cooperation” and “Conscientiousness” on the “Big Five”, as well as the style of thinking “naive optimism” and security values. Th e study involved respondents aged 50+ (N = 70,26 of them were men, the average age was 61 years). The following questionnaires were used: an abbreviated version of the “NEO-FFI” questionnaire “NEO PI-R” by P. Costa and R. McRae; “Portrait value Questionnaire by Sh. Schwartz — Revised PVQ-R”; CTI Constructive Th inking Inventory, by Epstein. In order to fi nd out whether the respondents had encountered fraudsters, what feelings it had caused and what actions would be taken when contacting “imaginary” bank employees by phone, the authors developed a questionnaire. According to the results obtained, respondents who constitute a risk group exposed to the manipulative infl uence of fraudsters were identifi ed. People aged 50+ with pronounced security values, naive optimistic way of thinking, high selfcontrol, who put the interests of the group above their own, inclined to cooperate, make up a group at risk of being manipulated by telephone scammers. It is concluded that 1. Th e key characteristics of a victim of telephone fraud are not the desire to get rich, but the fear of losing what is available. 2. At the level of attitudes, it is possible to form the ability to resist telephone fraud in people aged 70+. 3. Th e characteristics of resistance to manipulative infl uence may be a combination of low self-control and cooperation with other people, the lack of signifi cance of security values and the lack of naive optimism.