Complexity

Overview

The scammer has a complicated story to explain the scam, or leverages scientific/economic complexity in order to confuse the victim, or to create a situation in which the scammer can "help" the victim through the scam.

• Scams that leverage complexity to make the victim feel confused, such that they give up trying to understand it, are sometimes called the "Byzantine Premium".

• Scams that leverage complexity to set up a situation where the scammer serves as the victim's helpful guide, can be called "Complexity-As-Crucible".

  • In 2.2.1 Virus Or Malware Tech Support Scams or 2.2.2 Fake Invoice Reversal Scams, Complexity rides alongside Authority, specifically in the form of Tech Support Impersonation. The tech support impersonator can employ technical jargon to set up the complicated situation, and then use an Authority frame ("I'm IT, that's why I can fix it") to show the victim that the only path out of the scam is through trust in the scammer.

  • In investment scams, Complexity rides alongside Secret Knowledge and Easy Money/Greed. The scammer designs a complex financial situation, such as a 1.3.1 Cryptocurrency Investment Scam or a 1.5 AI-enabled Trading Bot Scam, and convinces the victim that they will profit, but only because the scammer provides access to some secret knowledge ("the professor / the algorithm / the AI").

Complexity can also drive which delivery vehicle is best for the scam. For example, the long and complicated procedures needed to conduct the 2.2.1 Virus Or Malware Tech Support Scam or a 2.2.2 Fake Invoice Reversal Scam will almost always require a phone call between the scammer and the victim. (See more Scams That Follow A Telephone Template) Thus, even if the initial targeting mechanism is a simple SMS or email spray-and-pray attack, the follow-up "call to action" will almost always be a phone call.