Every year, thousands of people who consider themselves digitally savvy fall victim to scams. It raises an uncomfortable question: if we know fraud exists, why are there still fraud victims? Fraud as psychological warfare Fraudsters craft messages that exploit instinct rather than reason. Their goal is not to outsmart systems but to override our judgment. PORGiESOFT Security’s Threat Intelligence research identifies three recurring emotional triggers in successful scams: urgency, authority and reward. Urgency – “You must act now.” Authority – “This is your bank / your boss / the government / I need a gift card.” Reward – “You’ve won / you’re entitled to a refund.” When these cues appear in moments of stress or distraction, even experienced professionals can react impulsively. In other cases, the intention is simply to pique the interest of the recipient - not necessarily to deceive initially. Cognitive overload in the digital age Modern life floods us with notifications, deadlines and

You can't wait to start shopping this Black Friday, maybe you've even been sent some early deals. How can you stay safe online? Black Friday is an exciting time for businesses, there are so many transactions. In 2021, Black Friday falls on November 26. Last year according to the PwC, 88% of shoppers expected to do their black Friday shopping online and we can expect something similar this year. The surge in transactions saw one card processing firm process over 1,000 transactions per second. Current events remain one of the most important weapons in the arsenal of fraudsters, they exploit current events to make a scam more relevant, more believable and more urgent. Due to the time-limited nature of black Friday deals, the volume of transactions and the ensuing surge in deliveries over the next few days, there’s a strong possibility you or your loved ones could inadvertently become victims of cyber fraud. What can you do to stay safe? We’ll take a closer look at the overall threat land