Building a Brain That Won't Be Fooled by Misinformation: How to Spot Impersonation

Do you consider yourself a "gullible person"?

Most people would probably answer "not at all." Myself included. But in fact, there is almost no correlation between gullibility and intelligence—this is a common consensus in the world of psychology. In fact, it is known that the more people read information and try to judge it carefully, the more likely they are to fall for certain specific tactics.

The name of that tactic is "Impersonation." It is one of the most powerful tactics in the world of misinformation.

As a certified public psychologist and a healthcare professional who deals with massive amounts of information every day, I wanted to be honest about this issue. Today, I would like you to think along with me about how it works and what we can do to deal with it.

The "Trust Shortcut" Becomes Our Weakness

The human brain is exposed to a vast amount of information every day. When you open your smartphone, news, social media, emails, and videos flow in incessantly. If you were to verify each one from scratch, your day would be over just doing that.

That is why the brain has evolved to use "shortcuts." In psychology, this is called heuristics (mental shortcuts)—if there is a logo of a well-known media outlet, a famous expert is speaking, or a public institution has made an announcement, we automatically judge it as "reliable information" without examining the content deeply.

This is by no means because we are "not smart." It is an efficient survival strategy that humanity has acquired over many years. However, the brain has not yet learned enough about the existence of people who try to abuse this mechanism.

Impersonation strikes exactly there.

The True Nature of "Impersonation"—The Tactic of Sticking a "Trust Mark" on Misinformation

Impersonation is a tactic that gives false credibility to false information by posing asan authoritative individual, organization, or trusted media outlet. Researchers and fact-checking organizations around the world are on alert for it as one of the representative manipulation tactics used to spread misinformation.

The specific tactics are more diverse than you might imagine.

The easiest one to understand is the pattern of synthesizing logos of well-known organizations like the BBC or NASA into fake images or videos—if there is a logo, people tend to assume it is "the real thing." In one country, a fake website was created that looked exactly like a real newspaper, and it was cleverly designed so that clicking a link on the page would take you to the real site. I think it would be difficult for even a very careful person to see through this.

There is also the tactic of using an expert's name—for example, the Oregon Petition, which claimed that "over 31,000 scientists have signed a petition stating they are skeptical of climate change," was spread around the world, but in reality, it included almost no climate science experts and was intentionally designed to create the impression that "there is no scientific consensus." Because there are "specific numbers" like names and counts, people tend to believe it.

Impersonation in the AI Era Can Now Be Completed in "3 Seconds of Audio"

This is where the story gets truly frightening for me.

In recent years, impersonation using AI technology (deepfakes)has evolved rapidly. Currently, it is possible to replicate a voice with 85% accuracy with just a 3-5 second audio sample of the target. You could say that people who post videos on YouTube or social media have already provided the materials.

As for an actual incident, a fraud case in Hong Kong was shocking. The "CFO and colleagues" appeared in a video conference, and the person in charge executed the transfer as instructed. What was discovered later was the fact that everyone who appeared in that meeting was a deepfake image. The damage amounted to approximately 3.8 billion yen. The conviction that "I saw my boss's face with my own eyes" became the biggest blind spot.

In clinical settings, I have also been hearing more stories from patients saying, "I believed it because a famous doctor on social media recommended it." Many of these are fake accounts that use the names and images of real doctors without permission. I feel that impersonation of medical information is particularly serious in the sense that it leads directly to health damage.

The One "Habit of Pausing" We Can All Adopt

So, how can you protect yourself? You don't need to do anything difficult.

When your emotions are stirred, or when you are asked for money or to take an important action, pause for a moment and ask, 'Did this really come from the person themselves?' That is all.

Specifically, search directly for the official website (primary source) and verify it through a separate channel. Do not use links from emails or social media; type the URL yourself to access it. If you feel doubtful about instructions from a boss, call them to confirm. Just doing that can prevent most impersonation attempts.

Some may feel that 'it is rude to be suspicious.' But I do not think so. Being suspicious is not about distrusting the other person, but an act of consideration to protect both yourself and them. Even in medical settings, 'verifying' is not rude; it is a part of professionalism.

Summary

I would like to summarize the three points I wanted to convey today.

First, impersonation works because our brains use 'trust in authority' as a shortcut. This is not a weakness, but a part of human design.

Next, due to the evolution of AI technology, impersonation is no longer just about 'pasting a logo'; it is now possible to completely forge audio and video. We are in an era where the feeling that 'I saw and heard it with my own eyes and ears' is no longer a guarantee of safety.

And finally, having the habit of 'verifying primary sources' when your emotions are moved or when you are asked to take an important action is a realistic and powerful defense strategy.

Information will continue to increase. However, I believe that the strongest weapons we have are knowledge and the courage to pause. You now know 'why people are deceived.' With just that, you should be a slightly wiser reader of information than you were yesterday.

Thank you very much for staying with me until the end. I would be happy if today's article serves as a catalyst for you to think about your next steps starting tomorrow.

#Misinformation #MediaLiteracy #Deepfake #InformationLiteracy #InformationManipulation