When Seeing Is Believing: How AI Supercharges Scam Psychology, a conversation with Dr. Martina Dove, a scam psychology researcher
Shownotes
What happens when the things we rely on to establish trust, including what we see and hear, can be manufactured by a scammer?
In this episode of Scam Rangers, Ayelet Biger-Levin welcomes back Dr. Martina Dove, scam psychology expert, researcher, and advisor to RangersAI, to explore how AI is supercharging the psychological tactics behind scams.
Drawing on her research and interviews with victims, Martina explains how our circumstances, needs, and experiences shape which stories feel relevant and which opportunities we are willing to consider. Scammers exploit those circumstances, building trust through conversations, social proof, and carefully constructed evidence.
Together, Ayelet and Martina examine how that manipulation unfolds, from investment groups filled with apparent success stories to fake bank accounts that make a romance scammer’s story seem credible. They discuss how AI agents can sustain personalized conversations around the clock, and why deepfakes and voice cloning interfere with our instinctive ways of recognizing people we trust.
Martina also challenges familiar advice like “don’t panic” and explains why it can fall short when someone believes a loved one is in danger.
The conversation explores why prevention at the point of social engineering is critical. By the time a bank flags a payment, the customer may already be convinced that sending money is the right thing to do. Earlier intervention creates an opportunity to interrupt manipulation before trust and emotional commitment deepen.
In This Episode
- The anatomy of a scam and the circumstances that make an approach persuasive
- How scammers build trust through social proof and fabricated evidence
- How AI agents, deepfakes, and voice cloning amplify manipulation
- Why familiar scam prevention advice can miss the mark
- Opportunities to intervene during social engineering, before money moves
About the Guest
Dr. Martina Dove is a researcher specializing in scam psychology, persuasion, and vulnerability to fraud, and an advisor to RangersAI. She combines her PhD research and interviews with scam victims with experience in product and user research to help develop tools and guidance that support consumers.
About the Host
Ayelet Biger-Levin is the Founder and CEO of RangersAI and the host of Scam Rangers, a podcast exploring the human side of scams and the people working to protect consumers from financial and emotional harm.
Through her work at RangersAI and her advisory for the Global Anti-Scam Alliance and Stop Scams Alliance, Ayelet works with financial institutions and industry leaders to advance a more human-centered approach to scam prevention.