The bias exploited
Liking and perceived similarity naturally lower our critical guard: we're less wary of someone who resembles us or whom we believe we already know. In the reference analysis of 52 real phishing emails, this lever (liking/similarity combined with deception) is the most used of all, far ahead of authority or social proof.
Source: Ferreira, Coventry & Lenzini, HAISA/Springer, 2015. Accessed 07/17/2026.Three real cases
💔The 5-stage model of romance scams
Criminologist Monica Whitty documented as early as 2013 a recurring pattern: presenting an idealized profile, methodical trust-building ("grooming"), a request for money, then abuse or disappearance. Out of a sample of 1,280 victim accounts, 340 explicitly mention intense, early declarations of affection ("love bombing").
Whitty, 2013, British Journal of Criminology · See Romance Scams🤖A loved one's cloned voice
A voice deepfake faithfully reproduces a family member's voice to ask for urgent financial help — the fabricated bond is no longer just written, it's audible and recognizable.
See Generative AI & Voice Deepfakes☎️The bond manufactured at industrial scale
Behind many spoofed numbers and impersonated "relatives" sits the same infrastructure: SIM farms and call-center networks that dial thousands of targets a day, each call opening with a fabricated bond — a relative, a colleague, an official — tailored on the fly to whoever picks up.
See SIM Farms & Call CentersHow to recognize it
A relationship that progresses abnormally fast toward intimacy or financial urgency, or a change of channel/number, unverified, for a contact you thought you already knew.
Definition freely reusable with credit ("Egidio — The Threat Lab") and a link to this page. See the full Grammar of Manipulation.