How I narrowly escaped a phone bank scam

“As you can see, the number I’ve called from is the same as the number on the back of your bank card.”

Silence.

“Are you still there, Carolyn?’

I hesitate, then say: “Yes.”

“Great. I just need you to verify a few details for me.”

My BS detector is ringing. Despite:

• The incoming call number matching my card…

• The caller ID displaying my bank's name…

• The caller sounding like authentic bank support staff…

Banks don’t call to ask you for your bank details, right?

Right.

As some of you already know, I narrowly escaped a bank scam. That same week, someone else in my life wasn’t as lucky. Which is why I’m straying from my normal newsletter topics:

If I can help just one person protect themselves or a loved one from a scammer, that’s a huge win.

So, no headlines or body copy or subject lines or email copy today…

(If you’re here just for the copy breakdowns, you should probably skip this issue.)

But if you’re even a teensy bit curious about how these scams prey on people using the same persuasive techniques marketers use, I think you’ll like this issue. Because you’ll see:

• How the bank scam I almost fell for unfolded

• Why this bank scam was so convincing

• What every marketer needs to remember about their persuasive powers

Let’s dig in.

THE BREAKDOWN

The bank scam that almost got me.

Here’s how the scam played out, from start to finish:

• I receive an incoming call—call display says it’s my bank. I let the call go to voicemail, but no voicemail is left.

• I immediately receive a second call from the same number. I google the number. Sure enough, the number is on my bank’s website. I decide two back-to-back calls without a voicemail means it’s important, so I pick up.

• The voice on the other end of the line calmly identified themself as so-and-so from the fraud department at my bank. They ask a closed-ended question: “Are you in Calgary?”

• I respond: “No.”

• They say they’re calling because there were two recent charges on my credit card—they were flagged because (1) I didn’t have a travel notice on my account and (2) the transactions are atypical to my usual spending patterns.

• I thank them for the call because someone I know was just scammed and I would hate to fall victim to a bank scam. (Leave it to a Canadian to thank a bank scammer. 🤦🏻‍♀️)

• They say financial security and safety are of the utmost importance to my bank. Then they provide info about the flagged transactions—the transaction description and the exact transaction amount. The transaction descriptions were real businesses. The dollar amounts were specific down to the penny.

• They ask me another closed-ended question: “Did you place these transactions?”

• I respond: “No.”

• They tell me they’ll cancel my credit card so they can issue a new card.

This is the point when the scammer asks to verify my details.

(This is also the point where my BS detector starts going off…but it still takes me a few moments to shut the scam down.)

Here’s what happened next:

• I force myself to slow my responses.

• They ask again if I’m ready to proceed with verifying my details.

• I pause. Then tell them to wait a moment because I’m grabbing my card and logging into my account.

• They say the transactions aren’t visible online because they’re pending, so logging into my account isn’t necessary. (Sounds fishy.)

• I pick up my card and check the phone number on the back of the card again, even though I’ve already verified the number. I see (again) they’re the same number.

• Enough’s enough. I say: “I can see your number is the same as on the back of the card, but I’m hanging up now. I’m going to call that number back rather than saying anything further on this call.”

• They respond: “Sure thing, I look forward to speaking to you in a few moments.” (They maintained the façade to the very end. 🤯)

Hindsight is 20/20 (thanks Hindsight Bias!). But looking back on the play-by-play, my compliance weaknesses seem clear.

THE PSYCHOLOGY

This scam’s principles weapons of influence.

It’s easy to forget that the persuasive “guidebook” many marketers, copywriters and salespeople hold dear—Cialdini’s Influence—wasn’t written for us.

Influence was written to help others defend themselves against the “weapons of influence” (as Cialdini rightly calls them).

Here are the 5 key techniques the scammer used and why they worked:

1. Exploiting call frequency patterns to suggest urgency. My phone has a setting that prioritizes consecutive calls from the same number—maybe yours does as well? If so, this is a setting that scammers can exploit.

2. Bypassing caller ID filters to appear legitimate. Typically, spam and scams are automatically flagged by my phone—I don’t even see the calls come through. This call bypassed that technical defense, so my guard was lowered.

3. Using closed-ended questions for easy engagement. I’ve written about the “foot in the door” effect before (here)—this is a strategic technique that makes it easy for the scammer to start a conversation. The closed-ended question is a simple way to get their foot in the door because it eases the cognitive load it takes to reply. (If you’re curious, here’s more recommended reading material on question and survey design.)

4. Providing a plausible rationale for security concerns. The scammer’s generic rationale—like travel notices and irregular spending—triggered explanatory coherence, which made their reasoning seem more believable. (You can read more about explanatory coherence and why people act on flawed justifications here and here.)

5. Offering specific details to enhance credibility. By mentioning actual businesses and using precise, non-round transaction amounts, the scammer leveraged the certainty effect. This level of detail made their claims seem more believable. (This was also recently studied in green advertising.)

Which brings us to the key principle of influence that kicked off this ordeal:

Authority.

My history with financial institutions has mostly been positive and rewarding. These past experiences have conditioned me to be naturally compliant when dealing with banks.

Cialdini breaks down symbols of authority into 3 major categories: titles, clothes and trappings.

This scam used a mix of authoritative “clothes” (the call number and call display) to click, whirr my compliance before I answered the call. I was primed to be easily manipulated. Then the scammer used additional persuasive techniques to boost credibility and believability.

I feel ridiculous that I almost fell victim to a bank scam.

But it’s an important reminder that everyone has vulnerabilities in their persuasion defense system, no matter how savvy they may consider themselves.

THE ACTIONABLE TIP

“With great power comes great responsibility.”

This isn’t your standard actionable tip. Instead, it’s a warning:

Use your persuasive powers responsibly.

And, please, don’t trust any incoming call from your bank. Just call your bank back—it takes just a few minutes and can save you tens of thousands of dollars.