High Wycombe Indie Games Development - Since 2011

…You were seriously about to hand over your bank details???

You have been linked to this page by someone who felt you need a wakeup call about online scams. Perhaps you have fallen for them before, perhaps not, but you very nearly did here. None of your information has been collected. The aim of this exercise is to educate on the red flags that can help you spot a potential scam.

Let’s start at the top:

Our company logo and name do not match the “company” you thought you were applying to.

This logo is AI generated. Notice that the name is even misspelled! Also, this man is also AI generated:

It’s that simple to create a fake person. Note that there are some “tells” about this image that give away that it is AI generated:

When in doubt, look at the hands. AI really struggles with human hands. Note that this man appears to have a pinky finger that emanates from his palm.

The eyes are also a tell. Notice how they don’t match? That’s another common AI error. While heterochromia does exist, it is incredibly rare.

Peter Shanks? Really?? Just because we said he is a Dr, does not make it so. We provided no evidence to backup the claims about his qualifications and experience.

Again, just because we say it, doesn’t make it so. We can claim anything we like, but what really matters is proof, which we didn’t provide. This exercise is not accredited or endorsed by anyone, business or individual.

Be honest, did you read that AI generated word salad carefully, or were you taken in by the initial claims? Are you sure? Because it promises a lot, but provides little to no information about how this miracle of a programme works or what materials you will actually receive. Also, we put in plain language right in there that this is a fake advert! Never sign up for or agree to anything without carefully reading it first!

Always be wary of messaging that implies you are about to miss out on a great offer with an imminent closing window. This language is deliberate, to play into fears of missing out (FOMO) and to dissuade you from thinking through your decision to hand over money.

This is an example of a “s**t sandwich” in marketing, where the negative (the £10,000 fees!) are bordered by overly promising and encouraging language making often baseless promises. Remember, a scammer will say anything to get a hold of your information! While there are legitimate ways to use this structure, always be leery when you see it pop up, and think about who you are dealing with. Do not rush into any transaction, much less such an expensive one!

Then there is the button. Never, ever give over your bank details online, and if you are unsure, contact the business (note that we didn’t provide an email or phone number!), or even better, your bank, to ask whether they think the business you are dealing with may be a scam.

We hope this exercise has educated you on the warning signs of a scam. If you have any feedback on this exercise, feel free to email us at jamesb@winwoodlabs.com!