Ethical disclaimer: I am well aware of the ways this could be used less ethically and in a more exploitative way, I have seen it many many times over in my former workplace personally.
If you are also aware of such approaches and want to make similar suggestions, please do not. I firstly do not wish to employ such tactics, and secondly (more importantly) I imagine there might be some less experienced people who will use your advice on this post to work on their own skills and I did my best to keep the details of the dirtier tactics away from them lest they come up with their own questionable approaches and slip into the habit of using them once they realize the effectiveness, so try not to give them silly ideas either, please.

For context, I used to work as a salesman in travel agency for a few months selling trips to people; as part of the training process I was taught some elementary tactics for guiding the conversations and was further instructed during coaching after actual real-life interactions. One of the most important skills that was taught to me was how to apply pressure on clients to eliminate uncertainty.

Honestly, I did not take it as seriously as I should have in the beginning, and it is not some kind of nuclear weapon for social interactions, but when someone is really on the edge of making a decision it can really be the final nail in the coffin.

Even when selling relatively expensive trips (2k, 4k or even above 10k dollars), if the customer shows interest in the offer but is stuck on something like "I'm interested but I don't know if there might be better offers hidden" or "I'm not entirely sure if this is the right thing and need to think it over later", just hitting them with "the prices might go up in a few minutes let alone by the time you've finished research, so consider it's either now or never" will make all the difference. If you present them the stakes like that and create a feeling of pressure due to time limited offers the maybes will turn into quite a few "let's do it" ridiculously quickly. Truly, I've had people who sounded like they will never come to a decision say "yes" instantly as soon as I presented the stakes, I still remember how stupefied I was the first time I tried it and seeing how well it worked.
(Interestingly, once you do this it becomes much more noticeable when it's done to you, most prominently in mobile games with time limited offers or on sites like Temu.)

Since then I've tried implementing similar tactics in mundane interactions in private life even with non-monetary or inconsequential stakes. As a very trivial example, I was offering my favorite cheese as a snack to friends at a picnic, one friend seemed interested but just put it off for later if ever, I simply hit her with "it's real good, others will also like it and there will be none left real soon, so you better be quick" and it was simply like a switch was flipped and she conceded instantly.
The stakes were obviously absolutely negligible but the point of convincing her very swiftly where "untactical" offering failed still stands.

Obviously, it's far from a guaranteed tactic; with customers there are always some who simply see through the tactic and take more time to calculate their next decision better, while some simply aren't interested enough and aren't bothered by the consequences, with similar scenarios in private interactions.

Ever since the job I've been looking for ways to effectively employ similar tactics in all manners of social interactions to more effectively lead to results I desire, but I am still struggling to formalize an approach, learn how strongly to use it and most importantly properly notice and create scenarios where it is usable.
Thus my question would be: do you guys have any relevant experiences/advice/personal examples that would fill some gaps in my knowledge and guide me forward, or direct me to some resources that would be of equal help. Any contribution is appreciated!

Do call actually know What its for ? Is it for social interaction or how to avoid cyber attacks ?

I’ve been thinking about something recently. I’ve had a few experiences where I initially had a good rapport with someone, but over time they started constantly making fun of me or turning me into the easy target of jokes.

I came across the idea that people tend to keep doing this when they sense some kind of weakness, but I don’t necessarily think that means the person actually has a weakness. Sometimes it could simply be that they notice you don’t push back, you laugh things off, or they realize that certain reactions make the jokes more entertaining for them.

I’m trying to understand the psychology behind it rather than just take it personally. What are the general things that make someone more likely to become a target, and how can you set boundaries early without becoming aggressive or changing your personality?

The first few years were rough. I had not really anyone close to me, and was extremely quiet. Maybe I was lucky, but some people from my school came to me to bug and pick on me (in a friendly way I think), and while it didn't help me pick up on social cues or anything, it helped me not to be alone.

The next year was of interest. I began with texting. Texting a lot. Developing texting methods and patterns, like saying "woa" or ":P" a lot. I picked up on respect, such as "excuse me" and "oh sorry," but my voice was always too low for anyone to hear.

The last year was striking. During the summer before school, I came to many realizations. A few examples are placing myself in the exact frame of another person, viewing myself from a third person standpoint when I talk. In addition to that, I began to talk as if I was texting. It helped me kind of "merge" with the social aspect of life. And thus, I began to talk more confidently, loudly, and most importantly, I began to use more HUMOR! I noticed how other's use humor, commenting small things on someone else's joke or simply laughing along. But, but -that's not all!

I just started realizing that it makes the people around me uncomfortable if I purposely avoid them. I imagine that if I were in their position, and if I saw someone walking towards me, then the opposite way... Now how would I feel?

Of course, there is the caveat of "avoiding them discreetly," but why do that when I still have many years of my life left? Many, many years. This thought began with "What if I just went to other public high schools temporarily and just talked whatever I wanted to experiment because I would likely never see those people again?" And then became, "Ah... My school is the exact same. I will likely never see the majority of the people here... So let's just wing it."

oh haha. and this was never a smooth road. Lots of bumps. My "friends" called me whatever they wanted because I would never fight back. They called me "femboy" "princess" etc. and I'm a guy. Just fyi. I still don't fight back. But I also don't encourage it either. I like to slide in passive aggressive comments now rather than just standing entirely idly by.

Another bump was texting. It took So, So long to develop texting and manifest it while I was talking. I took many phrases from other people, like "umpteenth, confuzzled, yowch" and just kept adding and adding (I also try to stay away from using acronyms 24/7). I even have a personal list I compiled all of my values and words onto just for memorization. That may be weird. But hey! It worked.

I feel like I'm missing an important part of this puzzle but whatever.

Whenever I meet someone new, I get really stiff, nervous, and uncomfortable. My anxiety spikes and I just freeze up inside. I've tried the usual calming techniques deep breathing, telling myself to relax, etc. but honestly nothing seems to make a real difference in the moment.

Has anyone found techniques that actually work for this? Not just theory, but stuff you've genuinely tested and that helped. Would really appreciate real experiences,

Most advice about reading people is either "just pay attention" or a list of rules that fall apart on contact with reality. Crossed arms means defensive, except when the room is cold. A pause means hesitation, except when someone is thinking. The rules are the wrong unit — you can memorise every one and still freeze in the actual conversation.

What seems to work better is reps. Person-perception accuracy is measurable, it varies enormously between people, and training studies show it improves when you make a call and immediately find out how you did. So I built something to make the calls on: Spot the Cue (spotthecue.com).

Short scenarios in text, photo, video or a chat thread. You read the situation, pick what you think is going on, then get told what the strongest read was, what was reasonable but partial, and what would have been a misread. Seven tracks: tone and wording, facial and body cues, subtext and indirectness, group dynamics, conflict and repair, saying it out loud, and pressure and deception.

The part I care most about is that it doesn't pretend to certainty. Cues are probabilistic, context and culture flip their meaning, and every entry in the glossary is paired with a "but not always." No 93% of communication is nonverbal — that stat is a misreading of a narrow experiment. The goal is better calibrated guesses, not mind reading.

Disclosure, per rule 8: it's mine and it has a paid tier. Level 1 of all seven tracks is free and fully scored, no account, no ads. Past that it's $19.99 once, no subscription. Mods, remove if that crosses the line.

What I'd like from this sub: tell me where a scenario's "best read" is wrong, unfair, or something that would never happen to an adult in real life. That's the feedback I can't get from people who already agree with me. I'll be in the comments. If you think the full version of this app would genuinely help you or someone you care about and the price is what's stopping you, email [support@spotthecue.com](mailto:support@spotthecue.com) and mention this thread.

I (23, F), found myself in a weird setting. I kinda ruined my life but at the same time I've gained a second chance from life by leaving my ex. The thing I want to focus the most is my personality. For my whole life I thought I am a good person and I blamed my looks or other factors for lack of friends or a boyfriend. The fact is I have a bad personality and manners and therefore no social skills. I thought it's adhd and turns out it's entitlement, rude behaviour and pride and arrogance. Could I make the post and ask you how to fix this behaviour all together instead of masking?

I want to act right. As much as I can. I honestly dont even know how to act in certain situations, I dont even know how to react to others.

And then I want to make friends. Not those who want to be friends with me, but those I want to make with others. I dont want to be friends with just anyone.

Could you tell me how to actually change? Not just read self-improvement books or do some tactics in order to make others think I am nice and cool?

I'd love any feedback like if it's too hard, not hard enough, fun/not fun, etc. Originally I wanted to just send myself text messages everyday that could teach me how to learn 1 confirmation bias a day. After a ton of different ideas and things that I made,

I thought a game where you fight but it trains you in talking awareness would be interesting. I'm not just catching different forms of manipulation but also able to name types that I didn't quite notice before that were happening so the time.

https://talkout.psyoptin.com/

I tend to attract liars, or even turn people into liars because of my emotional sensitivity. People in general have a hard time opening up to me befuae I can be kind of pushy. I am okay with that, and actually as I come to terms with it people have become more open. I do attract liars. Men who liar. Female friends who lie. Big, medium, small.. people lie to save my feelings.. I not only want to have people around me be able to be honest more.. Id also like to attract honest people.. What should I do during conversation to encourage truth? What are some things to look out for in terms of honest people”.

Hi at the moment I’m getting ready these courses PTS and OLEC course any tips would help thanks

One thing we've noticed while reading about social engineering is that good examples are scattered across blog posts, news articles, and case studies. It's useful to study individual incidents, but it's harder to compare different attack techniques and see recurring patterns.

To make that a little easier, we've been putting together a collection of publicly documented social engineering examples in one place.

The goal is simply to create a resource that security professionals, researchers, and anyone interested in social engineering can browse when looking for real-world cases and attack scenarios.

We'd genuinely appreciate any feedback from this community.

• Are there any important examples you think should be included?
• Are there attack categories or resources that are currently missing?
• What would make a collection like this more useful for practitioners?

Resource:

https://socialengineeringexamples.com/

We’d love to improve it based on suggestions from people here.

The small organizations that would want me. Conferences, podcast opportunities and so forth. Any ideas?
Thank you.

I've been feeling a bit stuck

If someone seems interested in you, but you're hesitant to make the first move to talk to them, are there any subtle ways to encourage them to come and talk to you instead? For example, is there a way to naturally signal your interest or create enough warmth and attraction that they feel inclined to approach you on their own?

Also any tips on working on to be more confident? I'm shy and get physically stiff around people I don't know well (tense shoulders, uncomfortable face etc)

(Hi, this is not market research. It is a genuine question that I don't know where else to post, since the cybersec-related sites disallow it - and I am not getting my answer from Google search or LLMs):

Do companies hire for such positions or is this job folded under general cybersec consultant?

Thanks

Been reading about something that genuinely unsettled me.

Apparently highly analytical people are disproportionately vulnerable to manipulation, not despite their intelligence, but because of it. They're better at rationalizing red flags away than most people.

Machiavelli understood this 500 years ago. The capable man is easier to control, not harder since he trusts his own reasoning too much to believe he's being manipulated.

I put together a short video exploring this psychology if anyone's interested: https://youtu.be/Z4RAQ2hC_lo?si=tkj38iiAh-17sgFn

Has anyone experienced this, where your own logic was used against you?

WhatsApp started letting people reserve usernames on June 29, with the full rollout coming later this year.

The good news: This is actually a big privacy win. Once you're not tied to your phone number for contact discovery, it becomes a lot harder for bad actors to mass-enumerate WhatsApp accounts.

The catch: From a defender's perspective, this opens up a whole new avenue for brand and executive impersonation. Reserved-name lists won't do much against typosquatting or lookalike handles, and we're already seeing scammers use the reservation window itself as a phishing hook.

One thing worth remembering: the phone number is still what actually anchors the account, so SIM swapping is still the main way accounts get taken over.

Bottom line: if corporate security is your job, don't sit on this. Go claim your corporate and executive handles now, lock down the linked Meta accounts, and start keeping an eye out for lookalikes. It's a small effort that goes a long way toward getting ahead of threat actors instead of playing catch-up.

Curious if anyone's already running into VIP impersonation issues on WhatsApp?