March 2026

February 2026

January 2026

Too Smart to be Scammed?

I couldn’t believe it. Here is this guy with an advanced degree in applied cognitive psychology, years of computer experience (including teaching human-technology interaction), as well as being a person in charge of running a corporate department that required training in cybersecurity. He let himself be talked into making a phone call to what he thought was Apple Security and then let them access his bank account and PayPal account and extract a lot of cash. 

That’s unreal. 

Except that that person was me!!

When I realized what a stupid (and expensive) mistake I had made and had to deal with the aftermath, I decided that the only way I could regain my self-respect was to use whatever writing skills I have to tell my story in the hopes that it might stop someone else from making the same mistake. 

Here is what happened: 

It was early in the morning during breakfast. My iPhone had just been updated to a new, slightly different user interface. Also, as part of a long-term bout with COPD, I was trying to cope with a series of hacking coughs and was trying different medications. So, I was not at my best. 

A full-page message blocked my screen. It said it was from Apple and that an apparently unauthorized purchase had been made in my name. It gave me a number to call. 

My first mistake was to call the number. As the caller started talking about how my phone was compromised, a vestige of critical thinking emerged. I told him I was going to hang up and call Apple security. He told me he was Apple security, but I hung up anyway. 

My recollection was that I searched for Apple security, but apparently the search engine returned the most recent number, which was the scammer’s. That locked it!!  From that point, I was in the hands of people who crafted a wonderfully creative story. It didn’t help that I like to read mystery novels, which are full of plots like theirs. So it made sense. 

Their story was about how I was assisting a team of investigators who were on the trail of bad guys trying to launder money through Bitcoin. The bad guys had an accomplice in my bank who was using my account. So we had to pull off a bunch of clandestine maneuvers to disrupt their operations. This involved access to my iPhone, bank account, and PayPal account.

I will not bore you with the details of how I helped them steal my money. Suffice it to say that it involved a wire transfer, which meant that they had to leave me alone for a while. They made me promise I would not contact the bank. 

However, reality emerged. I did some quick online searches, and the horror of what I had done set in. In rapid succession, I contacted Apple, my bank, PayPal, and the LAPD. Claims were filed, and I was told there might be a chance of recovering my money. I am not holding my breath. 

What I did wrong:

The first thing I did wrong was to decide to call the number. But that was not the worst thing I did. I retained a bit of critical thinking, but then blew it away by searching for Apple Support. I suspect it simply gave me the last number I called. What I should have done was go to the Apple Help site. I knew the site existed as I used it in the past. (I wrote this piece to share in public so that I can stop reviewing that moment over and over in my head!)

Some Lessons:

What lessons might you take away from this experience?

The first is to realize you don’t have to be fearful of every email or phone message you receive, particularly those that seem odd or demand urgent action. You just need to keep reminding yourself to take a deep breath, stop, and verify the source. In my case, when I realized my mistake, there were numbers to call on the official websites of Apple, my bank, and the LAPD Fraud unit. 

The second is a simple reminder that all of us have days when we are mentally not at our best. We should be wary of making important decisions during those situations. We have all been taught not to drive when under the influence of drugs or alcohol. My late friend Larry was a senior technology researcher. He ruefully told me the following story: He had recently undergone major surgery. While recovering from anesthesia, he decided to catch up on his email. He made a couple of typing errors, which almost wiped out his computer. There are good reasons they tell you not to use machinery or make major decisions after anesthesia. 

Being distracted – sometimes called information overload – can have the same effect. That is probably what happened to me. It is prudent to be self-aware of your mental state and avoid making major, irreversible decisions when you are not at your best. 

The Bottom Line, and Concern for the Future 

My main point is that we need to identify and recognize signals of trustworthiness and credibility. The fraud reporting number on an official corporate website is an example. The scammers will certainly have a compelling story to tell, and, as I can tell you, it is easy to get caught up in it. The solution: verify with a trusted source. 

Finally, I want to express my concern about the emerging threat from AI systems. We will soon, we are told, be using AI agents as our assistants. You might, for example, get a message from an AI agent that your bank account has been hacked, and that you should submit your password or account number to the fraud unit. However, at this point in time, there is no way to verify who the agent is in contact with. In fact, asking you to submit confidential information is in itself an indication that the message is fraudulent. AI systems currently have many serious, well-documented security issues, and they should not be relied on in situations involving financial or other confidential matters. 

So, this week, I made a stupid mistake and overlooked an obvious signal. Next year, that obvious signal may be hidden by AI. I am scared of this brave new world!