According to psychological experts, online fraud is essentially an attack on the mind. A study by two experts, David Modic and Stephen E.G. Lea from the University of Exeter, UK, revealed that 74% of university students had fallen victim to scams to varying degrees.

These are the psychological traits that make individuals susceptible to becoming targets for cybercriminals.

Illustration: Trong Dat.

Deference to authority figures

From a young age, people are taught to follow rules and obey those in power. Scammers exploit this by impersonating police, bank employees, or tax officers. When an "authority figure" threatens and demands passwords or requests app installations for "investigative purposes", the fear of wrongdoing clouds the victim's judgment, causing them to comply.

Susceptibility to peer pressure

Humans inherently need to belong to a group. Criminals exploit this by creating chat groups for "financial investment" or "easy money, high salary", populating them with dozens of fake accounts. These accounts pose as successful investors, constantly praising their "experts". When victims see "everyone making money", they develop a fear of missing out (FOMO). This implicit peer pressure leads them to accept risks and transfer money without verification.

Stubbornness and resistance to changing decisions

In psychology, once people agree to something, they tend to stick to the plan to avoid appearing inconsistent. Scammers exploit this by initially making very small transfer requests, often just tens of thousands of dong. Once victims have committed, even if they later notice suspicious signs, they rationalize their actions. They continue transferring large sums of money, hoping to recover their initial investment.

Emotionally driven

This is the most significant vulnerability. Scammers do not compete on intellect; they directly target emotions: fear (e.g., accounts about to be locked, involvement in money laundering) or greed (e.g., big prize winnings). Individuals who habitually react quickly based on emotion, lacking the ability to calmly assess a situation, often click on malicious links immediately.

Vigilance against cybercrime stems not from intelligence, but from self-control. When receiving a call or message that evokes intense fear, urgency, or flattery, the golden rule is: Pause for at least 60 seconds before making any decision.

By Nhat Minh (via *Psychology Today*)