Being duped is one of the most unpleasant experiences anyone can go through. It makes you feel stupid, knowing that another person fooled you into getting what they want.
The feeling could be ten times worse if it involved someone you’ve known for a long time. This is what a bridesmaid went through when the maid of honor tricked the entire bridal party and profited off of them.
To add insult to injury, the woman says she expected such behavior, but this one was a “whole new level.”
Being scammed is one of the worst feelings anyone could ever experience
Image credits: Melike B / pexels (not the actual photo)
This was what a bridesmaid went through involving the maid of honor, whom she had known for a long time
Image credits: 2designbcn / envato (not the actual photo)
She later realized that the entire bridal entourage had been duped into paying, which the MOH profited from
Image credits: sixfingeredman7
Scammers leverage a person’s innate “optimism bias”
In the story, the woman knew that the maid of honor wasn’t a good person. Yet, she still ignored the red flags she noticed until it was too late. Experts refer to this as an optimism bias, where people aren’t always on the lookout for the worst-case scenarios.
According to Carolyn Misir, principal psychologist at the Singapore Police Psychological Services Division, scammers leverage these biases to get what they want without the person suspecting too much.
“Most people can’t go around thinking of all the worst-case scenarios,” Misir said in a 2022 interview. “So (when they encounter a scam) people don’t think ‘oh, this might be a scam’.”
Winning someone’s trust is another common tactic scammers use. As Nanyang Technological University associate professor Joyce Pang explains, the person may go the extra mile to create a sense of intimacy before they strike.
This is likely why the maid of honor made everyone believe she was doing an excellent job planning the bachelorette party, when in reality, she had her motives planned all along.
Falling for a scam may feel like an insult to our intelligence, especially in the story’s case, where everyone knew what to expect. Anyone can be a victim of deception, and experts like cybersecurity researcher Dr. KF Cheung emphasize that it isn’t an indication of weakness or naivety.
If you do feel you’ve been deceived, Dr. Cheung advises focusing on reporting the scam, seeking support, and learning from the experience.
At this point, the bridesmaid would be better off exposing the MOH once they’ve gathered enough proof. They may (or may not) get their money back, but it may help prevent similar situations from happening again.
Most readers unanimously called for exposing the scam, with some suggesting getting the authorities involved
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