{"id":219418,"date":"2021-04-05T16:53:15","date_gmt":"2021-04-05T13:53:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/why-we-fall-for-social-media-scams-how-to-fight-back\/"},"modified":"2021-04-05T16:53:15","modified_gmt":"2021-04-05T13:53:15","slug":"why-we-fall-for-social-media-scams-how-to-fight-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-we-fall-for-social-media-scams-how-to-fight-back\/","title":{"rendered":"#Why we fall for social-media scams, how to fight back"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a348ae024bdc\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a348ae024bdc\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-we-fall-for-social-media-scams-how-to-fight-back\/#FOMO_rules_our_lives\" >FOMO rules our lives<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-we-fall-for-social-media-scams-how-to-fight-back\/#We_believe_manipulated_images_are_real\" >We believe manipulated images are real<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-we-fall-for-social-media-scams-how-to-fight-back\/#We_believe_somethings_legit_if_celebs_%E2%80%94_or_anyone_with_a_big_following_%E2%80%94_is_involved\" >We believe something\u2019s legit if celebs \u2014 or anyone with a big following \u2014 is involved<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-we-fall-for-social-media-scams-how-to-fight-back\/#We_trust_online_reviews_from_strangers\" >We trust online reviews from strangers<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-we-fall-for-social-media-scams-how-to-fight-back\/#We_value_potential_and_youth_over_experience\" >We value potential and youth over experience\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-we-fall-for-social-media-scams-how-to-fight-back\/#Were_guided_by_emotions_over_facts\" >We\u2019re guided by emotions over facts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#Why we fall for <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a>-media scams, how to fight back<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Few of us will ever forget the failed Fyre Festival, a 2017 disaster helmed by startup bro Billy McFarland. It had all the elements of a perfectly promoted event: Supermodels Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid and more posed in bikinis for a sexy video promoting the festival, stars and influencers posted about it to their millions of Instagram followers, and respected media outlets legitimized it.<\/p>\n<p>Attendees then spent thousands to fly to the Bahamas for a weekend of decadence that turned out to include sleeping not in glamorous villas, but decrepit tents, and dining on cold cheese sandwiches rather than gourmet fare. Hundreds ended up stranded, struggling to get back on planes home. And all of this unraveled live on social media.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For Gabrielle Bluestone, the author of <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Hype-Scammers-Grifters-Internet_and-Following\/dp\/133501649X?tag=nypost-20\">\u201cHype: How Scammers, Grifters, and Con Artists Are Taking Over the Internet\u2014and Why We\u2019re Following,\u201d<\/a> (Hanover Square Press), the festival is a stark example of how we\u2019re living in the golden age of grift.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cScammers play on your emotions,\u201d Bluestone told The Post. \u201cThe most effective ones elicit a response and it\u2019s usually about FOMO [fear of missing out] or loneliness.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" alt=\"Hype book and author Gabrielle Bluestone\" class=\"wp-image-17738841 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/hype-gabrielle.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/hype-gabrielle.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/hype-gabrielle.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/hype-gabrielle.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/hype-gabrielle.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Author Gabrielle Bluestone\u2019s book \u201cHype\u201d is out now. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Victor Jeffreys II<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>She writes, \u201cWhether it\u2019s the value of a company, the authenticity of a person we\u2019ve never met, or the efficacy of face masks during an airborne pandemic, at some point along the road, we as a society tacitly agreed to start trusting our emotions and feelings over verifiable facts \u2014 all without ever realizing just how much our social media use is manipulating those judgments in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Here are some of the reasons we keep getting conned \u2014 and what we can do to stop falling for the fakery.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" alt=\"Tents set up at Fyre Festival in 2017.\" class=\"wp-image-17738845 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/online-scammers-fyre-3.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/online-scammers-fyre-3.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/online-scammers-fyre-3.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/online-scammers-fyre-3.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/online-scammers-fyre-3.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Organized by Fyre Media founder, Billy McFarland and r<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>er Ja Rule, Fyre Festival 2017, the biggest scam to hit the music festival industry. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">ZUMAPRESS.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FOMO_rules_our_lives\"><\/span><strong>FOMO rules our lives<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>According to Bluestone, the con of the Fyre Festival \u201cdidn\u2019t just entice buyers with its images of beautiful models in bikinis and pristine sand beaches \u2014 it also triggered an equal and opposite powerful emotion: fear and, in particular, the fear of missing out,\u201d or FOMO.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, the increased use of social media has spiked that emotion.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cStudies have also shown direct links between the use of social media sites like Instagram and Facebook and \u2018increased social comparisons and negative affective states such as envy and jealousy,\u2019 \u201d writes Bluestone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs many as three-quarters of Internet users back in 2011 reported experiencing unease when they felt they were missing out on what their peers were doing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s important to remember that much of what\u2019s being pushed out on social media \u2014 especially by people you don\u2019t know \u2014 is a construct. \u201cI\u2019m convinced that if even just one or two of the acts made it onstage for the Fyre Festival, everyone would\u2019ve pretended like they were having the time of their lives, no matter what disaster was actually happening,\u201d Bluestone said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" alt=\"Khloe Kardashian posing in Good American pumps on Instagram\" class=\"wp-image-17738842 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/hype-khloe-kardashian-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/hype-khloe-kardashian-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/hype-khloe-kardashian-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/hype-khloe-kardashian-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=819 819w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/hype-khloe-kardashian-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1638 1638w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 819px\"\/><figcaption>Khloe Kardashian, posing in Good American pumps, has been called out by fans for heavily altering her photos. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">goodamerican\/Instagram<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"We_believe_manipulated_images_are_real\"><\/span><strong>We believe manipulated images are real<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When you\u2019re scrolling through Instagram, it\u2019s all too easy to convince yourself that before\/after photos of Botoxed or liposuctioned patients are real \u2014 or that a celebrity\u2019s face is blessed with contours you can only dream of. Khlo\u00e9 Kardashian, for example, has <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2020\/05\/29\/khloe-kardashian-jokes-about-weekly-face-transplants\/\">come under fire from followers<\/a> for posting shots of herself on Instagram that render her unrecognizable.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But these images are rarely the real deal.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI spoke with a top plastic surgeon in Los Angeles who warned me that many doctors Photoshop photos on Instagram,\u201d Bluestone said. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to track and prove except in the most egregious cases.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The desire to look like a filtered photo has creeped its way into real life. Dana Omari, a registered dietitian with a master\u2019s in biochemistry who works at a Texas medspa told Bluestone, \u201cPeople will come in with a picture of themselves with a Snapchat filter or an Instagram filter. And a lot of those things are actually not possible to do with procedures. I mean there\u2019s no way that we can just make your face into a heart shape if it\u2019s not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If you see some \u201cincredible\u201d results online that make you want to try a treatment, don\u2019t accept the photo at face value.\u00a0Ask the practitioner or doc behind the account about the patient \u2014 when did they come in? How long after the treatment was the \u201cafter\u201d taken? If they can\u2019t answer or it seems fishy, it\u2019s probably faked.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Bluestone also suggests giving yourself a reality check by looking at Instagram accounts that call out cosmetic enhancements and Photoshopping \u2014 <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/celebface\/\">CelebFace<\/a> and<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/igfamousbydana\/?hl=en\"> IGfamousbyDana<\/a> (Run by Omari) are two good ones \u2014 and show what the photo subjects really look like without retouching.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" alt=\"Notorious Fyre Festival promoter Billy McFarland leaves the Federal Courthouse in Manhattan escorted by his legal team\" class=\"wp-image-17739020 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/billy-mcfarland.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/billy-mcfarland.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/billy-mcfarland.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/billy-mcfarland.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/billy-mcfarland.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Notorious Fyre Festival promoter Billy McFarland leaves the Federal Courthouse in Manhattan escorted by his legal team<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Natan Dvir<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"We_believe_somethings_legit_if_celebs_%E2%80%94_or_anyone_with_a_big_following_%E2%80%94_is_involved\"><\/span><strong>We believe something\u2019s legit if celebs \u2014 or anyone with a big following \u2014 is involved<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Thanks to social media, we think we\u2019re friends with influencers, so when they recommend products, we jump.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Such was the case with the Fyre Festival. \u201cIt was so successful because they filtered their scam through these trusted influencers and laundered the message through them,\u201d she said. \u201cAll these people had good will with their followers so when Bella Hadid talked it up, her followers bought tickets.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>To prevent this from happening, don\u2019t be impulsive about a product a celebrity is shilling. Actually ask yourself the reason you want to buy something. \u201cIf it\u2019s because so-and-so said so, maybe that\u2019s not the best reason to purchase something,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>But that\u2019s harder than it sounds. Bluestone cites research from 1950s psychologist Solomon Asch, which \u201cconfirmed time and time again that all it takes to convince us to think something is a sense that everyone else thinks it,\u201d she writes. \u201cIn one experiment, for example, he showed subjects a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a> of three lines and asked them to identify the one that matched the length of a fourth line. His subjects had no problem picking out the correct line \u2014 until they were put in a room of actors who deliberately chose one of the incorrect answers. About 75 percent of the subjects chose the obviously incorrect line at least once, all thanks to peer pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Sunday Riley products\" class=\"wp-image-17738972 lazyload\" width=\"281\" height=\"183\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/scammers-sunday-riley-1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/scammers-sunday-riley-1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/scammers-sunday-riley-1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/scammers-sunday-riley-1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=281 281w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/scammers-sunday-riley-1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=562 562w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 281px\"\/><figcaption>Sunday Riley products<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Astrid Stawiarz\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"We_trust_online_reviews_from_strangers\"><\/span><strong>We trust online reviews from strangers<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In a well-documented two-year scam, Sunday Riley, an Insta-popular skin care brand, was accused of allegedly teaching employees how to write fake reviews about their products on Sephora.<\/p>\n<p>After an e-mail detailing the sneaky practices \u2014 reportedly written by a company exec \u2014 went viral on Reddit, the Texas-based company ultimately settled the charges with the Federal Trade Commission. But to date, they never admitted any wrongdoing.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>What should you think when every review you read seems glowing? Check to see whether the language looks similar in every write-up. Many sites now also note if the reviewer is a confirmed purchaser of the product. \u201cSee if that person ordered an item and paid for it,\u201d Bluestone said. \u201cI always suggest people filter a product by the worst reviews before deciding if an item is worth buying.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" alt=\"Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes\" class=\"wp-image-17738983 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/elizabeth-holmes.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/elizabeth-holmes.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/elizabeth-holmes.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/elizabeth-holmes.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/elizabeth-holmes.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"We_value_potential_and_youth_over_experience\"><\/span><strong>We value potential and youth over experience\u00a0<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s easy for us to trust young \u201chot-shot\u201d salespeople: They exude confidence which we often confuse with knowledge. The promise of someone \u201cdisrupting\u201d an \u201cold\u201d system is enticing. <\/p>\n<p>When she was just 19, Elizabeth Holmes left Stanford to launch Theranos, a company based on buzzy blood-testing <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a>, the efficacy of which she couldn\u2019t back up with scientific evidence. Although she was declared a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/zinamoukheiber\/2014\/06\/17\/elizabeth-holmes-who-wants-to-shake-up-the-blood-testing-industry-is-a-billionaire-at-30\/?sh=3269d56b7863\">billionaire by Forbes<\/a> in 2014, she was later charged with defrauding investors \u2014 including Henry Kissinger, who sat on the board \u2014 out of more than $700 million.<\/p>\n<p>But why did so many people trust a 19-year-old college dropout pushing a major medical venture?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s just something about youth and energy and excitement. It\u2019s a story that you want to succeed,\u201d Robert Prentice, a lawyer, University of Texas professor and an expert in securities fraud told Bluestone. \u201cThey\u2019re appealing, and you want to believe it so much that you can talk yourself into it.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignleft\">\n<blockquote><p>There\u2019s just something about youth and energy and excitement. It\u2019s a story that you want to succeed.<\/p>\n<p><cite>Lawyer and professor Robert Prentice on why we trust the likes of Elizabeth Holmes<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p>One of Holmes\u2019 professors, Phyllis Gardner of Stanford Medical School, immediately mistrusted her student and her methods.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLook, in high tech, you can fake it [till] you make it,\u201d she told <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/2019\/06\/03\/she-saw-through-elizabeth-holmes-now-stanford-professor-is-star-in-theranos-saga\/\">the Mercury News<\/a> in 2019. \u201cIn medicine, you do not fake it. Ever. That is verboten, and that is why we have regulatory agencies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverything was an appearance: the black turtlenecks and the deep voice and the glammed up look and everything,\u201d Gardner said. \u201cIt was a facade, and you never could see the true Elizabeth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When you\u2019re considering investing in anything from daily vitamins to a major corporation, check to see the qualifications of anyone shilling something \u2014 especially if it\u2019s medical advice. \u201cDo your own research, see if their background reflects what they\u2019re saying,\u201d said Bluestone, who writes in her book that many influencers and celebs touted the medical benefits of celery juice, for example, inspired by Anthony Williams, who is not a doctor but calls himself a \u201cmedical medium.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Were_guided_by_emotions_over_facts\"><\/span><strong>We\u2019re guided by emotions over facts<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>During the pandemic, we\u2019ve been especially vulnerable to scams like fake animal rescues, which have proliferated.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>You think you\u2019re donating to a legit rescue when you\u2019re actually being duped by scammers who beg you to donate to the organization before an animal is put to sleep.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople use stolen photos of animals and create fake Web sites for shelters that don\u2019t exist,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are also plenty of puppy mills posing online as rescues or Web sites offering pets for adoption that don\u2019t exist.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Bluestone notes that there\u2019s a major investigation into the Animal Hope and Wellness Foundation in Sherman Oaks, Calif.\u00a0\u2014 a charity that\u2019s been supported by Joaquin Phoenix, Matt Damon and more stars \u2014 which alleges that founder Marc Ching fabricated or exaggerated the already-heartbreaking trauma its animals have been through, the LA Times <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2020-12-30\/marc-ching-foundation-petstaurant-riley-social-media-dog-animal-abuse\">reported in December<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Before you hit the donate button, make sure it\u2019s a legit charity. \u201cYou can find out by researching if they\u2019ve filed their 501(3)(c) nonprofit tax forms,\u201d she said. \u201cOr do a reverse image search on Google. That sad photo of a dog may be a stock image or it may have been posted somewhere else first.\u201d\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async defer src=\"https:\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2021\/04\/05\/why-we-fall-for-social-media-scams-how-to-fight-back\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Why we fall for social-media scams, how to fight back&#8221; Few of us will ever forget the failed Fyre Festival, a 2017 disaster helmed by startup bro Billy McFarland. It had all the elements of a perfectly promoted event: Supermodels Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid and more posed in bikinis for a sexy video promoting the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":219419,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/05N.HYPE_MAIN.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[100812,71258,4974,33423,71101,4976,10401],"class_list":["post-219418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-4-5-21","tag-celebrity-social-media","tag-facebook","tag-instagram","tag-scams","tag-social-media","tag-twitter"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=219418"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219418\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/219419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=219418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=219418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=219418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}