Anti-Fraud & Scam Toolkit / Tool 20

Decision Pressure Check

Create space around a specific decision. This check identifies pressure factors and protective steps, not a personal susceptibility score.

Assess the situation, not the person.

Convincing stories, familiar people and urgency can make independent checking harder. Answer about one particular offer or current contact. Feelings or an individual answer do not prove fraud. This unvalidated orientation aid is neither a psychological test nor a diagnosis; it calculates no probability.

Check the request

Select Yes, No or Unclear for every question. Answers remain on this page and are neither stored nor sent.

01 Am I expected to decide before I can check the offer independently?
02 Are fear, hope, relief or a feeling of a once-only opportunity driving my decision?
03 Am I relying on titles, logos, fame or someone’s claimed position without independent confirmation?
04 Are recommendations or success stories from my circle replacing my own checks?
05 Do I mainly want to commit more money to recover an earlier loss or justify my previous decision?
06 Do personal attention, a favour or a relationship make me feel obliged to agree?
07 Am I hiding doubts or this contact out of shame, loyalty or at the person’s request?
08 Am I asked to share credentials or remote access now, or pay more to withdraw or recover funds?

From pressure to a verifiable decision

Ask: who wants what, by when, and supported by which evidence? Separate your relationship with the person from checking the facts. Another perspective and original sources you access yourself can help identify a safer next step. No flagged pressure factor does not mean the offer is legitimate.

If you have already acted

If you paid or shared credentials, contact your bank or affected service yourself immediately and discuss blocking or recall options. After remote access, disconnect the affected device; secure accounts from another trusted device and seek competent assistance. Preserve original messages, payment records and timestamps.

Continue your checks

Psychology of Scam & Fraud →

Original sources

SEC / Investor.gov · Fraud prevention and persuasion tactics ↗ · FCA · Protect yourself from scams ↗ · FCA · Recovery room scams ↗