Emotionally and mentally violated: this is how I felt for days after falling victim to the IRS phone scam. Their ability to manipulate and say the right things at the right time is like a study in human psychology. The scammers always seemed to know when to speak and when to shut up. They knew when to talk nonstop to convince me, not allowing me any time to think or consider what was happening. They knew when they had me. They had their sucker, and all they had to do was let me drown myself in fabricated fear. They must have cheered as it forced my hand and guided my steps toward financial downfall.

Fear defeats logic—at least it did for me.

The bane of this is that old thing called hindsight. It can’t exist in the moment. It’s all so clear and so obvious now. Sometimes they made lucky guesses. Other times I gave them clues about how to handle me. The thought sickens me. Every time they would stumble; every time they would speak faster because maybe I was on the verge of figuring it out; every time they commended me for my cooperation: it was all an act, and I fell for it.

I began writing this story two days after the incident and finished the first draft exactly one week later. I hope that by sharing my experience, it won’t have to be a matter of hindsight for someone else. I hope to help someone else know they can hang up the phone.

I hope.

The scammers can’t rob me of that.