Russians were warned about fraudulent schemes before February 23 and March 8.

Every year, before February 23 and March 8, thousands of Russians fall for the bait of scammers who create fake stores with "pre-holiday" prices for perfumes, electronics and other goods. Elena Shpagina, Candidate of Psychological Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Institute of Management Technologies of RTU MIREA, told about this on Wednesday, February 18.

"This is a natural result of the collision of several powerful psychological mechanisms, which together really turn off critical thinking," Shpagina explained in an interview with Lenta.Ru .

According to her, the first and main factor is the lack of time, RT reports. Social norms dictate that gifts should be presented strictly by a certain date, and being late with congratulations means showing disrespect or neglect, the expert added.

"Scammers brilliantly exploit this fear, creating the illusion of a last chance. The phrases "hurry up, there are two hours left," "the last copy" hit exactly the target, forcing the brain to switch from analysis mode to survival mode, where the main thing is to make it," Shpagina emphasized.

Another crucial component that scammers use is a sense of guilt.

"For many men, choosing a gift for March 8 is a ritual of atonement for all the minor household mistakes of the year. For women, buying a gift for a man by February 23 is a way to emphasize his importance," she said.

Scammers take advantage of the fact that they sell not just a thing, but a promise to relieve emotional stress.

Shpagina stressed that the main method of protection is deliberate deceleration. She suggested introducing the "three hours" rule to distract yourself, and then it's worth checking the seller: the date of the website's creation, reviews on third-party resources, and legal information.

Spit it out: the Ministry of Internal Affairs intends to check drivers for intoxication by saliva

Amendments to the rules for the sobriety examination of motorists have been prepared

Earlier in the day, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced that free parking will be available on all streets of the capital on Defender of the Fatherland Day, the Moscow City News Agency reports. At the same time, parking lots with a barrier will operate as usual, clarifies 360.ru .

On February 13, Alexey Koitov, Chairman of the Consumer Union of Russia, said that entrepreneurs and businesses often use February 14 as an excuse to force citizens to make some often thoughtless and expensive purchases.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.