Scam Susceptibility: Determining the Dominant Factor for an Adolescent’s Decision-making

Abstract

This research seeks to investigate the dominant factor in adolescent scam susceptibility using personality type–assessed by the NERIS type explorer–and income. The data consisted of 73 participants, all of whom were utilized for income, while 52 were analyzed for their personality type, from a suburban high school. Each individual accessed an online survey where they differentiated between genuine and scam emails through a multiple-choice question, followed by a free-response question to express their reasoning behind their decisions. Findings revealed that income exhibited a significant effect on scam vulnerability, while personality does not; however, qualitative data suggests that personality may influence one’s perception of scams. Through this study, governmental intervention programs can be implemented to garner greater awareness of scams to educate people.