In phishing scams, emotions play a huge, even crucial role. Hackers and cybercriminals intentionally manipulate our feelings to lower our guard and prompt us to take hasty, thoughtless actions. The most commonly used strategies rely on arousing strong positive or negative emotions.

Telling us about a win, offering a super deal, or promising a place among the lucky ones – these are the most frequently used techniques. This is no accident – everyone wants to win something, acquire something, improve their financial situation, buy something at a great price, or simply gain something valuable with little effort.

These emotions and desires are effectively fueled in us by modern culture and media. In films, books, advertisements, and the press, we constantly see images of people who are beautiful, rich, successful, and enjoying a carefree life. This builds a natural, human desire for HAPPINESS and prosperity within us. Scammers exploit this widespread FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) – the fear of missing a unique opportunity that could change our lives, or the desire for the immediate gratification of possession. Messages of this type often include calls to immediate action (e.g., „Claim your prize within 24h!”, „Promotion only for the first 100 people!”), which prevents us from calm reflection and verification.