Language Deception Tactics in PayPal Bitcoin Scam Emails: A Critical Discourse Analysis and Forensic Linguistic Approach
Date Published : 7 November 2025
Contributors
Eka Septi Pradani
Author
Reno Albanire
Author
Keywords
critical discourse analysis
forensic linguistics
deception
scam emails
PayPal
Bitcoin
Proceeding
Track
General Track
License
Copyright (c) 2025 International Conference on Cultures & Languages
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Abstract
This study investigates the deceptive language strategies employed in PayPal Bitcoin scam emails, analyzed through the frameworks of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and forensic linguistics. A corpus of fifty scam emails was examined to uncover the linguistic devices used by scammers to manipulate recipients. The analysis reveals the systematic use of urgency, fear, false promises, impersonation, and credibility construction as dominant strategies in digital deception. These linguistic practices demonstrate how scammers exploit psychological vulnerabilities to gain victims’ compliance. By applying CDA, the study highlights how scam emails reproduce power asymmetries and ideologies of authority, while forensic linguistics provides insights into identifying stylistic markers of deception for investigative purposes. The findings align with and extend prior research on online fraud, phishing, and deceptive communication, offering practical implications for cybercrime prevention and victim awareness.
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How to Cite
Eka Septi Pradani , E. S. P., & Reno Albanire, R. A. (2025). Language Deception Tactics in PayPal Bitcoin Scam Emails: A Critical Discourse Analysis and Forensic Linguistic Approach. International Conference on Cultures & Languages, 3(1), 420-427. https://conferences.uinsaid.ac.id/iccl/paper/view/435