The Six PUSHED Tactics

The Six Tactics in Detail

Now let’s break down each PUSHED tactic. For each one, you’ll learn:

• What it is
• What it sounds like (example phrases)
• Why it works psychologically
• How to recognize it

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P — Pressure / Polite Predation

What it is: Using authority OR excessive politeness to make you comply without questioning.

This comes in two flavors:

Direct Pressure (Authority)

Invoking power or position to demand compliance:

Why it works: We’re trained from childhood to respect authority. Questioning someone who claims to be in charge feels uncomfortable, even risky.

Polite Predation (Subtle)

Using excessive politeness to disarm you:

Why it works: It’s hard to say no to someone being extremely polite. The excessive niceness creates social pressure to reciprocate by helping.

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U — Urgency

What it is: Creating artificial time pressure to prevent careful thinking.

Why it works: Time pressure triggers our fight-or-flight response. When we feel rushed, we skip our normal verification steps and act on instinct.

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S — Surprise

What it is: Unexpected communications that destabilize your normal pattern recognition.

Why it works: When something is unexpected, you don’t have context to evaluate it. Your normal “this doesn’t fit the pattern” alarm doesn’t trigger because there’s no established pattern.

Key question to ask: “Was I expecting this?” If no, verify before acting.

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H — High-Stakes

What it is: Threatening serious consequences to create fear-driven action.

Why it works: Even if the probability seems low, the severity of the threat makes it feel too risky to ignore. Fear of catastrophic outcomes overrides logical assessment.

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E — Excitement

What it is: Using positive emotions to bypass your skepticism.

Why it works: We WANT good things to be true. When we’re excited about a potential opportunity, we lower our guard. Positive emotions are just as blinding as negative ones.

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D — Desperation

What it is: Emergency situations and pleas for help that exploit your empathy.

Why it works: Empathy is one of our best qualities — and attackers exploit it. When someone we care about (or think we care about) is in trouble, our natural response is to help immediately.

The “Hi Mom” scam: Attackers send texts like “Hi Mom, I lost my phone, this is my new number. Can you send me money for X emergency?” They’re betting you won’t verify because you want to help your “child.”

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Multiple Tactics Stack

Real attacks usually combine multiple PUSHED tactics:

PUSHED analysis:

• P Pressure: From CEO (authority)
• U Urgency: “ASAP”
• S Surprise: Unexpected request
• D Desperation: “In a meeting, can’t talk”

Red flag: “Don’t mention this to anyone” — isolation is a classic scam tactic.

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Quick Reference

Tactic	Key Words	Why It Works
Pressure	Authority claims, excessive politeness	Hard to question power or refuse niceness
Urgency	Deadlines, “immediately,” “expires”	Rushed = skip verification
Surprise	Unexpected messages, unfamiliar situations	No pattern to recognize
High-stakes	Threats, consequences, legal action	Fear overrides logic
Excitement	Prizes, opportunities, too-good-to-be-true	We want good things to be real
Desperation	Emergencies, stranded, “only you can help”	Empathy bypasses caution

Key Takeaways

1. Pressure and Polite Predation exploit social dynamics
2. Urgency prevents careful thinking by creating time pressure
3. Surprise catches you without context to evaluate
4. High-stakes uses fear of consequences
5. Excitement uses positive emotions to lower your guard
6. Desperation exploits your natural empathy
7. Real attacks usually combine multiple tactics