top of page
Insightful Blog Logo

Why Scams Work: The Psychology Behind Urgency, Fear, and Trust - Part 6: Emotional Connection

kristiearchie1
2 days ago
2 min read

How criminals use normal human decision-making to influence our choices—and what we can do about it.


A 7-part series about why urgency, fear, authority, trust, scarcity, and emotional connection can derail good decision-making—and why understanding the psychology of scams matters.

Part 6: Emotional connection: “You know me. You care about me.”

Some scams operate in seconds but others are accomplished over weeks or months where emotional connection is built over time and becomes especially powerful.


Romance scams are one of the clearest examples of this scam strategy.


Monica Whitty's research into online dating romance scams describes a process in which the scammer first creates an attractive online identity and then grooms their target victim to build a relationship with them. Once the relationship is established, scammers introduce requests for money. The financial request now seems to not be coming from a stranger anymore; it's coming from someone the victim has grown to know and care about. Monash University


The person being targeted is evaluating the request for money through the lens of months of conversations, emotional investment, shared experiences, promises, reassurance, and accumulated trust.


Whitty and Buchanan's research into the psychological impact of romance fraud illustrates just how real that relationship can feel. For many victims they interviewed, losing the perceived relationship was more distressing than losing the money. Researchers described this as a double impact: financial loss alongside the loss of the relationship itself. Sage Journals


That isn't evidence of foolishness; it is evidence that human connection is powerful enough to be weaponized.


In this 7-part series, I examine each one of these persuasion principles in the context of  cybersecurity awareness. Monday, I will wrap up with some final comments.



Selected scholarly research



 
 
 

Comments

bottom of page