The Psychology of Online Scams: An Introduction
Course | Introductory | Module | 4
“Amateurs hack systems; professionals hack people.”
~ Bruce Schneier
Introduction: The Psychology of Online Scams
The world of cybercrime is constantly seeing new trends emerge in much the same way that popular clothing styles, music tastes and social media icons continue to fall in and out of favour. But keeping up with these trends can become tiring, especially when it comes to staying up to date with the latest online scams and their tell-tale signs. So, how else can we maintain an awareness of how these different scams work?
Firstly, we need to appreciate that all online scams are based on the same basic principle; to be successful, they require us to make an error in judgement, like clicking on a hyperlink, visiting a fake website, or giving away sensitive personal information. Secondly, we need to realise that online scams use various methods to influence our thoughts and feelings, and to make these kinds of errors in judgement more likely.
By taking these two factors into account, we can see that having a solid understanding of why such errors in judgement occur is key to protecting ourselves from any online scams that we come across. We have already addressed the basic technology and language-based methods that could be used to trick us in previous articles, so we will now focus on those linked to psychology.
To do this, we will explore three main psychological theories which explain how different online scams influence us in an effort to get us to take actions that go against our better judgement. This kind of psychological manipulation falls under the realm of social engineering, which cybersecurity experts such as Christopher Hadnagy have referred to as ‘the art of human hacking’.
Theory 1: Trust & Authority
From previous articles, we know that the frequent use of online platforms in our personal and professional lives can create a tendency for mindlessness. This tendency also points toward the inherent sense of trust that we have for the online platforms that we use on a regular basis. After all, it is a widely recognised psychological theory that the more routine something is to us, the safer and more trusting we feel about it.
Unfortunately, online scammers are able to use this built-in layer of trust to their advantage. By spoofing well-known brands, or by communicating via popular social media platforms, they are able to lure us into a false sense of security and lower our usual defences. For example, we are much less likely to be suspicious of an email that claims to have come from a company whose promotions we regularly receive than we are of an email from a business we haven’t heard of before.
In fact, some studies estimate that up to 55% of the fake websites created for phishing scams use well-known brand names. This clearly reflects the major role that trust plays in the methods used by online scammers to trick individuals into giving away their personal information.
Similarly, online scams will often appeal to our tendency to respect and obey authority – a fact which has been reflected in various psychological studies (such as the Milgram Experiment). This usually takes the form of online banking scams, or those which impersonate government figures and institutions. By preying on our inherent trust, respect or fear for authority, these kinds of scams are able to pressure us into taking actions that go against our better judgment.
For example, if we received an odd-looking email claiming to come from our local traffic department with a speeding fine attached, we would likely still open it out of a sense of duty, or to avoid any potential penalties. It is this relationship with authority that online scammers are able to take advantage of in their attempts to compromise our online safety.
Theory 2: Risk vs Reward
Some of the most common types of online scams that we come across revolve around the promise of a financial gain or opportunity. From text messages inviting us to collect out-of-the-blue prizes to emails promising large rewards in return for limited assistance, these kinds of scams may also seem like some of the easiest to spot. But this does not necessarily mean that they are less successful than other online scams.
In fact, researchers have found that many of the individuals who fall prey to such scams are at least partially aware of the fact that they may not be genuine. However, in such cases, the potential rewards seemed to outweigh the potential risks – no matter how slim the chances of actually receiving the rewards may have been.
This psychological phenomenon is known as the long-odds gamble, as we are tempted to take action against our better judgement with the hopes that our ‘gamble’ will eventually pay off. Online scammers are able to take advantage of this by tempting us to take unnecessary risks (usually under some form of pressure) which result in a financial loss or the exposure of our personal information.
Theory 3: Emotional Appeals
Outside of exploiting our trust, relationship with authority and financial interests, many of the most sophisticated online scams that are prevalent today target our emotions in an effort to trick us into giving away valuable information or money. To do this, they rely on what psychologists refer to as visceral triggers. These triggers are designed to draw forth emotional and irrational responses from us. Some common types of visceral triggers include provocative images, sympathetic back stories and the persuasive use of language.
However, these triggers are wide-ranging and depend on the context of each particular scam. For example, fake online charity websites appeal to our sense of goodwill, and will use visceral triggers such as distressing backstories to make us feel sympathetic towards those whom the charity claims to be supporting. In the case of online marketing scams, visceral triggers may include the use of persuasive language which appeals to our desire to uphold social norms, like keeping up to date with the latest clothing trends or brands. On the other hand, online romance scams will use emotive language to build a sense of intimacy, and to appeal to our desire for belonging or love.
From these examples, it is clear that online scammers are able to manipulate our emotions in a variety of ways to get us to take actions that we would not usually take. This is why it is so important for us to use our combined knowledge of language analysis and psychology to spot when a potential online scam is trying to take advantage of us by influencing our thoughts and feelings.
Conclusion:
Over the course of this article, we have further developed our understanding of online safety through the lens of psychology by exploring three major theories that explain how cybercriminals are able to trick us into falling for their scams. In the next article, we will learn how to combine this with our knowledge of the lenses of technology and language in order to arrive at a holistic approach to online safety.