Published Oct 9, 2023

How to Spot a Scam

Dive into the psychology of scams with Dan Simons as he unveils the biases and blindspots that make us vulnerable, dissecting notorious cases like Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme and Theranos to reveal how trust and familiarity can be exploited for deception.

Episode Highlights

Topics covered

Episode Highlights

Related Episodes

Learning From Your Mistakes
Answers 383 questions
How Others See You
Answers 383 questions
Follow the Anomalies
Answers 383 questions
Outsmarting Yourself
Answers 383 questions
How We Live With Contradictions
Answers 383 questions
The Truth About Honesty
Answers 383 questions
Seeking Serenity: Part 1
Answers 383 questions
How to Really Know Another Person
Answers 383 questions
One Head, Two Brains
Answers 383 questions
Success 2.0: The Obstacles You Don't See
Answers 383 questions
One Head, Two Brains
Answers 383 questions
Mind Reading 2.0: How others see you
Answers 383 questions
Seeking Serenity: Part 2
Answers 383 questions
Revealing Your Unconscious: Part 1
Answers 383 questions
Where Truth Lies
Answers 383 questions

Dexa/Shankar Vedantam

How to Spot a Scam

Topics covered

Popular Clips

Seductive Vision

Strategic Plane Reinforcement

Uncovering Scammers

Uncovering Hidden Behavior

President Scam Exposed

Scammers Targeting Professors

Refugee Crisis

Ponzi Schemes and Bernie Madoff

Trust and Deception

The Invisible Gorilla

The Myth of Success

Deception in Orchestra

Trust and Expertise

The Power of Humility

Hidden Risks

Episode Highlights

Trust and Deception

Famous Scams Analysis

Perception and Blindspots

Related Episodes

Learning From Your Mistakes

How Others See You

Follow the Anomalies

Outsmarting Yourself

How We Live With Contradictions

The Truth About Honesty

Seeking Serenity: Part 1

How to Really Know Another Person

One Head, Two Brains

Success 2.0: The Obstacles You Don't See

One Head, Two Brains

Mind Reading 2.0: How others see you

Seeking Serenity: Part 2

Revealing Your Unconscious: Part 1

Where Truth Lies

How to Spot a Scam

Topics covered

Popular Clips

Episode Highlights

Trust and DeceptionDan Simons reveals how scammers exploit our biases, particularly our trust in familiarity and domain expertise, to deceive us. He shares insights into the psychological hooks that make us vulnerable to scams, using real-world examples to illustrate these tactics.

Trust and Deception

Famous Scams AnalysisThe episode explores the psychological tactics behind infamous scams like Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme and Theranos. Dan Simons reveals how trust, consistency, and idealism are exploited to deceive even the most discerning individuals.

Famous Scams Analysis

Perception and BlindspotsDan Simons explores how our cognitive blind spots make us susceptible to scams. He uses the Invisible Gorilla experiment to illustrate how selective attention can lead us to overlook obvious details, making us easy targets for deception.

Perception and Blindspots

Related Episodes