1887
image of “Your account has been compromised”

Abstract

Abstract

Scam emails pose a significant threat to online security, exploiting individuals’ vulnerabilities through emotional manipulation. This study explores emotional triggers in a corpus of scam emails ( = 371) compiled from ten genuine email accounts over a period of five years (2018–2023). Using Robinson’s (2008) taxonomy of , the positive and negative emotional content and triggers were identified and analyzed. The findings reveal that an overwhelming majority of the emails allude to negative emotions ( = 252), suggesting a clear scammer strategy in stimulating negativity to achieve fraudulent objectives. Conversely, the emails that evoke positive emotions ( = 119) seem to create a false sense of trust, sociability and gratitude. In addition, many scam emails employ various combinations of emotional triggers to manipulate recipients. This study sheds light on the intersection between emotions and discourse pragmatics and highlights the affective dimensions of discourse in email communication.

Available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1075/ip.00135.mog
2026-03-04
2026-03-17
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/10.1075/ip.00135.mog/ip.00135.mog.html?itemId=/content/journals/10.1075/ip.00135.mog&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

References

  1. Ajayi, Temitope Michael
    2022 “Discursive-manipulative strategies in scam emails and SMS: The Nigerian perspective.” Lodz Papers in Pragmatics(): –. 10.1515/lpp‑2022‑0008
    https://doi.org/10.1515/lpp-2022-0008 [Google Scholar]
  2. Aleroud, Ahmed, and Lina Zhou
    2017 “Phishing environments, techniques, and countermeasures: A survey.” Computers & Security: –. 10.1016/j.cose.2017.04.006
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cose.2017.04.006 [Google Scholar]
  3. Alkhalil, Zainab, Chaminda Hewage, Liqaa Nawaf, and Imtiaz Khan
    2021 “Phishing attacks: A recent comprehensive study and a new anatomy.” Frontiers in Computer Science, . 10.3389/fcomp.2021.563060
    https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomp.2021.563060 [Google Scholar]
  4. Almomani, Ammar, Brij B. Gupta, Samer Atawneh, Andrew Meulenberg, and Eman Almomani
    2013 “A survey of phishing email filtering techniques.” IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials(): –. 10.1109/SURV.2013.030713.00020
    https://doi.org/10.1109/SURV.2013.030713.00020 [Google Scholar]
  5. Anafo, Comfort, and Richmond S. Ngula
    2020 “On the grammar of scam: transitivity, manipulation and deception in scam emails.” Word(): –. 10.1080/00437956.2019.1708557
    https://doi.org/10.1080/00437956.2019.1708557 [Google Scholar]
  6. Bernal, Miriam Jiménez, and Simone Belli
    2013 “Virtual ethnography and spam: Fraud and fear in deceptive narratives on the Internet.” InInvestigar la Comunicación hoy. Revisión de políticas científicas y aportaciones metodológicas: Simposio Internacional sobre Política Científica en Comunicación [International Symposium on Scientific Policy in Communication: Examining Current Research, Policy Reviews, and Methodological Advances], –. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Juridicas y de la Comunicación.
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Blanzieri, Enrico, and Anton Bryl
    2008 “A survey of learning-based techniques of email spam filtering.” Artificial Intelligence Review(): –. 10.1007/s10462‑009‑9109‑6
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s10462-009-9109-6 [Google Scholar]
  8. Blommaert, Jan, and Tope Omoniyi
    2006 “Email fraud: Language, technology, and the indexicals of globalisation.” Social Semiotics(): –. 10.1080/10350330601019942
    https://doi.org/10.1080/10350330601019942 [Google Scholar]
  9. Blunden, Hayley, and Andrew Brodsky
    2021 “Beyond the emoticon: Are there unintentional cues of emotion in email?” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin(): –. 10.1177/0146167220936054
    https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167220936054 [Google Scholar]
  10. Bourne, Paul Andrew, Chad Chambers, Damion K. Blake, Charlene Sharpe-Pryce, and Ikhalfani Solan
    2013 “Lottery scam in a third-world nation: the economics of a financial crime and its breadth.” Asian Journal of Business Management(): –. 10.19026/ajbm.5.5812
    https://doi.org/10.19026/ajbm.5.5812 [Google Scholar]
  11. Carter, Elisabeth
    2015 “The anatomy of written scam communications: An empirical analysis.” Crime, Media, Culture(): –. 10.1177/1741659015572310
    https://doi.org/10.1177/1741659015572310 [Google Scholar]
  12. Chawki, Mohamed
    2009 “Nigeria tackles advance fee fraud.” Journal of information, Law and Technology(): –.
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Chiluwa, Innocent
    2009 “The discourse of digital deceptions and ‘419’ emails.” Discourse Studies(): –. 10.1177/1461445609347229
    https://doi.org/10.1177/1461445609347229 [Google Scholar]
  14. 2019 “‘Congratulations, your email account has won you €1,000,000’: analyzing the discourse structures of scam emails.” InThe Palgrave Handbook of Deceptive Communication, ed. byTony Docan-Morgan, –. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. 10.1007/978‑3‑319‑96334‑1_46
    https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96334-1_46 [Google Scholar]
  15. Cukier, Wendy L., Eva J. Nesselroth, and Susan Cody
    2007 “Genre, narrative and the ‘Nigerian Letter’ in electronic mail.” Paper presented at40th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS’07). Waikoloa, HI, USA, 3–6 January 2007. 10.1109/HICSS.2007.238
    https://doi.org/10.1109/HICSS.2007.238 [Google Scholar]
  16. Daintith, John, and Edmund Wright
    (eds.) 2008A Dictionary of Computing (6th edn.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. 10.1093/acref/9780199234004.001.0001
    https://doi.org/10.1093/acref/9780199234004.001.0001 [Google Scholar]
  17. Dirwan, Dirwan, and Fitriani Latief
    2023 “Understanding the psychology behind consumer behavior.” Advances in Business & Industrial Marketing Research(): –. 10.60079/abim.v1i3.201
    https://doi.org/10.60079/abim.v1i3.201 [Google Scholar]
  18. Dutt, Bindiya
    2023 “Wellbeing amid digital risks: implications of digital risks, threats, and scams on users’ wellbeing.” Media and Communication(): –. 10.17645/mac.v11i2.6480
    https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v11i2.6480 [Google Scholar]
  19. Febriyani, Widia, Dhiya Fathia, Adityas Widjajarto, and Muharman Lubis
    2023 “Security awareness strategy for phishing email scams: A case study of a company in Singapore.” JOIV: International Journal on Informatics Visualization(): –. 10.30630/joiv.7.3.2081
    https://doi.org/10.30630/joiv.7.3.2081 [Google Scholar]
  20. Fischer, Peter, Eva Jonas, Dieter Frey, and Stefan Schulz-Hardt
    2005 “Selective exposure to information: The impact of information limits.” European Journal of Social Psychology(): –. 10.1002/ejsp.264
    https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.264 [Google Scholar]
  21. Fransen, Marieke L., Edith G. Smit, and Peeter W. J. Verlegh
    2015 “Strategies and motives for resistance to persuasion: An integrative framework.” Frontiers in Psychology, . 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01201
    https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01201 [Google Scholar]
  22. Fredericks, Paul, and Matthew Rowe
    2016 “Charity fraud.” InFraud, ed. byAlan Doig, –. New York: Routledge.
    [Google Scholar]
  23. Freiermuth, Mark R.
    2011 “Text, lies and electronic bait: An analysis of email fraud and the decisions of the unsuspecting.” Discourse & Communication(): –. 10.1177/1750481310395448
    https://doi.org/10.1177/1750481310395448 [Google Scholar]
  24. Genc, Yegin, Harpreet Kour, Hasan T. Arslan, and Li-Chiou Chen
    2021 “Understanding Nigerian e-mail scams: A computational content analysis approach.” Information Security Journal: A Global Perspective(): –. 10.1080/19393555.2020.1804647
    https://doi.org/10.1080/19393555.2020.1804647 [Google Scholar]
  25. Goldenberg, Amit, and James J. Gross
    2020 “Digital emotion contagion.” Trends in Cognitive Sciences(): –. 10.1016/j.tics.2020.01.009
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2020.01.009 [Google Scholar]
  26. Hatfield, Elaine, John T. Cacioppo, and Richard L. Rapson
    1993 “Emotional contagion.” Current Directions in Psychological Science(): –. 10.1111/1467‑8721.ep10770953
    https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8721.ep10770953 [Google Scholar]
  27. Holt, Thomas J., and Danielle C. Graves
    2007 “A qualitative analysis of advance fee fraud e-mail schemes.” International Journal of Cyber Criminology(): –.
    [Google Scholar]
  28. Hornik, Jacob, Rinat Shaanan Satchi, Ludovica Cesareo, and Alberto Pastore
    2015 “Information dissemination via electronic word-of-mouth: Good news travels fast, bad news travels faster!” Computers in Human Behavior: –. 10.1016/j.chb.2014.11.008
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.11.008 [Google Scholar]
  29. Jayatilaka, Asangi, Nalin Asanka Gamagedara Arachchilage, and Muhammad Ali Babar
    2021 “Falling for phishing: An empirical investigation into people’s email response behaviors.” Paper presented atthe 42nd International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS’21). Austin, Texas, USA, 12–15 December 2021. https://arxiv.org/pdf/2108.04766v1
    [Google Scholar]
  30. Jonas, Eva, Verena Graupmann, and Dieter Frey
    2006 “The influence of mood on the search for supporting versus conflicting information: Dissonance reduction as a means of mood regulation?” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin(): –. 10.1177/0146167205276118
    https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167205276118 [Google Scholar]
  31. Karamagi, Robert
    2022 “A review of factors affecting the effectiveness of phishing.” Computer and Information Science(): –.
    [Google Scholar]
  32. Karim, Asif, Sami Azam, Bharanidharan Shanmugam, Krishnan Kannoorpatti, and Mamoun Alazab
    2019 “A comprehensive survey for intelligent spam email detection.” IEEE Access: –. 10.1109/ACCESS.2019.2954791
    https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2019.2954791 [Google Scholar]
  33. Keil, Mark, and Roy D. Johnson
    2002 “Feedback channels: Using social presence theory to compare voice mail to e-mail.” Journal of Information Systems Education(): –.
    [Google Scholar]
  34. Kensinger, Elizabeth A., and Jaclyn H. Ford
    2020 “Retrieval of emotional events from memory.” Annual Review of Psychology(): –. 10.1146/annurev‑psych‑010419‑051123
    https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010419-051123 [Google Scholar]
  35. Khan, Wazir Zada, Muhammad Khurram Khan, Fahad T. Bin Muhaya, Mohammed Y. Aalsalem, and Han-Chieh Chao
    2015 “A comprehensive study of email spam botnet detection.” IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials(): –. 10.1109/COMST.2015.2459015
    https://doi.org/10.1109/COMST.2015.2459015 [Google Scholar]
  36. Korpela, Karina
    2015 “Improving cyber security awareness and training programs with data analytics.” Information Security Journal: A Global Perspective(): –. 10.1080/19393555.2015.1051676
    https://doi.org/10.1080/19393555.2015.1051676 [Google Scholar]
  37. Kwak, Youngsun, Seyoung Lee, Amanda Damiano, and Arun Vishwanath
    2020 “Why do users not report spear phishing emails?” Telematics and Informatics: . 10.1016/j.tele.2020.101343
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2020.101343 [Google Scholar]
  38. Lerner, Jennifer S., Ye Li, Piercarlo Valdesolo, and Karim S. Kassam
    2015 “Emotion and decision making.” Annual Review of Psychology(): –. 10.1146/annurev‑psych‑010213‑115043
    https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115043 [Google Scholar]
  39. Levy, Nadine
    2016 “Emotional landscapes; discomfort in the field.” Qualitative Research Journal(): –. 10.1108/QRJ‑08‑2014‑0036
    https://doi.org/10.1108/QRJ-08-2014-0036 [Google Scholar]
  40. Metzger, Miriam J., Andrew J. Flanagin, and Ryan B. Medders
    2010 “Social and heuristic approaches to credibility evaluation online.” Journal of Communication(): –. 10.1111/j.1460‑2466.2010.01488.x
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2010.01488.x [Google Scholar]
  41. Morris, Michael W., and Dacher Keltner
    2000 “How emotions work: The social functions of emotional expression in negotiations.” Research in Organizational Behavior: –. 10.1016/S0191‑3085(00)22002‑9
    https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-3085(00)22002-9 [Google Scholar]
  42. Nadeem, Muhammad, Syeda Wajiha Zahra, Muhammad Nouman Abbasi, Ali Arshad, Saman Riaz, and Waqas Ahmed
    2023 “Phishing attack, its detections and prevention techniques.” International Journal of Wireless Security and Networks(): –.
    [Google Scholar]
  43. Naqvi, Bilal, Kseniia Perova, Ali Farooq, Imran Makhdoom, Shola Oyedeji, and Jari Porras
    2023 “Mitigation strategies against the phishing attacks: A systematic literature review.” Computers & Security, . 10.1016/j.cose.2023.103387
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cose.2023.103387 [Google Scholar]
  44. Naylor, R. Thomas
    2007 “The alchemy of fraud: Investment scams in the precious-metals mining business.” Crime, Law and Social Change: –. 10.1007/s10611‑007‑9064‑6
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s10611-007-9064-6 [Google Scholar]
  45. Norris, Gareth, and Alexandra Brookes
    2021 “Personality, emotion, and individual differences in response to online fraud.” Personality and Individual Differences, . 10.1016/j.paid.2020.109847
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.109847 [Google Scholar]
  46. Parsons, Kathryn, Marcus Butavicius, Paul Delfabbro, and Meredith Lillie
    2019 “Predicting susceptibility to social influence in phishing emails.” International Journal of Human-Computer Studies: –. 10.1016/j.ijhcs.2019.02.007
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2019.02.007 [Google Scholar]
  47. Pellegrino, Alfonso, Masato Abe, and Randall Shannon
    2022 “The dark side of social media: Content effects on the relationship between materialism and consumption behaviors.” Frontiers in Psychology, . 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.870614
    https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.870614 [Google Scholar]
  48. Robinson, David L.
    2008 “Brain function, emotional experience and personality.” Netherlands Journal of Psychology: –. 10.1007/BF03076418
    https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03076418 [Google Scholar]
  49. Safaei Pour, Morteza, Christelle Nader, Kurt Friday, and Elias Bou-Harb
    2023 “A comprehensive survey of recent internet measurement techniques for cyber security.” Computers & Security, . 10.1016/j.cose.2023.103123
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cose.2023.103123 [Google Scholar]
  50. Safi, Asadullah, and Satwinder Singh
    2023 “A systematic literature review on phishing website detection techniques.” Journal of King Saud University Computer and Information Sciences(): –. 10.1016/j.jksuci.2023.01.004
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jksuci.2023.01.004 [Google Scholar]
  51. Serna-Zuluaga, Juan Camilo, David Juárez-Varón, Ana Mengual-Recuerda, and Ana Medina-López
    2024 “Analysis of the influence of emotions on the decision-making of entrepreneurs using neurotechnologies.” International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal: –. 10.1007/s11365‑024‑00960‑y
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-024-00960-y [Google Scholar]
  52. Shadel, Doug, and Karla Blair Schweitzer Pak
    2007 “The psychology of consumer fraud.” PhD dissertation, Universiteit van Tilburg.
  53. Shaw, Philip
    2008 “Purpose and other paradigmatic similarities as criteria for genre analysis: The case of ‘419 scam’ emails.” InGenre Variation in Business Letters, ed. byPaul Gillaerts, and Maurizio Gotti, –. Bern: Peter Lang.
    [Google Scholar]
  54. Shichor, David, Jeffrey Doocy, and Gilbert Geis
    1996 “Anger, disappointment, and disgust: Reactions of victims of a telephone investment scam.” InInternational Victimology: Selected Papers From the 8th International Symposium, ed. byChris Sumner, Mark Israel, Michael O’Connell, and Rick Sarre, –. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology.
    [Google Scholar]
  55. Silic, Mario, and Andrea Back
    2016 “The dark side of social networking sites: Understanding phishing risks.” Computers in Human Behavior: –. 10.1016/j.chb.2016.02.050
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.02.050 [Google Scholar]
  56. Sillence, Elizabeth, Pam Briggs, Peter Harris, and Lesley Fishwick
    2006 “A framework for understanding trust factors in web-based health advice.” International Journal of Human-Computer Studies(): –. 10.1016/j.ijhcs.2006.02.007
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2006.02.007 [Google Scholar]
  57. Sorell, Tom, and Monica Whitty
    2019 “Online romance scams and victimhood.” Security Journal: –. 10.1057/s41284‑019‑00166‑w
    https://doi.org/10.1057/s41284-019-00166-w [Google Scholar]
  58. Stojnic, Tatyana, Dinusha Vatsalan, and Nalin A. G. Arachchilage
    2021 “Phishing email strategies: Understanding cybercriminals’ strategies of crafting phishing emails.” Security and Privacy(), . 10.1002/spy2.165
    https://doi.org/10.1002/spy2.165 [Google Scholar]
  59. Tambe Ebot, Alain Claude, Mikko Siponen, and Volkan Topalli
    2024 “Towards a cybercontextual transmission model for online scamming.” European Journal of Information Systems(): –. 10.1080/0960085X.2023.2210772
    https://doi.org/10.1080/0960085X.2023.2210772 [Google Scholar]
  60. Tseng, Ming-Yu
    2010 “The pragmatic act of fishing for personal details: From choice to performance.” Journal of Pragmatics(): –. 10.1016/j.pragma.2009.12.004
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2009.12.004 [Google Scholar]
  61. Vilardo, Mark F.
    2004 “Online impersonation in securities scams.” IEEE Security & Privacy(): –. 10.1109/MSP.2004.19
    https://doi.org/10.1109/MSP.2004.19 [Google Scholar]
  62. Vishwanath, Arun, Brynne Harrison, and Yu Jie Ng
    2018 “Suspicion, cognition, and automaticity model of phishing susceptibility.” Communication Research(): –. 10.1177/0093650215627483
    https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650215627483 [Google Scholar]
  63. Vishwanath, Arun, Tejaswini Herath, Rui Chen, Jingguo Wang, and H. Raghav Rao
    2011 “Why do people get phished? Testing individual differences in phishing vulnerability within an integrated, information processing model.” Decision Support Systems(): –. 10.1016/j.dss.2011.03.002
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2011.03.002 [Google Scholar]
  64. Wash, Rick
    2020 “How experts detect phishing scam emails.” Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction(): –. 10.1145/3415231
    https://doi.org/10.1145/3415231 [Google Scholar]
  65. Wiles, Rose, Graham Crow, Sue Heath, and Vikki Charles
    2008 “The management of confidentiality and anonymity in social research.” International Journal of Social Research Methodology(): –. 10.1080/13645570701622231
    https://doi.org/10.1080/13645570701622231 [Google Scholar]
  66. Workman, Michael
    2008 “Wisecrackers: A theory-grounded investigation of phishing and pretext social engineering threats to information security.” Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology(): –. 10.1002/asi.20779
    https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.20779 [Google Scholar]
  67. Zhou, Lina, Douglas P. Twitchell, Tiantian Qin, Judee K. Burgoon, and Jay F. Nunamaker
    2003 “An exploratory study into deception detection in text-based computer-mediated communication.” InProceedings of the Thirty-Sixth Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, –. Los Alamitos, CA: IEEE Press. 10.1109/HICSS.2003.1173793
    https://doi.org/10.1109/HICSS.2003.1173793 [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1075/ip.00135.mog
Loading
/content/journals/10.1075/ip.00135.mog
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Research Article
Keywords: social psychology ; scam emails ; discourse pragmatics ; cybersecurity ; emotional triggers
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was successful
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error