{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,13]],"date-time":"2026-08-13T21:28:10Z","timestamp":1786656490424,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":57,"publisher":"JMIR Publications Inc.","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["J Med Internet Res"],"abstract":"Abstract<\/jats:title>\n \n Background<\/jats:title>\n Telecommunications fraud causes financial and psychological harm, yet how individuals who experienced fraud retrospectively describe progression from initial trust to emotional escalation and reduced behavioral control remains unclear.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Objective<\/jats:title>\n This study aimed to develop a stage-based psychological framework for telecommunications fraud and examine whether person-level cross-sectional associations provide quantitative elaboration.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n \n Study 1 used grounded-theory analysis of semistructured interviews with 71 individuals who experienced telecommunications fraud; 46 interviews informed model development and 25 assessed theoretical saturation. Study 2 analyzed 4722 university-based survey responses from Chongqing, including 409 students with confirmed fraud experience. A balanced case-control sample comprised all 409 participants with confirmed fraud experience and 409 randomly selected participants without reported fraud experience. Two-tailed independent-samples\n t<\/jats:italic>\n tests, adjusted logistic regression, and 10 nonoverlapping resampling iterations examined correlates of victimization. Among defrauded people, 2 theory-specified PROCESS Model 6 analyses with 5000 bootstrap resamples estimated cross-sectional indirect associations involving Truth-Seeking or Cognitive Maturity, Gullibility, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation, and Brief Self-Control Scale (BSCS) scores.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n Study 1 yielded a 3-stage interpretive framework of retrospective narratives: Credulity Priming, Affective Manipulation, and Behavioral Dyscontrol. Desire and fear loops, as well as overexpectation events, were characterized by a narrated escalation. In study 2, defrauded people had lower Truth-Seeking and Cognitive Maturity and higher Gullibility, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation, and BSCS scores (indicating poorer self-control) than sampled nondefrauded people. In adjusted analyses, higher Gullibility was associated with higher odds of victimization, whereas higher Truth-Seeking was associated with lower odds; the interpretation of these adjusted correlates was based primarily on their consistent reproduction in the student-only sensitivity models. Among defrauded people, both PROCESS models yielded statistically significant model-specified cross-sectional indirect association estimates, but concurrent postevent measurement precluded temporal or causal inference. Across studies, convergence was the strongest for trust-related appraisal; evidence for affective and behavioral domains was complementary rather than confirmatory.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n Retrospective narratives supported a 3-stage interpretive framework, while cross-sectional quantitative findings most consistently linked lower Truth-Seeking and higher Gullibility to victimization status in this sample. These findings motivate prospective evaluation of stage-sensitive prevention strategies; the proposed temporal sequence and intervention implications require direct testing in more diverse populations.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.2196\/87395","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,13]],"date-time":"2026-08-13T20:46:06Z","timestamp":1786653966000},"page":"e87395-e87395","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Psychological Processes of Telecommunications Fraud: Development of a Three-Stage Framework and Cross-Sectional Quantitative Elaboration in a Mixed Methods Study"],"prefix":"10.2196","volume":"28","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-5008-0098","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yujie","family":"Huang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-6675-4506","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jun","family":"Gao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7565-7854","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yuhong","family":"Zhou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6396-6273","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Qinghua","family":"He","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8585-7131","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Xuemei","family":"Gao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1010","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"R1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/1068316X.2025.2468347","article-title":"Reporting fraud victimization to the police: factors that affect whether victims report","author":"Koning","journal-title":"Psychol Crime Law"},{"issue":"1","key":"R2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"9","DOI":"10.1080\/15228053.2024.2439192","article-title":"Understanding the human element in scams: a multidisciplinary approach","volume":"27","author":"Liu","journal-title":"J Inf Technol Case Appl Res"},{"key":"R3","unstructured":"Telecommunications fraud increased 12% in 2023, equating to an estimated $38.95 billion lost to fraud. Communications Fraud Control Association (CFCA). 2023. URL: https:\/\/cfca.org\/telecommunications-fraud-increased-12-in-2023-equating-to-an-estimated-38-95-billion-lost-to-fraud\/ [Accessed 13-07-2026]"},{"issue":"2","key":"R4","first-page":"94","author":"Chen","journal-title":"J South China Norm Univ (Soc Sci Ed)"},{"issue":"4","key":"R5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s11920-021-01228-w","article-title":"Increasing cybercrime since the pandemic: concerns for psychiatry","volume":"23","author":"Monteith","journal-title":"Curr Psychiatry Rep"},{"issue":"11","key":"R6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2196\/30399","article-title":"Defining digital public health and the role of digitization, digitalization, and digital transformation: scoping review","volume":"7","author":"Iyamu","journal-title":"JMIR Public Health Surveill"},{"key":"R7","unstructured":"Global strategy on digital health 2020-2027. World Health Organization; 2025. URL: https:\/\/iris.who.int\/server\/api\/core\/bitstreams\/a64d584f-015b-471f-9d86-9ea263cfb516\/content [Accessed 24-07-2026]"},{"issue":"6","key":"R8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2196\/31921","article-title":"What are digital public health interventions? First steps toward a definition and an intervention classification framework","volume":"24","author":"Wienert","journal-title":"J Med Internet Res"},{"key":"R9","unstructured":"Han B . Individual frauds in China: exploring the impact and response to telecommunication network fraud and pig butchering scams [Dissertation]. University of Portsmouth; 2023. URL: https:\/\/pure.port.ac.uk\/ws\/portalfiles\/portal\/81985344\/Bing_Han_PhD_thesis.pdf [Accessed 24-07-2026]"},{"key":"R10","unstructured":"European Commission, Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers. Survey on \u201cscams and fraud experienced by consumers\u201d: final report. European Commission; 2020. URL: https:\/\/commission.europa.eu\/system\/files\/2020-01\/survey_on_scams_and_fraud_experienced_by_consumers_-_final_report.pdf [Accessed 13-07-2026]"},{"issue":"6","key":"R11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph22060938","article-title":"The mental health impacts of internet scams","volume":"22","author":"Balcombe","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"issue":"3","key":"R12","first-page":"102","volume":"41","author":"Zhao","journal-title":"J Chin Youth Soc Sci"},{"issue":"2","key":"R13","first-page":"205","volume":"6","author":"Jansen","journal-title":"J Qual Crim Justice Criminol"},{"issue":"5","key":"R14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"508","DOI":"10.1080\/08946566.2024.2404040","article-title":"Loneliness could lead to risk of fraud victimization for middle-aged and older adults","volume":"36","author":"Liao","journal-title":"J Elder Abuse Negl"},{"key":"R15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/15564886.2025.2481267","article-title":"\u201cFalling into a black hole\u201d: a qualitative exploration of the lived experiences of cyberscam victim-survivors and their social support networks","volume":"2025","author":"Cazanis","journal-title":"Vict Offender"},{"issue":"4","key":"R16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1065","DOI":"10.1007\/s11196-020-09765-y","article-title":"\u201cYou are in trouble!\u201d: a discursive psychological analysis of threatening language in Chinese cellphone fraud interactions","volume":"34","author":"Chen","journal-title":"Int J Semiot Law"},{"issue":"1","key":"R17","first-page":"118","volume":"20","author":"Villavicencio","journal-title":"Asia Pac Educ Res"},{"issue":"5","key":"R18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"752","DOI":"10.1037\/0022-3514.39.5.752","article-title":"Heuristic versus systematic information processing and the use of source versus message cues in persuasion","volume":"39","author":"Chaiken","journal-title":"J Pers Soc Psychol"},{"key":"R19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2023.1087463","article-title":"Theoretical basis and occurrence of internet fraud victimisation: based on two systems in decision-making and reasoning","volume":"14","author":"Shang","journal-title":"Front Psychol"},{"issue":"588","key":"R20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2017.00588","article-title":"The role of cognition, personality, and trust in fraud victimization in older adults","volume":"8","author":"Judges","journal-title":"Front Psychol"},{"issue":"4","key":"R21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"703","DOI":"10.1080\/1068316X.2024.2389187","article-title":"Psychological predictors of online fraud victimhood in China: a machine learning approach","volume":"32","author":"Xu","journal-title":"Psychol Crime Law"},{"issue":"6","key":"R22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"729","DOI":"10.1159\/000515326","article-title":"Correlates of susceptibility to scams in community-dwelling older Black adults","volume":"67","author":"Yu","journal-title":"Gerontology"},{"key":"R23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chb.2024.108451","article-title":"ScamGen: unveiling psychological patterns in tele-scam through advanced template-augmented corpus generation","volume":"162","author":"Han","journal-title":"Comput Human Behav"},{"issue":"4","key":"R24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"371","DOI":"10.1037\/h0040525","article-title":"Behavioral study of obedience","volume":"67","author":"Milgram","journal-title":"J Abnorm Psychol"},{"issue":"1","key":"R25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"17","DOI":"10.2478\/bsaft-2024-0003","article-title":"Weaponization of conscience in cybercrime and online fraud: a novel systems theory","volume":"29","author":"Espinoza","journal-title":"Sci Bull"},{"issue":"6","key":"R26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"446","DOI":"10.1007\/s12160-016-9830-8","article-title":"Just-in-time adaptive interventions (JITAIs) in mobile health: key components and design principles for ongoing health behavior support","volume":"52","author":"Nahum-Shani","journal-title":"Ann Behav Med"},{"issue":"3","key":"R27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"695","DOI":"10.1080\/08874417.2022.2101160","article-title":"Development of a scale to measure cybercrime-awareness on social media","volume":"63","author":"Arpaci","journal-title":"J Comput Inf Syst"},{"key":"R28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/02666669251336562","article-title":"Cybersecurity Awareness Scale (CSAS) for social media users: development, validity and reliability study","author":"Arpaci","journal-title":"Inf Dev"},{"issue":"4","key":"R29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"633","DOI":"10.1108\/OIR-01-2022-0023","article-title":"Development of the Cybercrime Awareness Scale (CAS): a validity and reliability study in a Turkish sample","volume":"47","author":"Arpaci","journal-title":"Online Inf Rev"},{"key":"R30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cose.2026.104904","article-title":"Development and cross-cultural validation of the Cybersecurity Resilience Scale (CSRS)","volume":"166","author":"Arpaci","journal-title":"Comput Secur"},{"key":"R31","unstructured":"Corbin J Strauss A . Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory. 4th ed. Sage; 2015. ISBN: 9781483300863"},{"key":"R32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Tangney JP Boone AL Baumeister RF . High self-control predicts good adjustment, less pathology, better grades, and interpersonal success. In: Baumeister RF , editor. Self-Regulation and Self-Control. Routledge; 2018:173-212. [doi: 10.4324\/9781315175775-5]","DOI":"10.4324\/9781315175775-5"},{"issue":"3","key":"R33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"408","DOI":"10.1177\/0146167219858641","article-title":"I should have known better: development of a self-report measure of gullibility","volume":"46","author":"Teunisse","journal-title":"Pers Soc Psychol Bull"},{"issue":"9","key":"R34","first-page":"644","volume":"39","author":"Peng","journal-title":"Chin J Nurs"},{"issue":"4","key":"R35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"336","DOI":"10.13342\/j.cnki.cjhp.2007.04.020","article-title":"Test of difficulties in emotion regulation scale in Chinese people [Article in Chinese]","volume":"15","author":"Wang","journal-title":"China J Health Psychol"},{"key":"R36","unstructured":"Rusch JJ . The \u201csocial engineering\u201d of internet fraud. Presented at: Proceedings of the 1999 Internet Society Annual Conference (INET\u201999); Jun 22-25, 1999; San Jose, California, USA. URL: http:\/\/www.isoc.org\/inet99\/proceedings\/3g\/3g_2.htm [Accessed 13-07-2026]"},{"issue":"3","key":"R37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1042","DOI":"10.1111\/ijcs.12886","article-title":"Correlates of responding to and becoming victimized by fraud: examining risk factors by scam type","volume":"47","author":"DeLiema","journal-title":"Int J Consum Stud"},{"issue":"7","key":"R38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"64","DOI":"10.6007\/IJARBSS\/v11-i7\/10075","article-title":"The neural correlates of emotion in decision-making","volume":"11","author":"Alsharif","journal-title":"Int J Acad Res Bus Soc Sci"},{"issue":"2","key":"R39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"253","DOI":"10.2307\/2070638","article-title":"Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior","volume":"17","author":"Miller","journal-title":"Contemp Sociol"},{"issue":"10","key":"R40","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1801","DOI":"10.1017\/S0033291722001611","article-title":"On what motivates us: a detailed review of intrinsic extrinsic motivation","volume":"52","author":"Morris","journal-title":"Psychol Med"},{"key":"R41","unstructured":"Baumeister RF Schmeichel BJ Vohs KD . Self-regulation and the executive function: the self as controlling agent. In: Kruglanski AW Higgins ET , editors. Social Psychology: Handbook of Basic Principles. 2nd ed. Guilford Press; 2007:516-539. ISBN: 9781572309180"},{"issue":"5","key":"R42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"450","DOI":"10.1177\/1745691612454134","article-title":"What is ego depletion? Toward a mechanistic revision of the resource model of self-control","volume":"7","author":"Inzlicht","journal-title":"Perspect Psychol Sci"},{"issue":"2","key":"R43","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"107","DOI":"10.1080\/08946566.2013.821809","article-title":"Correlates of susceptibility to scams in older adults without dementia","volume":"26","author":"James","journal-title":"J Elder Abuse Negl"},{"key":"R44","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chb.2022.107648","article-title":"Analytical reasoning reduces internet fraud susceptibility","volume":"142","author":"Kelley","journal-title":"Comput Human Behav"},{"issue":"2","key":"R45","first-page":"284","volume":"22","author":"Phan","journal-title":"Psicothema"},{"issue":"3","key":"R46","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"136","DOI":"10.1177\/074171369204200302","article-title":"Critical thinking and self-directed learning in adult education: an analysis of responsibility and control issues","volume":"42","author":"Garrison","journal-title":"Adult Educ Q"},{"issue":"3","key":"R47","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"538","DOI":"10.4304\/tpls.3.3.538-543","article-title":"The relationship between Iranian EFL students' self-efficacy beliefs and critical thinking ability","volume":"3","author":"Fahim","journal-title":"Theory Pract Lang Stud"},{"issue":"3","key":"R48","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"173","DOI":"10.1037\/a0024698","article-title":"Critical thinking and the end(s) of psychology","volume":"31","author":"Kirschner","journal-title":"J Theor Philos Psychol"},{"issue":"6","key":"R49","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"807","DOI":"10.1037\/a0013341","article-title":"Emotion-based dispositions to rash action: positive and negative urgency","volume":"134","author":"Cyders","journal-title":"Psychol Bull"},{"issue":"2","key":"R50","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"325","DOI":"10.1037\/pag0000228","article-title":"Emotional arousal may increase susceptibility to fraud in older and younger adults","volume":"33","author":"Kircanski","journal-title":"Psychol Aging"},{"key":"R51","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2023.1152155","article-title":"The role of anticipated emotions in self-control: linking self-control and the anticipatory ability to engage emotions associated with upcoming events","volume":"14","author":"Kruschwitz","journal-title":"Front Psychol"},{"key":"R52","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fnhum.2014.00253","article-title":"A dual process for the cognitive control of emotional significance: implications for emotion regulation and disorders of emotion","volume":"8","author":"Greening","journal-title":"Front Hum Neurosci"},{"key":"R53","unstructured":"Alos-Ferrer C . Think, but not too much: a dual-process model of willpower and self-control. Presented at: VfS Annual Conference 2013: Competition Policy and Regulation in a Global Economic Order; Sep 4-7, 2013; D\u00fcsseldorf, Germany. URL: https:\/\/hdl.handle.net\/10419\/80019 [Accessed 13-07-2026]"},{"issue":"10","key":"R54","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"914","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1747-9991.2010.00330.x","article-title":"Dual-process and dual-system theories of reasoning","volume":"5","author":"Frankish","journal-title":"Philos Compass"},{"issue":"1","key":"R55","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"13","DOI":"10.1038\/s44159-021-00006-y","article-title":"The psychological drivers of misinformation belief and its resistance to correction","volume":"1","author":"Ecker","journal-title":"Nat Rev Psychol"},{"issue":"3","key":"R56","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"13","DOI":"10.4018\/IJCBPL.2015070102","article-title":"Susceptibility to email fraud: a review of psychological perspectives, data-collection methods, and ethical considerations","volume":"5","author":"Jones","journal-title":"Int J Cyber Behav Psychol Learn"},{"issue":"Suppl 1","key":"R57","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"287","DOI":"10.2308\/ajpt-50360","article-title":"A synthesis of fraud-related research","volume":"32","author":"Trompeter","journal-title":"Audit J Pract Theory"}],"container-title":["Journal of Medical Internet Research"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,13]],"date-time":"2026-08-13T20:46:10Z","timestamp":1786653970000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.jmir.org\/2026\/1\/e87395"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,13]]},"references-count":57,"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2196\/87395","relation":{},"ISSN":["1438-8871"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1438-8871","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,13]]},"article-number":"v28i1e87395"}}