many people fall for these scams?” To provide a thorough
answer, we need to take a look at the psychology behind
the scams.
There are several important steps you can take to protect
yourself from fraud:
• Do not give out personal information such as your
Social Security number, credit card number or bank
information to anyone you do not know or who is
not from a confirmed, reputable source.
• If you are unsure about a person’s claimed identity,
do not give them any information.
• Do not leave home with your Social Security card
unless you know that you will need it.
• Keep a close watch on your bank statements and
credit card bills. Call your bank or credit card
company if you notice anything suspicious such as a
charge that you do not recognize.
• Use a passcode on your smartphone. 37% of all
smartphone users don’t do this. Imagine how easy it
would be for someone to access personal information
To induce ether, the con artist will ask questions that
if you lost your phone.
trigger an emotional response. For instance, they might • Sign up for AARP Fraud Watchdog Alerts!
ask you about your relationship with your granddaughter
or whether you have concerns about running out of The AARP Fraud Watch Network provides access to
money. They might say something like “It sounds like information about how to protect yourself and your
you have a nice house. How much is that mortgage family as well. Non-members and members alike can get
every month?” or “If you don’t mind my asking, how Watchdog Alerts, stay up on con artists’ latest tricks, and
long has your husband been deceased?” Once they find find out what to do if you’ve been victimized. It’s free for
something you care about that triggers your emotions, everyone because AARP is committed to safeguarding
they will keep pushing that emotional button and get Americans’ financial futures. For more information, go
you to focus on it. Without realizing it, you are now to www.aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork .
susceptible to going under the ether and that is a very
dangerous place to be.
Are you interested in joining our team of fraud fighters?
If you enjoy public speaking and would like to learn
The emotional buttons that put us under the ether are more about our work to combat fraud in Maine, please
usually related to fear, greed or urgency. Look for the contact Japhet Els at 207-776-6302.
signs. Pay attention to your reactions. Is your heart
beating faster? Are you starting to sweat? Are you It is estimated that in America someone’s identity is
already imagining all the things you can do with your stolen every 2 seconds. Be your own best watchdog and
lottery winnings? These are all signs of being under the if you suspect foul play, report it to the authorities. If we
ether. Never decide to buy or agree to anything in this work together, we can help protect ourselves and each
condition. If you find that you are in this state of mind, other from identity theft and fraud in Maine.
remember that you can take back control at any time.
All you have to do is disengage from the conversation. It
may seem hard to do, but if you can clear your head and
remind yourself of the ether, you will feel empowered
instead of intimidated.
When authorities ask convicted con artists to describe
the trick to scamming people out of their money, they all
say the same thing: “Get them under the ether.” Ether
is a heightened emotional state that makes it hard to
think clearly and make rational decisions. We are all
susceptible to this state of mind because there is a part of
us that wants to believe that we have won the lottery, that
our money troubles are over, that we can leave a legacy
to our children and grandchildren or that we can make
up for lost time and live a little more comfortably. It is
also possible that many of us are already in a vulnerable
emotional state due to the loss of a job, a death in the
family, o ȁ