Games Kampala Bayaye play to lure gullible victims

 These are mind tricks crooks use to steal  in Kampala

In Kampala conmen/crooks/ Bayaye play games; they trick gullible passersby and in the end they do away with their life savings, hard earned cash!

These fraudsters don’t usually have a degree in psychology, but they know every mind game in the book. If you make a mistake of believing you are too clever to be taken in you will only become more vulnerable.

 The Drone Media can exclusively reveal that many people in Kampala and other busy towns in Uganda, have often lost their money out of their life savings. The crooks (known in Luganda as Bayaye and in street lingo they are known as Smart guys) employ sophisticated psychological tricks.

We consulted professional psychologists to explain what you need to know to protect yourself from a con artist.

DON’T FALL FOR A FAKE CHEAP ITEM

People often ask if there is a particular type of person who is more susceptible to scams, hoping that  someone is very different to themselves.

That’s a dangerous attitude. Everyone is vulnerable. Students might fall for fake offers of cheap iPhones, while older people are often targeted by investment scams as they are more likely to have money to invest.

Confidence tricksters often lend credibility to their plot by bringing in a kernel of truth, they will bring live examples, but which is far from the subject of the day.

Bayaye who are trying to flog a bogus investment will draw on real stories from the City pages of newspapers, such as the value of the dollar falling. Changes to regulations can be another hook, the Bayaye today focus on the new rules on NSSF to lure in savers.

Meanwhile, crooks who call saying they are from your bank, Airtel, MTN or internet provider often claim your account is at risk of being hacked — which, ironically, is wholly true. Never give a damn to such!

BAYAYE CHARM AND SEDUCE YOU

No one likes to think they can be manipulated by flattery. But you must watch out for ‘gradual seduction’.

Phrases such as ‘an experienced investor such as yourself will know…’ or ‘I’m sure you realise the importance of investing for your future and that of your children’, are all designed to appeal to the ego.

 You all have an ideal self, how you want to be perceived by other people. The Bayaye will use that to finish you.

HOOKING YOU TO SAY ‘YES’

Let’s face it, scammers are just illegal and highly unethical salespeople. A good sales technique is to open with a question that your target has to answer with a ‘yes’. Once you’ve said ‘yes’ to three questions in quick succession, they’ve probably got you on the hook.’ It’s called ‘commitment consistency’ in psychology jargon. When you make a commitment you feel guilty if you back out.

So if the Bayaye have already got you to agree to questions about savings goals and then ask if they can tell you about a great investment opportunity, it’s harder to refuse.

PRETENDING TO BE JUST LIKE YOU

Another ploy is called ‘disclosure’. Bayaye reveal something about themselves to establish common ground.

But, of course, it isn’t true. They might say ‘my mother’s like you, she’s worked hard and saved all her life and she’s invested in this scheme’.

It works on many levels. It’s partly ‘social proof’. You are far more likely to believe something is a good deal if other people similar to yourselves have bought in.

Then, after saying their own mother lives a long way away and they don’t get to visit as much as they would like, the Bayaye might ask about your own family and where they live.

Not only does this paint the scammer as a loyal son or daughter, appealing to the victim’s values, it also lets the Muyaye(crook) know if there is any risk of someone bursting in and interrupting the scam.

TAKING HOURS TO WEAR YOU DOWN

Bayaye try to keep their targets on the phone for as long as possible, often hours at a time. This is because self-control is a limited resource and can be worn down. If you have been very careful for a long time, you are more likely to do something impulsive.

Forensic psychologists have shown people who are interrogated for a long time sometimes confess to crimes they haven’t committed out of exhaustion. The same state of mind could lead you to do something against your better judgment. So never give them a chance to engage you.

MAKING YOU SIGN UP OUT OF GUILT 

Bayaye will try to make their target feel as though they owe them something. This is known as ‘reciprocity’. You think to yourself: ‘I have taken up a lot of this person’s time I ought to give them something.

In reality it is the other way around. You should be thinking: ‘They have taken up a lot of my time.’ But that’s not the way our minds work.

PRESSURE OF LAST CHANCE TO BUY

When the Muyaye is ready to seal the deal, they will probably tell you the investment is in short supply and time is running out.

The idea is to jolt you into making a snap judgment. They know that the longer you have to think about something the more likely it is you will see through it. If you are called out of the blue by someone you don’t know, the safest thing is to hang up.