Episode 9 – Why Intelligent People Fall for Romance Scams (The Attachment Override Model)

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, I explore what I call the Attachment Override Model — the moment when emotional commitment becomes strong enough to override logic, skepticism, and even intelligence.During one of my recent sleepless nights, I watched the film Nuremberg, and a powerful moment in that story helped me connect an important psychological dot. It helped me better understand how intelligent people can remain committed to a vision even when the evidence says they should walk away.That same dynamic often appears in romance scams and crypto investment scams. In my own experience, the vision of what we believed we could build together — something meaningful for family and friends — became emotionally powerful enough that warning signs became harder and harder to see.If families are trying to understand how a loved one could become involved in one of these scams, I hope this episode helps explain why emotional attachment can sometimes override common sense.Understanding that dynamic is one of the first steps toward healing — and toward recognizing the pattern before it happens again.