There is an undeniable link between scammers and narcissists—a shared psychological playbook that revolves around manipulation, control, and deception. While their end goals may differ, their strategies are eerily similar.

Both require compliance.
Both require control over the narrative.
And when their carefully crafted façade collapses?
They react in one of two ways:

1️⃣ 𝙀𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙚 & 𝘿𝙚𝙣𝙮 – The scammer vanishes. The narcissist deflects, resets, and moves on to the next target.
2️⃣ 𝙎𝙚𝙚𝙠 & 𝘿𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙮 – The scammer tries to pressure the mark into submission. The narcissist wages a smear campaign.

This case study compares two strikingly similar encounters:

📌 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 – A social media scammer attempting to defraud me through a classic phishing and fake grant scheme, using persuasion, manipulation, and narrative control.

📌 𝗡𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 – Joel Johnson, who, upon being documented and exposed, immediately pivoted to victimhood, projection, and legal threats to regain control.

By analyzing their language, behavior, and reaction to exposure, we can better understand how manipulative personalities attempt to twist reality—and how the same fundamental psychology applies to both fraudsters and narcissists.

The scam began as they often do: a sudden message from a "friend."

"Hey, how are you? Have you heard about the new grant program?"

This scammer was impersonating an old acquaintance, feigning concern and personal connection. Their objective was compliance—to get me emotionally invested before introducing the fraud.

As the conversation progressed, their tactics became increasingly transparent:

🔹 Appeal to authority – They claimed the grant was government-approved.
🔹 Love bombing – They showered me with enthusiasm and excitement.
🔹 Escalation pressure – They rushed me to act fast, to send money.
🔹 Minimization of risk – They reassured me there was “no catch.”

But when I refused to comply and began asking pointed questions, the scammer shifted tactics:

🔹 Deflection & Guilt – "I told you, this is real! Why don’t you believe me?"
🔹 Projection – "I’m only trying to help you. If you don’t want it, that’s on you."
🔹 Victimhood – "Now you’re accusing me? That’s not fair."

The moment they realized I was documenting their scam, they panicked. The fraud was exposed, and rather than admit failure, they tried to reverse the blame—as if my skepticism was the problem, not their deception.

The scam failed.
The exposure was complete.
The only thing left to do was flee.

Unlike the scammer, Joel wasn’t trying to steal money—he was trying to steal control over the narrative.

The tactics, however, were the same.

It began with posturing and performance:

"I’m being open and forthright."
"I just want you to stop using my name."

But then, the manipulation began to spiral:

🔹 Appeal to authority – Threatening legal action and police reports.
🔹 Love bombing & control – "I hope you’ll learn and grow."
🔹 Escalation pressure – "I have your history, and we will go from there."
🔹 Minimization of risk – "You brought this on yourself, Mark."

Then, when exposed, he followed the scammer’s playbook:

🔹 Deflection & Guilt – "You're the real bully here."
🔹 Projection – "You’re the one with a victim list, not me."
🔹 Victimhood – "Now you’re attacking me? That’s not fair."

Suddenly, the attacker became the ‘victim’, shifting blame while spamming my own links—desperately trying to frame the exposure as an injustice rather than accountability.

The biggest tell? He never refuted the facts.

📌 Not once did he deny his behavior.
📌 Not once did he challenge the documentation.
📌 Not once did he provide evidence that contradicted what was published.

The scam failed.
The exposure was complete.
The only thing left to do was retaliate.

Both the scammer and Joel relied on compliance—the assumption that I would:

🔹 Trust their framing
🔹 Not ask questions
🔹 Avoid confrontation

But when the mirror was held up, both panicked.

📌 A scammer thrives on secrecy. A narcissist thrives on unchecked control.
📌 Expose either, and they unravel.

And just like the scammer, Joel’s final move is always the same:

🔹 Threaten legal action
🔹 Feign moral superiority
🔹 Frame exposure as "bullying"

It’s the same playbook. The same psychology. The same cycle.

Scammers fear exposure.
Narcissists fear exposure.
They fear a mirror they cannot manipulate.

When confronted with truth they cannot twist, they spiral.
When denied the control they crave, they implode.
And when documented for all to see, they lash out in desperation.

📢 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲.

🔹 Recognize it.
🔹 Expose it.
🔹 Neutralize it.