Mental States: A Key Point in Scam Compliance and Warning Compliance in Real Life.

The internet's convenience and anonymity have facilitated different types of covert fraud, resulting in economic, mental, and social harm to victims. Understanding why people are deceived and implementing appropriate interventions is critical for fraud reduction. Based on the Bayesian brain theory, individuals' mental states may be a key point in scam compliance and warning compliance. Fraud victims with different mental states may construct various hypotheses and explanations about the fraud they are exposed to, causing different cognition and behavior patterns. Therefore, we first conducted a semi-structured in-depth interview with online fraud victims to investigate the individual and social factors that affect victims' mental states. Grounded theory analysis showed five core factors influencing scam compliance: psychological traits, empirical factors, motivation, cognitive biases, and emotional imbalance. Based on our findings of psychological processes and deception's influential factors, we then designed warnings to inform victims of fraud, particularly for those involving novel types of scams. Tested on a real-life setting, our designed warnings effectively enhanced warning compliance, allowing more fraud victims to avoid financial losses.

Cheating Motivation Scale: evidence of validity and reliability / Escala de Motivação para Trapacear: evidências de validade e confiabilidade / Escala de Motivación para Engañar: evidencias de validez y fiabilidad

This study aimed to adapt the Motivation to Cheat Scale (MCS) to the Brazilian student context, gathering evidence of validity based on its internal structure. Two studies were carried out. In Study 1, the 20 items of the MCS were translated into Portuguese and evaluated semantically by ten students, who consider them sufficiently understandable. Subsequently, seeking to know the internal structure of the measure, there was the participation of 212 high school students (M = 16.10 years; SD = 1.02). An exploratory factor analysis indicated the existence of two factors (search for success and moral initiation), which were saturated 18 items. O Study 2 aimed to verify this factorial structure. Logo, the 18 items answered by 229 high school students (M = 16.20 years; SD = 1.23). A confirmatory factorial analysis confirmed bifactorial adjustment. MCS has evidence of validity based on internal structure, which can be used in research outside of Brazil. (AU)

Objetivou-se adaptar a Escala de Motivação para Trapacear (EMT) para o contexto estudantil brasileiro, reunindo evidências de validade baseadas em sua estrutura interna. Realizaram-se dois estudos. No Estudo 1, os 20 itens da EMT foram traduzidos para o português e submetidos à avaliação semântica de dez estudantes, que os consideraram suficientemente compreensíveis. Posteriormente, buscando-se conhecer a estrutura interna da medida, contou-se com a participação de 212 estudantes do Ensino Médio (M = 16,10 anos; DP = 1,02). Uma análise fatorial exploratória indicou a existência de dois fatores (busca de realização e inibição moral), nos quais saturaram 18 itens. O Estudo 2 visou comprovar essa estrutura fatorial. Logo, os 18 itens foram respondidos por 229 estudantes do Ensino Médio (M = 16,20 anos; DP = 1,23). Uma análise fatorial confirmatória comprovou o ajuste bifatorial. A EMT apresentou evidências de validade baseadas na estrutura interna, podendo ser utilizada em pesquisas no Brasil. (AU)

Este estudio tuvo como objetivo adecuar la Escala de Motivación para Engañar (EME) al contexto estudiantil brasileño, recogiendo evidencias de validez a partir de su estructura interna. Se realizaron dos estudios. En el Estudio 1, los 20 ítems de la EME fueron traducidos al portugués y sometidos a la evaluación semántica por parte de diez estudiantes, quienes los consideraron suficientemente comprensibles. Posteriormente, buscando comprender la estructura interna de la medida, participaron 212 estudiantes de la Educación Secundaria (M = 16,10 años; DS = 1,02). Un análisis factorial exploratorio indicó la existencia de dos factores (búsqueda de realización e inhibición moral), en los que se saturaron 18 ítems. El Estudio 2 tuvo como objetivo verificar esta estructura factorial. Por lo que, los 18 ítems fueron respondidos por 229 estudiantes de Secundaria (M = 16,20 años; DS = 1,23). Un análisis factorial confirmatorio demostró la adecuación bifactorial. La EME ha revelado evidencias de validez basadas en la estructura interna, pudiendo ser utilizada en investigaciones brasileñas. (AU)

Fraudes financieros, salud y calidad de vida: un estudio cualitativo / Financial fraud and health: a qualitative approach

Los fraudes financieros asociados a la crisis económica se han manifestado en los países desarrollados con efectos en la salud física, psíquica y social de las personas afectadas. A partir de los estudios cuantitativos y las revisiones de la literatura, este trabajo pretende obtener evidencias sobre los efectos en la salud a través de la narrativa de las personas entrevistadas. Se ha obtenido una muestra intencional de 32 personas afectadas por fraudes financieros (hipotecas abusivas y multidivisa, participaciones preferentes y swap) en Madrid, para realizar un análisis del contenido. Las personas afectadas tienen, en general, unas condiciones de edad, sexo, nivel educativo y profesión que les pueden haber permitido, en su curso de vida, acumular recursos económicos para suscribir productos financieros devenidos fraudulentos, basados en la confianza en las instituciones financieras. El fraude ha propiciado la aparición de procesos de anomia, agrandados con el tiempo, que se manifiestan con dolencias físicas (diversas enfermedades) y síntomas y patologías mentales (ansiedad, depresión, ideas de suicidio), que afectan al modo de vida, los hábitos y las relaciones personales y sociales, y que llegan a afectar a otros miembros de la familia. El aumento del consumo de fármacos y del uso de servicios de salud sirve de corolario al desajuste producido en su salud. Las personas afectadas y la sociedad española en su conjunto demandan medidas de política pública sanitaria para su atenuación y la recuperación de su confianza en el sistema bancario y político

During the economic crisis, developed countries have experienced financial fraud, with effects on the physical and mental health of the people affected, and on social domains. Based on the theoretical framework in literature reviews and in quantitative studies, this paper aims to obtain evidence on the effects of financial fraud on health and on the family and social environments of those affected. An intentional sample of 32 people affected by abusive and multi-currency mortgages, preferred and swap stock in Madrid was approached. In-depth interviews were conducted, and the resulting data was analysed using content analysis. Fraud-affected individuals had conditions of age, sex, educational level and occupations that possibly allowed them to accumulate economic resources throughout the course of their lives and, predictably in many cases, to take out fraudulent financial products, based on trust in the financial institutions. Financial fraud has led to the emergence of various processes of anomia and adverse health effects. The consequences on health were physical ailments (symptoms and diseases in various systems and parts of the body) and mental disorders (anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation), all affecting lifestyles, behaviour and personal and social relationships, both in affected individuals and their families. The increase in the use of medical drugs and health services serves as a final corollary to the imbalances on the affected people's health. Individuals and the Spanish society demand public health policy measures to mitigate the effects on health and the recovery of their confidence in the banking and political system

The effect of known decision support reliability on outcome quality and visual information foraging in joint decision making.

Decision support systems (DSSs) are being woven into human workflows from aviation to medicine. In this study, we examine decision quality and visual information foraging for DSSs with different known reliability levels. Thirty-six participants completed a financial fraud detection task, first unsupported and then supported by a DSS which highlighted important information sources. Participants were randomly allocated to four cohorts, being informed that the system's reliability was 100%, 90%, 80% or undisclosed. Results showed that only a DSS known to be 100% reliable resulted in participants systematically following its suggestions, increasing the percentage of correct classifications to a median of 100% while halving both, decision time and number of visually attended information sources. In all other conditions, the DSS had no effect on most visual sampling metrics, while decision quality of the human-DSS team was below the reliability level of the DSS. Knowledge of an even slightly unreliable system hence had a profound impact on joint decision making, with participants trusting their significantly worse performance more than the DSSs suggestions.

Measuring impostor phenomenon among health sciences librarians.

OBJECTIVE: Impostor phenomenon, also known as impostor syndrome, is the inability to internalize accomplishments while experiencing the fear of being exposed as a fraud. Previous work has examined impostor phenomenon among academic college and research librarians, but health sciences librarians, who are often asked to be experts in medical subject areas with minimal training or education in these areas, have not yet been studied. The aim of this study was to measure impostor phenomenon among health sciences librarians. METHODS: A survey of 2,125 eligible Medical Library Association (MLA) members was taken from October to December 2017. The online survey featuring the Harvey Impostor Phenomenon scale, a validated measure of impostor phenomenon, was administered, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to examine relationships between impostor phenomenon scores and demographic variables. RESULTS: A total of 703 participants completed the survey (33% response rate), and 14.5% of participants scored ≥42 on the Harvey scale, indicating possible impostor feelings. Gender, race, and library setting showed no associations, but having an educational background in the health sciences was associated with lower impostor scores. Age and years of experience were inversely correlated with impostor phenomenon, with younger and newer librarians demonstrating higher scores. CONCLUSIONS: One out of seven health sciences librarians in this study experienced impostor phenomenon, similar to previous findings for academic librarians. Librarians, managers, and MLA can work to recognize and address this issue by raising awareness, using early prevention methods, and supporting librarians who are younger and/or new to the profession.

Capacity assessment and estate planning - the therapeutic importance of the individual.

Demand for legal capacity assessments is increasing, especially assessments of financial capacity for estate planning purposes such as wills and enduring powers of attorney. This article proposes that such assessments will be improved by taking greater account of the client experience, including individual and relational factors and processes, and considering the practice framework. A literature review was undertaken with a two-fold aim: firstly, to understand the fundamentally important perspective (inclusive of these experiences) of the evaluee; and, secondly, to identify potential improvements in the capacity assessment process with a view to informing best practice. No studies were identified that directly addressed the individual perspective in capacity assessments. Case studies and commentaries that indirectly discuss the individual perspective were therefore analysed to identify any potential issues and recommendations. This analysis showed that individual factors, such as the evaluee's functional and disease status, and relational factors, such as trust, should be considered by examiners. This review demonstrates that there is a significant gap in the literature examining the individual's perspective and experiences in capacity assessments, as well as, any impact this may have on the assessment process and outcomes. Further research into this vital perspective is needed so that the experiences of those undergoing assessments can help inform best practice and ensure that optimal processes are adopted when assessing the capacity necessary to make legally recognised decisions. This article examines the importance of the participant perspective and experiences in capacity assessments through the novel lens of therapeutic jurisprudence. It includes practice suggestions and provides the direction for this future research.

The psychological interaction of spam email features.

This study explored distinct perceptual and decisional contributions to spam email mental construal. Participants classified spam emails according to pairings of three stimulus features - presence or absence of awkward prose, abnormal message structure, and implausible premise. We examined dimensional interactions within general recognition theory (GRT; a multidimensional extension of signal detection theory). Classification accuracy was highest for categories containing either two non-normal dimension levels (e.g. awkward prose and implausible premise) or two normal dimension levels (e.g. normal prose and plausible premise). Modelling indicated both perceptual and decisional contributions to classification responding. In most cases, perceptual discriminability was higher along one dimension when stimuli contained a non-normal level of the paired dimension (e.g. prose discriminability was higher with abnormal structure). Similarly, decision criteria along one dimension were biased in favour of the non-normal response when stimuli contained a non-normal level of the paired dimension. Potential applications for training are discussed. Practitioner summary: We applied general recognition theory (i.e. multivariate signal detection theory) to spam email classification at low or high levels of three stimulus dimensions: premise plausibility, prose quality, and email structure. Relevant to training, this approach helped identify perceptual and decisional biases that could be leveraged to individualise training.

Food fraud and the perceived integrity of European food imports into China.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Persistent incidents of food fraud in China have resulted in low levels of consumer trust in the authenticity and safety of food that is domestically produced. We examined the relationship between the concerns of Chinese consumers regarding food fraud, and the role that demonstrating authenticity may play in relieving those concerns. METHODS: A two-stage mixed method design research design was adopted. First, qualitative research (focus groups n = 7) was conducted in three Chinese cities, Beijing, Guangzhou and Chengdu to explore concerns held by Chinese consumers in relation to food fraud. A subsequent quantitative survey (n = 850) tested hypotheses derived from the qualitative research and theoretical literature regarding the relationship between attitudinal measures (including risk perceptions, social trust, and perceptions of benefit associated with demonstrating authenticity), and behavioral intention to purchase "authentic" European products using structural equation modelling. RESULTS: Chinese consumers perceive food fraud to be a hazard that represents a food safety risk. Food hazard concern was identified to be geographically influenced. Consumers in Chengdu (tier 2 city) possessed higher levels of hazard concern compared to consumers in Beijing and Guangzhou (tier 1). Structural trust (i.e. trust in actors and the governance of the food supply chain) was not a significant predictor of attitude and intention to purchase authenticated food products. Consumers were shown to have developed 'risk-relieving' strategies to compensate for the lack of trust in Chinese food and the dissonance experienced as a consequence of food fraud. Indexical and iconic authenticity cues provided by food manufacturers and regulators were important elements of product evaluations, although geographical differences in their perceived importance were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Targeted communication of authenticity assurance measures, including; regulations; enforcement; product testing; and actions taken by industry may improve Chinese consumer trust in the domestic food supply chain and reduce consumer concerns regarding the food safety risks associated with food fraud. To support product differentiation and retain prestige, European food manufactures operating within the Chinese market should recognise regional disparities in consumer risk perceptions regarding food fraud and the importance of personal risk mitigation strategies adopted by Chinese consumers to support the identification of authentic products.

Emotional arousal may increase susceptibility to fraud in older and younger adults.

Financial fraud is a societal problem for adults of all ages, but financial losses are especially damaging to older adults who typically live on fixed incomes and have less time to recoup losses. Persuasion tactics used by fraud perpetrators often elicit high levels of emotional arousal; thus, studying emotional arousal may help to identify the conditions under which individuals are particularly susceptible to fraud. We examined whether inducing high-arousal positive (HAP) and high-arousal negative (HAN) emotions increased susceptibility to fraud. Older (ages 65 to 85) and younger (ages 30 to 40) adults were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 emotional arousal conditions in a laboratory task: HAP, HAN, or low arousal (LA). Fraud susceptibility was assessed through participants' responses to misleading advertisements. Both HAP and HAN emotions were successfully induced in older and younger participants. For participants who exhibited the intended induced emotional arousal, both the HAP and HAN conditions, relative to the LA condition, significantly increased participants' reported intention to purchase falsely advertised items. These effects did not differ significantly between older and younger adults and were mitigated in participants who did not exhibit the intended emotional arousal. However, irrespective of the emotional arousal condition to which older adults were assigned (HAP, HAN, or LA), they reported greater purchase intention than did younger adults. These results inform the literature on fraud susceptibility and aging. Educating consumers to postpone financial decisions until they are in calm emotional states may protect against this common persuasion tactic. (PsycINFO Database Record

Medical prescriptions falsified by the patients: a 12-year national monitoring to assess prescription drug diversion.

Diversion of prescription drugs is difficult to assess in quality and quantity. This study aimed to characterize diversion of prescription drugs in France through a comparative analysis of falsified prescriptions collected during three periods from 2001 to 2012. The data recorded in a national program which records all falsified prescriptions presented to community pharmacies were studied. Included data regarded: subjects, prescription forms, and drugs. Description of the dataset in three periods (2001-2004, 2005-2008, and 2009-2012) was completed with clustering analyses to characterize profiles of prescriptions and subjects associated with the most reported drugs. The 4469 falsified prescriptions concerned most often females (51.6%). Average age was 46.5 years. Zolpidem, bromazepam, and buprenorphine were the most frequent drugs. Alone, 13 drugs (1.7%, 13/772) represented more than 40% of the total reports (3055/7272). They were associated with three diversion profiles: (i) buprenorphine, flunitrazepam, and morphine were mentioned on overlapping secure prescription forms presented by young men; (ii) alprazolam, bromazepam, zolpidem, codeine/acetaminophen were mentioned on simple prescription forms presented by experienced women; and (iii) acetaminophen and lorazepam were mentioned on modified prescription forms presented by elderly subjects. Clonazepam, clorazepate, dextropropoxyphene, zopiclone moved between those profiles. The patterns of falsified prescriptions provided in this study contribute to enhance the scientific knowledge on the most diverted prescription drugs. The latter follow distinct trajectories across time depending on their pharmacology (including their abuse/addiction potential) and on their regulation's history. The close and continuous analysis of falsified prescriptions is an excellent way to monitor prescription drug diversion.

The effect of ad hominem attacks on the evaluation of claims promoted by scientists.

Two experiments were conducted to determine the relative impact of direct and indirect (ad hominem) attacks on science claims. Four hundred and thirty-nine college students (Experiment 1) and 199 adults (Experiment 2) read a series of science claims and indicated their attitudes towards those claims. Each claim was paired with one of the following: A) a direct attack upon the empirical basis of the science claim B) an ad hominem attack on the scientist who made the claim or C) both. Results indicate that ad hominem attacks may have the same degree of impact as attacks on the empirical basis of the science claims, and that allegations of conflict of interest may be just as influential as allegations of outright fraud.

Do You Love Me? Psychological Characteristics of Romance Scam Victims.

The online dating romance scam is an Advance Fee Fraud, typically conducted by international criminal groups via online dating sites and social networking sites. This type of mass-marketing fraud (MMF) is the most frequently reported type of MMF in most Western countries. This study examined the psychological characteristics of romance scam victims by comparing romance scam victims with those who had never been scammed by MMFs. Romance scam victims tend to be middle-aged, well-educated women. Moreover, they tend to be more impulsive (scoring high on urgency and sensation seeking), less kind, more trustworthy, and have an addictive disposition. It is argued here that these findings might be useful for those developing prevention programs and awareness campaigns.

The theft of well-being: a comment on Zunzunegui et al / El gran robo del bienestar: comentario sobre Zunzunegui et al

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Financial fraud and health: the case of Spain / Fraudes financieros y salud: el caso de España

Objective: To examine whether financial fraud is associated with poor health sleeping problems and poor quality of life. Methods: Pilot study (n=188) conducted in 2015-2016 in Madrid and León (Spain) by recruiting subjects affected by two types of fraud (preferred shares and foreign currency mortgages) using venue-based sampling. Information on the monetary value of each case of fraud; the dates when subjects became aware of being swindled, lodged legal claim and received financial compensation were collected. Inter-group comparisons of the prevalence of poor physical and mental health, sleep and quality of life were carried according to type of fraud and the 2011-2012 National Health Survey. Results: In this conventional sample, victims of financial fraud had poorer health, more mental health and sleeping problems, and poorer quality of life than comparable populations of a similar age. Those who had received financial compensation for preferred share losses had better health and quality of life than those who had not been compensated and those who had taken out foreign currency mortgages. Conclusion: The results suggest that financial fraud is detrimental to health. Further research should examine the mechanisms through which financial fraud impacts health. If our results are confirmed psychological and medical care should be provided, in addition to financial compensation (AU)

Objetivo: Explorar si los fraudes financieros se asocian a la mala salud, problemas de sueño y mala calidad de vida. Métodos: Estudio piloto (n=188) realizado en 2015-2016 en Madrid y León reclutando personas afectadas por dos tipos de fraudes (preferentes e hipotecas multidivisas), por el método venue-sampling. Se recogió información sobre el valor monetario del fraude, las fechas en que la persona conocía que había sido estafada, había iniciado una demanda y había recibido una compensación económica. Se compararon las prevalencias de mala salud física y mental, sueño y calidad de vida entre grupos según tipo de fraude y con la Encuesta Nacional de Salud de 2011-2012. Resultados: En esta muestra convencional, las víctimas de fraude financiero presentaron peor salud, más problemas de salud mental y de sueño, y peor calidad de vida que las poblaciones comparables de la misma edad. Aquellos que habían recibido una compensación económica por las pérdidas en preferentes tuvieron mejor salud y calidad de vida que los que no habían recibido compensación y que aquellos que habían contratado hipotecas multidivisas. Conclusión: Los resultados sugieren que los fraudes financieros causan daños a la salud. Deberían investigarse los mecanismos por los que los fraudes financieros causan daños de salud. Si los resultados se confirman, debe proveerse asistencia psicológica y médica, además de las compensaciones económicas (AU)

"Why some consumers don't care": Heterogeneity in household responses to a food scandal.

In the aftermath of food scandals, household perceptions about the health risks posed by failures in food safety play a central role in determining their mitigating behavior. A stream of literature has shown that factors including media coverage of a scandal, risk perceptions, trust in food safety information, and consumption habits matter. This paper deviates from the standard assumption of a homogeneous response to media information across all households exposed to a food scandal. Instead, we present an innovative multi-method approach to investigate the impacts of household heterogeneity in underlying psychological and behavioral, media usage patterns and consumption habits on poultry demand in the aftermath of the 2011 German dioxin scandal. The analysis employs weekly retail purchase and matching survey data for 6133 households covering pre and post scandal periods. The supplementary survey data elicits household respondent's risk perceptions and risk attitudes, product label and media information behavior. Initial factor and cluster analysis identify household segments based on psychographic and behavioral indicators. We then estimate a correlated random effect Tobit model to account for clustered household responses to quantify the influence of media effects distinguishing between short-term risk mitigation behavior and longer-term habit persistence. Our results confirm significant heterogeneity in household's media-induced risk-mitigation responses to the dioxin scandal across three clusters. However, we find that habit persistence in the form of consumption preferences for the affected products were able to largely compensate for demand-reducing media effects across household clusters. Considering heterogeneity in household's risk mitigation behaviors to food scandals holds implications for policy makers and food industry alike.