(Finance) – According to the analysis of Unger, all it takes is a “like” or a “follow” and the scam attempt starts immediately. While an investigation by Barclays Bank, the British national bank, 26% of victims of investment fraud are under the age of 30, while 77% of all scams take place on social media.
Today, the widespread use of social networks and the increase in online investments – continues Unger – they make us particularly susceptible to scams, especially financial ones. A click or a simple like can expose us to the pitfalls of fake gurus who, by exploiting social networks, try to lure new victims, especially among young people. These are often privileged targets, driven by poor financial literacy and the desire to emulate peers who display a rich and luxurious lifestyle. However, it is essential to remember that the dream of large earnings without adequate knowledge does not discount anyone.
Therefore the lever that lies at the basis of all financial scams is easy earnings within everyone’s reach. Today a new scam is making its way which exploits the latest innovation of the moment: AI, or artificial intelligence. A new “siren” for investors or, rather, for the unfortunate ones who pounce on the financial market without awareness, method and the ability to define their bearable risk before launching themselves into the market.
People are made to believe that artificial intelligence algorithms exist which, if exploited with the right IT tools, would be able to generate stellar investments. This reference to artificial intelligence fuels the perception of finally being able to access a seemingly magical world thanks to the help of an alleged benefactor who contacted us by telephone. The effectiveness of these scams arises from ignorance, understood as a lack of knowledge, in both the financial and technological fields. An ignorance that pushes us to overestimate our own potential, falling into the traps of those who try to convince us of the existence of great opportunities that anyone can seize, even without the appropriate economic knowledge.
There is nothing more wrong than being guided by the desire to get rich quickly and easily – the note continues – But be careful, because even promises of apparently reasonable earnings hide pitfalls. Talking about fixed earnings on a weekly or daily basis in the financial context is misleading. No one can guarantee this type of income, not even when it amounts to apparently more innocuous percentages such as 10%. The market cannot offer constant and repetitive returns over time, yet people want to believe in it. They delude themselves and hope to be able to access easy and immediate wealth, thus exposing themselves to scams and scams.