American and Indian Conceptualizations of Phishing

Abstract

Using Amazon's Mechanical Turk, fifty American and sixty-one Indian participants completed a survey that assessed characteristics of phishing attacks, asked participants to describe their previous phishing experiences, and report phishing consequences. The results indicated that almost all participants had been targets, yet Indian participants were twice as likely to be successfully phished as American participants. Part of the reason appears to be that American participants reported more frequent efforts to protect themselves online such as by looking for the padlock icon in their browser. Statistical analyses indicated that American participants agreed more with items for characteristics of phishing, consequences of phishing and the types of media where phishing occurs, suggesting more cautiousness and awareness of phishing.