How Do Scam Affect and Scam Valence Influence Individual’S Intention to Respond Scam Message?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54097/yt0mhk22Keywords:
Fraud, Scam, Scam Valence, Scam Affect, Intention to Respond, Belief in Luck.Abstract
Currently, there is an increase in mental health problems due to fraud. Research has examined whether deception alters the low-emotion and high-emotion response differently, how scam valence (positive or negative) affects this effect, and what happens to the two combined in changing the motivation to respond to fraud. The role of perceived benefits/risks in the path from affect to a desire for engagement with scam alerts was examined. Determine whether a person's belief in luck affects their reaction to scam notifications at the same time. A cohort of 280 older adults, aged between 18 and 75, was selected for a two-factor ANOVA to examine the effect of emotion and valence on their motivation to report scam alerts. Based on the mediation model, one or both of people's emotional responses to scams with different valences are predicted by perceptions of both benefits and risks. Correlation and multiple regression tests were performed to determine whether a person's belief in luck related to their response to a fraudulent message. Based on the results, emotion and valence were also found to interactively influence people's propensity to respond. Perceptions of benefits have also been found to moderate the effect of emotion on people's responses to positive scam alerts in this study. Belief in luck did not show predictive ability for subjects' responses to fraudulent notifications under any valence condition. The results of this study will help us find out why some people are vulnerable to fraud and thus improve the prevention of fraud in the future.
Downloads
References
[1] BDO. (2026). FraudTrack 2026. https://www.bdo.co.uk/en gb/insights/advisory/forensic services/fraudtrack
[2] Wood, S., Liu, P. J., Hanoch, Y., Xi, P. M., & Klapatch, L. (2018). Call to claim your prize: Perceived benefits and risk drive intention to comply in a mass marketing scam. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 24(2), 196 206. https://doi.org/10.1037/xap0000164 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/xap0000167
[3] Jones, H. S., Towse, J. N., Race, N., & Harrison, T. (2019). Email fraud: The search for psychological predictors of susceptibility. PLOS ONE, 14(1), e0209684. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209684 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209684
[4] Slovic, P., & Peters, E. (2006). Risk perception and affect. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 15(6), 322 325. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467 8721.2006.00461.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8721.2006.00461.x
[5] Nabi, R. L., & Myrick, J. G. (2019). Uplifting fear appeals: Considering the role of hope in fear based persuasive messages. Health Communication, 34(4), 463 474. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2018.1424830 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2017.1422847
[6] Ariely, D., Gneezy, U., Loewenstein, G., & Mazar, N. (2009). Large stakes and big mistakes. The Review of Economic Studies, 76, 451 469. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467 937X.2009.00534.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-937X.2009.00534.x
[7] Lerner, J. S., & Keltner, D. (2000). Beyond valence: Toward a model of emotion specific influences on judgement and choice. Cognition & Emotion, 14(4), 473 493. https://doi.org/10.1080/026999300402763 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/026999300402763
[8] Slovic, P., Peters, E., Finucane, M. L., & Macgregor, D. G. (2005). Affect, risk, and decision making. Health Psychology, 24(4), S35 S40. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278 6133.24.4.S35 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-6133.24.4.S35
[9] Gärling, T., Kirchler, E., Lewis, A., & van Raaij, F. (2009). Psychology, financial decision making, and financial crises. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 10(1), 1 47. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1539 6053.2009.01033.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100610378437
[10] Kusev, P., Purser, H., Heilman, R., Cooke, A. J., Van Schaik, P., Baranova, V., Martin, R., & Ayton, P. (2017). Understanding risky behavior: The influence of cognitive, emotional and hormonal factors on decision making under risk. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 102. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00102 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00102
[11] Williams, E. J., Beardmore, A., & Joinson, A. N. (2017). Individual differences in susceptibility to online influence: A theoretical review. Computers in Human Behavior, 72, 412 421. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.02.005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.03.002
[12] Chiu, J., & Storm, L. (2009). Personality, perceived luck and gambling attitudes as predictors of gambling involvement. Journal of Gambling Studies, 26(2), 205 227. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899 009 9146 z DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-009-9160-x
[13] Preston, S., Anderson, A., Robertson, D. J., Shephard, M. P., & Huhe, N. (2021). Detecting fake news on Facebook: The role of emotional intelligence. PLOS ONE, 16(3), e0248693. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248693 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0246757
[14] Darke, P. R., & Freedman, J. L. (1997). The belief in good luck scale. Journal of Research in Personality, 31(4), 486 511. https://doi.org/10.1006/jrpe.1997.2191 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1006/jrpe.1997.2197
[15] Hayes, A. F., & Preacher, K. J. (2014). Statistical mediation analysis with a multicategorical independent variable. British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology, 67(3), 451 470. https://doi.org/10.1111/bmsp.12028 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/bmsp.12028
[16] Wright, R. T., Jensen, M. L., Thatcher, J. B., Dinger, M., & Marett, K. (2014). Research note—Influence techniques in phishing attacks: An examination of vulnerability and resistance. Information Systems Research, 25(2), 385 400. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2014.0516 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2014.0522
[17] Office for National Statistics. (2022, June 17). Saving for retirement in Great Britain: April 2018 to March 2020. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/incomeandwealth/bulletins/pensionwealthingreatbritain/april2018tomarch2020
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Education and Educational Research
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
