Podcasts · The Perfect Scam

The Science of Romance Scams

· 1 h 01 min · Episode 251

Episode The Science of Romance Scams

0:00 1:01:02

When Anola returns home from a picture-perfect trip to France, she finds an unexpected flirtation with a man who reaches out to her on LinkedIn. He showers her with love and attention, and over time, he steals thousands from her. When she discovers the deception, Anola reaches out to the real man behind the photo the scammer used, drawing her into a second betrayal. Criminals have figured out how to hack our brains, bypassing the rational and going directly for the emotional response. Austin Cusak, an expert in behavioral science at the FDIC, joins host Bob Sullivan to discuss the phenomenon known as "amygdala hijacking."

The episode on the publisher’s site (opens in a new tab)

Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them. Explicit shows are for adult profiles only, and children’s profiles hear only children’s shows. More about this list.