# Why People Still Fall for Phishing Emails: An Empirical Investigation into How Users Make Email Response Decisions

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.13199 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.13199/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 24 Jan 2024.

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Analysis and prevention of AI-based phishing email attacks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.05435/) (2024)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Despite technical and non-technical countermeasures, humans continue to be tricked by phishing emails. How users make email response decisions is a missing piece in the puzzle to identifying why people still fall for phishing emails. We conducted an empirical study using a think-aloud method to investigate how people make 'response decisions' while reading emails. The grounded theory analysis of the in-depth qualitative data has enabled us to identify different elements of email users' decision-making that influence their email response decisions. Furthermore, we developed a theoretical model that explains how people could be driven to respond to emails based on the identified elements of users' email decision-making processes and the relationships uncovered from the data. The findings provide deeper insights into phishing email susceptibility due to people's email response decision-making behavior. We also discuss the implications of our findings for designers and researchers working in anti-phishing training, education, and awareness interventions