The potential of winning a $500 gift card or exclusive reward is enticing. Scam emails with promising gifts are common in inboxes. Typically, malware detection and protection software eliminates these scam attacks. However, a recent switch in cybersecurity focuses on how humans can protect themselves against these online attacks. The Dangers of Online Inauthentic Media Creative Inquiry project, mentored by Dr. Dawn Sarno and graduate student Jeffrey Black in the Department of Psychology, focuses on the characteristics of humans that make them more susceptible to phishing emails, scam text messages, fake news headlines and scam voicemails to educate susceptible people about these scams.  

Since modern society relies so heavily on technology, people will always be the last line of defense against scams. Humans interact with online environments daily, so it is important to have protection against online scammers. To identify the characteristics of people susceptible to these cyberattacks, the Creative Inquiry team conducts an online survey that asks participants to classify different forms of digital media as legitimate or not legitimate. The team measures the accuracy of the participants’ classification of real and fake emails, text messages, news headlines and voicemails. Participants also complete the Digital Literacy Scale, a measure of digital intelligence, and a Cognitive Reflection Test, which measures participants’ impulsivity. 

The Creative Inquiry team’s results indicate that people are more susceptible to different forms of scams if they tend to be more impulsive or lack digital literacy. A lack of digital literacy means an individual struggles with navigating, evaluating and communicating information online. Additionally, individuals who fall for one form of online deception are more likely to fall for other forms. Understanding what characteristics make someone more susceptible to scams is the first step to learning how to protect themselves, instead of relying solely on technology. They know whether or not they need to be more cautious and aware of online scams. 

Engaging in this research is valuable for students such as Maggie Harris, a senior psychology major, and Elizabeth Paradise, a senior criminal justice major.  This Creative Inquiry project helps them get more comfortable with making mistakes and gain confidence in their research skills, which will help them reach their future career goals. “It’s good to be able to make the mistakes now. . . so then when you actually get into doing your own research, you know you’ve had some practice,” Harris said. Sarno makes the Creative Inquiry project a safe place for the students to make mistakes which allows them to understand that research is not a linear process. “It feels like this [Creative Inquiry] has given me more confidence,” Paradise said.  

Online deception impacts not only individual lives but also other areas such as the world of business. One employee falling for a scam can compromise the whole company. It is similar to a chain reaction because if the boss falls for a scam, then the scammer can gain access to their email account and infiltrate the whole company. A lack of knowledge of digital deception can be dangerous because there is a possibility that money is lost and identities are stolen.  

These major consequences of being uneducated about scams is why the team is working on a training module for Clemson students named IMPAWSTER. This spy themed training module will teach Clemson students what a phishing email is and how to detect one. “Unfortunately, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had students come into the lab and be like ‘I don’t know what a phishing email is,’” Sarno said. IMPAWSTER will help educate students on phishing emails and make them less likely to be susceptible to scams. 

So, next time there is an offer in your inbox that is too good to be true, it might be the case.