CONSTRUCTING TRUST THROUGH DECEPTION: A FORENSIC LINGUISTIC INVESTIGATION OF SCAM COMMUNICATION

Abstract

This study uses forensic lens to examine linguistic, psychological, and interactional strategies used by Pakistani scammers to deceive the victims, across boundaries, through phone calls. The data for the scam call was collected from publicly available YouTube channels specializing in scam-baiting content, such as Scam Sandwich and Scam Baiter. The data was manually transcribed to highlight salient language and paralinguistic features. The transcripts were analyzed by examining them through Olsson’s (2004) Forensic Text Analysis framework and Interpersonal Deception Theory (Buller and Burgoon, 1996). The results indicate that deceptive language, institutional jargon and inconsistencies in language and grammar are used to establish credibility and control. It further reveals that the fraudulent narratives follow a somewhat predictable, yet slightly variable structure; problem introduction, invoking authority, demanding urgency, and financial or technical demand to deceive the victims. At the interactional level, scammers use politeness and reassurance and they use adaptive communication to maintain conversational dominance. The study also reveals that deceptive performances are unstable in the face of confrontation, because when confronted by exposers, inconsistencies in the narration, shifts in tone, and behavioral adaptations appear. In brief, the study demonstrates that scam calls are a negotiation and manipulation of language and psychological tricks and that they are co-constructed on an interactive basis during the call. The findings can be applied to the field of forensic linguistics, offering context-sensitive examination of spoken scam discourse, and suggestions for implications for scam detection, public awareness and digital security.