Social Engineers Biggest Threat

With all of the engineering fields in the professional world, you should be very aware of the one that poses the biggest threat to your finances. The job of social engineer is practiced by people intent on gaining your confidence. We used to call these people confidence men or simply con men.



These folks prey on our nature to trust. It is a normal reaction to believe the best in people and we really want to live in a world where people honestly deal with one another. Unfortunately, that basic trust is the key for a social engineer to ply his trade.



Many of these artists seem to take a special interest in you personally. They will ask about your family and try to gain specific knowledge. The best practitioners appear to be trustworthy enough to watch your children. Be very careful of strangers prying into your personal life. These sly people will convince you that they are helping you, when in fact you will be sorry for your kindness.



Among recent examples of social engineering that have surfaced are people who try to send excess payment for products or services you provide, and ask that you just refund the difference. Callers who try to help with jury duty problems, or Medicare issues should set off a red light. People who contact you through e-mail claiming to know long lost relatives who have left you a fortune are also suspect.



T assist you, these frauds may offer to do home repairs or run errands. They may also claim they have found a winning lotto ticket, or some other valuable item and invite you to split any reward.



Frank Abagnale was probably the best social engineer in history. Should you wish to learn more about this occupation I suggest you either read the book, Catch Me If You Can, or watch the movie of the same name. You should be able to find about 100 very good examples of this practice. You will also enjoy the irony of trusting a crook.