One expert tackled the fascinating subject of whether or not everyone is susceptible to being scammed.
Dr Sohom Das, 44, is a London-based forensic psychiatrist, as well as a YouTube content creator. On his channel A psychologist for aching mindsDr. Das covers a range of topics related to mental health and crime.
His YouTube biography describes him as a professional consultant forensic psychiatrist and expert witness discussing his own real (anonymized) cases.
Further, it states: “Dr Das (MBChB, BSc, MSc, MRCPsych) has ‘personally assessed hundreds of patients in prisons, secured locked psychiatric wards and courts across the UK’.
In a recent video titled simply Can Anybody Be CONNED?the psychiatrist addressed this same issue.
Can everyone be deceived? A forensic psychiatrist addressed this issue in a recent YouTube video (stock image)
Opening the video, Dr. Das said, “I recently saw a drama called The Sixth Commandment. It’s published by the BBC, it’s on iPlayer, really good.’
While avoiding saying too much, the psychiatrist described the program’s main antagonist, a con artist named Ben Fields, who scams a number of other characters on the show.
Dr Das continues: “He’s basically a trickster, but a romantic trickster, and it got me thinking about this question: can anyone be cheated?”
According to the expert, the “right answer, especially for victims of scammers,” is yes, anyone can fall prey to their scams.
But, he added, he thinks it’s a bit more complicated than that. Dr. Das says, “So I’m a consultant, forensic psychiatrist. I assess mentally ill offenders and sometimes I (also work with) victims.
“I wouldn’t say anyone can be deceived, but I would say most people have some sort of weakness or vulnerability (which makes them more susceptible to being deceived).”
Thus, the psychiatrist continues: “It may be just greed, that you want money, or that you are rather desperate, (perhaps) that you are very in debt and that you are therefore looking for a quick fix. ‘
Money isn’t the only resource people can be “desperate” or “greedy” for, according to Dr. Das.
Dr Sohom Das (pictured) is a London-based forensic psychiatrist who also creates YouTube content on his A Psych for Sore Minds channel.
He says, “Someone may be unlucky in love and lonely for a long time. They are therefore open to love scams.
“It could be someone who wants to be a Hollywood star or a singer, so he believes that someone he has to pay money to is going to help him in his career. So what I say, it depends on each person.
And there are other factors at play, he says, including those related to personality type.
Dr. Das continues: “I don’t want to sound horrible towards the victims, but some people are more gullible, more naive, more suggestible than others.
“And also, the levels of risk taking, risk aversion or risk predisposition are different. So if you are willing to take risks, you are more likely to get scammed.
Dr. Sohom Das can be found on Twitter, instagramAnd ICT Tacas well as YouTube.
