Social Engineering through the Internet: Analysis of Persuasions Used in Fraudulent E-mails
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Authors
Atkins, Joshua Brandon
Issue Date
2011-05-04
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Internet , E-mail , Fraud
Alternative Title
Abstract
The amount of Internet fraud has grown exponentially over the last decade. Although computer security and criminal justice professionals have developed new technologies and tactics to fight the growing problem of Internet fraud, they cannot keep up with the rapidly growing advancements made by online scammers. The current study focuses on a psychological perspective known as social engineering which enables scammers to skillfully manipulate victims into an emotional state causing them to become vulnerable to victimization. This study assesses the nature of this type of criminal approach. The current content analysis involves a sample of 200 fraudulent e-mails related to phishing and advance fee scams. Using content analysis the researcher analyzed the persuasions techniques used in the different types of fraudulent e-mails, the ways in which persuasion techniques vary in types of deceptive e-mails. Findings revealed that authority, urgency, and politeness were the most occurring phishing persuasions; and authority, attraction/excitement, and politeness were the most commonly occurring advance fee scam persuasions. The study suggests that social engineers use statements in positive and negative manners, using authoritative and urgent persuasions causing innocent people to fall prey to financial losses. Since it is highly unlikely that online fraud will ever be completely eliminated, the most important thing that can be done to combat social engineering attacks is to educate the public on potential threats from hackers. For future studies in this area, it is suggested that researchers use face-to-face interviews to collect information from victims and to capture the voice of those victims that are afraid or embarrassed a survey may be the best instrument.