Content type: explanatory article, not a court case. Based on the sources linked below.
Most people are sure the scam call reached them by chance, like rain. But some attackers do not dial at random. They prepare and choose.
Before the first call, an attacker who has prepared may know quite a lot about you. Social media can reveal where you work, when you went on holiday, which parcel you ordered and who your friends are. Each detail becomes a disguise: "I'm calling from the delivery company. The parcel you ordered in Italy is stuck at customs." That is not a lucky guess. It is homework.
Who falls for scams
University of Exeter research for the OFT (2009) found that scam victims are not generally poor decision-makers. Some have successful professional careers, but are more open to persuasion and less able to control their emotions. Professor Stephen Lea, who led the research, summed it up: nobody is immune to fraud. The practical meaning is that protection does not depend on intelligence, but on the habit of stopping and checking.
Where you can stop it
Two simple actions. First, careful sharing of personal information: limit what is visible on social media, including birthdays, real-time trips and family details. Every detail you keep private makes the impersonation harder to build. Second, a golden rule: knowledge is not proof. A caller knowing your name, address and latest order does not prove they are from your bank. Knowing about a person is not proof, and sometimes it is a sign that someone prepared in advance.
Awareness is a first line of defence. Knowing that an approach may be targeted can help you question it.