In the cold light of day, when everything’s calm, we often can tell the difference between a legitamte email or text and a fake..

But that changes when we’re put under pressure, distracted, or worried.  New research reveals just how much that we overestimate our abilities in the heat of the moment – from spotting Deepfakes, to identifying  false claims.  Often, people even refuse to accept that we’ve been fooled once the scam becomes clear.

Criminals know this. It’s why scams use our own psychology against us.

So how do scammers undermine our judgement?

And what can we do to protect ourselves? 

Impersonation scams purport to come from organisations or people you trust, or feel the need to comply with.

Police, your bank, tax authorities, TV or vehicle licensing, utility companies and delivery couriers are among the most common.

Typically, they use a carrot-and-stick combination of threat and temptation to compel us to act rashly. Sometimes, a scammer poses as a shop or online service you use, offering you a refund, threatening to cut you off, or claiming your account has been compromised and you need to input your details urgently to recover it.

Sometimes, they pose as someone you know personally.

Consider the following scenario.

You get an email from your boss. They’re on their way into a vital client meeting and have ordered an urgent bike courier for some documents that must be delivered for signatures during the meeting. The goods have already been collected, and the courier will send through the payment details to your phone. Can you do your boss a favour and make the transfer, as they’ll be in the meeting? They’ll sign off your expense claim when the meeting’s over.

The twist?

Your boss has sent no email. There is no meeting. There is no courier. The transfer request that comes through from an unfamiliar number is a scammer’s account. You’ll find out later today, when you talk to your boss. But by that time, it’s too late. 

The most fundamental piece of guidance is never to act directly on an unsolicited message claiming to be urgent.

Instead, when you’re pressed to do something, turn to your PAL.

Your PAL is Pause, Ask, and Look.

Pause: Take the pressure off. If it was so important, there’s no way they’d be asking you to do something on the spur of the moment. What if you’d been unreachable? Pressure for rash action is suspicious. Disengage and step back.

Ask: Reach out to the organisation via a separate, official channel to check. (Never use the number on the scammer’s message to you.)

If there is any possibility that it is a real message, the real organisation will not only know about it, but will happily brief you officially, in fuller detail.

Look: The vast majority of impersonation scams are being shared by others online. You’ll often be able to see people reporting the same message. But don’t stop there, refer it to our team. It’s what we’re here for.

Remember, with Premier Banking’s personal, dedicated phone service, you can do just that. The number never changes, and you’ll always be able to get through swiftly to chat to one of our team, 24/7. They’ll he happy to help you sense-check any demands you receive.

Meanwhile, setting up a Personal Security Profile in the app not only protects you with biometric authentication and other security steps – it will also help you stay informed with tips on how scams are evolving. 

One of impersonation scammers’ signature moves is to make you believe you cannot contact anyone to check, or are under pressure of time.

In our example, the scammer emphasised that your boss would be uncontactable until after the deadline for payment had passed.

A famous real-life example from February 2024 shows just how easily even the most savvy of us can fall victim to this technique.

New York magazine’s Financial Advice columnist Charlotte Cowles revealed in the magazine that she had been fooled by impersonation scammers claiming to be from the Federal Trade Commission and the CIA into giving £39,234 in cash to the scammer.

The scammers caught her at a high-stress moment, knew lots of details, and warned her that their criminal investigation involved her tax office, so she was not to make contact with them to check.

Cowles shared her account, and the floodgates opened. Katie Gatti, the author of the popular Money With Katie newsletter shared a similar story of being fooled into handing over £6,280 in an impersonation scam. Many more shared their stories.

Yet in every case, PAL – stopping, refusing to be rushed, and checking in with the real organisation directly – would have thwarted the scammers. 

There are other clues.

The request for action will be urgent. Panic, stress, or threat of loss are used to overcome cool judgement.

You’ll be made to feel that you have no option to check the message using official channels.

Payment information or other details will be requested. Often, you will be asked to click through from that message.

You may be asked to confirm passcodes or authentication codes.

NatWest has a smart guide that contains more handy tips. In the meantime, always remember, we’re here 24/7.

If you do come across any scams, consider using the national reporting channels (report@phishing.gov.uk or text 7226 from any UK mobile – the number spells out SCAM) as well as alerting your own network, for instance by posting a warning on social media channels. That way, we’re all doing our bit to make the world more scam-aware.

And you’re ever if in any doubt during a communication? Don’t forget your PAL.