There are six main types of motivational triggers that social engineers use:

• Authority
  • Most people are willing to comply and do what you tell them to do if they believe it is coming from somebody who is in a position of authority to make that request
• Urgency
  • Compelling sense of immediacy or time-sensitivity that drives individuals to act swiftly or prioritize certain actions
• Social Proof
  • Psychological phenomenon where individuals look to the behaviors and actions of others to determine their own decisions or actions in similar situations
• Scarcity
  • Psychological pressure people feel when they believe a product, opportunity, or resource is limited or in short supply
• Likability
  • Most people want to interact with people they like, social engineers realize this
  • Can be
    • Sexual attraction
    • Pretending to be a friend
    • Common interest
• Fear
  • These types of attacks generally are focused on “if you don’t do what I tell you, then this bad thing is going to happen to you”