It’s Too Good (or Bad) to Be True

How scammers use emotions to trick you into acting fast—and what to do instead

Scammers have always counted on one thing: your emotions. Whether it’s something exciting like winning a prize, or something frightening like being fined or arrested, they want to trigger a reaction before you have time to think. And unfortunately, their tactics are getting more creative and more convincing.

Many scams today fall into one of two categories. They either sound too good to be true, or they sound too bad to ignore.

The Good

Phishing messages often promise something amazing. It might be a surprise refund, a prize you didn’t enter to win, or an unbelievable deal on travel or high-end electronics. The message will urge you to “act fast” to claim your reward. That urgency is intentional. The scammer is hoping you won’t stop to consider if it’s legitimate. And once you take the bait, it’s often followed by a request for payment, personal details, or banking information—whatever it takes to get access to your money.

The Bad

On the flip side, scammers also use fear. These messages might claim you missed jury duty and owe a fine, that law enforcement has found illegal activity linked to your name, or that someone you care about is in danger and needs money immediately. Some of the most emotionally distressing scams pretend that a friend, family member, or even your pet is in a critical emergency. The scammer is counting on you reacting quickly, without questioning whether the story makes sense. Their end game is always the same: they want you to send money.

What these scams all have in common is manipulation. When your heart starts racing, it’s easy to skip over the red flags. That’s exactly what the scammer is hoping for. They want to take advantage of that emotional moment to steal your information, access your accounts, or convince you to transfer funds.

We’ve seen these tactics firsthand. Recently, two different scam text messages circulated claiming to be from 1st State Bank. They included suspicious links and asked recipients to take immediate action. These texts were not from us. They were phishing attempts meant to trick people into giving away personal information or clicking unsafe links.

1st State Bank will never ask you to confirm account details or take action through unsolicited text messages or unsecured links. If you receive something that seems suspicious, stop and verify before doing anything.

How to Respond

When you receive a message that feels urgent, whether exciting or alarming, pause before you respond. Take a breath. Ask yourself if it really makes sense. Then, contact the organization directly using official contact information. Do not use the phone number, link, or email provided in the suspicious message. Go to the official website or use a trusted phone number to confirm whether the message is legitimate.

Scammers want you to act fast so they can get to your money before you realize what’s happening. Your best defense is to slow down and think critically. When a message feels too good (or too bad) to be true, that’s your signal to pause, investigate, and protect yourself.