Social engineering is manipulation, not hacking. The scammer poses as a friend, relative, or colleague in trouble and engineers an emergency, such as an accident, a stranded trip, or a deal about to collapse, so you transfer money for them before checking the story.
The scammer builds or borrows trust: a hacked account, a familiar name, or a claimed mutual friend.
They create urgency so you don't pause to verify: 'the hospital needs payment now'.
They give you a stranger's account or wallet to pay 'because I can't access my financial institution'.
After payment, the 'emergency' and the contact disappear.
An urgent money request with a reason you can't quickly verify.
Being asked to pay a person or account you don't recognise.
Pressure to keep it secret or act immediately.
Excuses for why they can't talk by phone or video.
Slow down. Genuine emergencies survive a five-minute verification call.
Call the person on their known number before paying anyone on their behalf.
Never send money to an account you can't connect to the person asking.
Agree a family 'code word' for real emergencies.