Lies that lead to identity theft can be detected

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September 21st, 2009 - Posted by Robert Siciliano

Robert Siciliano is a NextAdvisor.com Expert Guest Blogger

We talk about criminal hackers, scammers and con men as though they are mysterious creatures from the Twilight Zone. But while they are certainly interesting, fundamentally they are people. People who lie, and do it better than anyone else.

If only our noses grew every time we lied. Life would be so transparent. 

Social engineering is the act of manipulating people into performing certain actions or divulging confidential information. While similar to a confidence trick or simple fraud, the term typically applies to trickery or deception for the purpose of information gathering, fraud, or computer system access. In most cases, the attacker never comes face to face with the victim. But many times, con men do come into personal contact with victims. And when they do, there are a few telltale signs to look out for.

According to a University of Massachusetts study, 60% of participants lied at least once during an observed ten minute conversation.  Body language expert Carolyn Finch, a colleague of mine from New England, was a consultant and during the OJ Simpson trial and has appeared on numerous media outlets. She points out what to look for:

Face: Finch says when people lie, they smile with only the lower muscles in their face. A liar might try and fake a smile to look genuine or at ease. But a real smile uses the entire face, including the eyes.

Speech: A liar will speak hesitantly and pauses frequently when answering a question. A liar might also repeat words or stutter. "A person who is pausing is thinking," said Finch. "The eyes go up and around and down to think about what they are going to say next."

Nerves: Other indicators that the person is uncomfortable include nose rubbing or touching underneath the nose. And watch hands closely, which are an easy way to spot nervousness. "Sometimes there is tremor, definitely in the hands," said Finch, who also noted the jaw might shake, too.

Eyes: Liars will make a concerted effort to keep your gaze so as not to arouse suspicion. However, Finch advises studying where there eyes go if, and when, they do break gaze.

If you ask someone to remember what they ate an hour ago, they might look up and to their left, which indicates "visual recall," meaning they are accessing a part of their brain to remember a fact. Whereas if you ask them to think of what it must be like to live on the moon, they look to the upper right, which is called  indicates "visual construct," meaning they are accessing a part of their brain to create a scenario. This is also what someone does when they lie.

Become an observer of the human condition. Study what makes people tick and what motivates them. Determine who is truthful and who lives a lie. Bad guys who want to take from you generally lie. Whether in person, online, or over the phone, you can sense a lie if you are tuned in. And that should help protect you from scammers and identity thieves.

In the meantime, protect your identity by getting a credit freeze or investing in identity theft protection.

Robert Siciliano, identity theft speaker, discusses Bernie Madoff, liar, on CBS Boston.

Robert Siciliano is CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com , an identity theft expert, professional speaker, security analyst, published author and television news correspondent. Siciliano works with Fortune 1000 companies and startups as an advisor on product launches, branding, messaging, representation, SEO and media. Siciliano's thoughts and advice on all these matters appear often in both the televised and print news media including CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, FOX, Forbes and USA Today. He has 25 years of security training as a member of the American Society of Industrial Security. He is the author of two books, including The Safety Minute: Living on High Alert; How to take control of your personal security and prevent fraud. He's also partnered with Uni-Ball to help raise awareness about the growing threat of identity theft and to provide tips on how you can protect yourself.