What are the reasons people fall for social engineering techniques?

People often fall for social engineering because attackers exploit emotions, not technology. Techniques like urgency, fear, curiOSity, and trust trick individuals into bypassing caution. Many assume cyber threats only come through technical hacks, overlooking human manipulation. A convincing tone, familiar branding, or authority-based requests (like from “IT support” or “management”) lowers skepticism. Limited cybersecurity awareness and distraction also play major roles. Social engineering works best when human instincts override logical judgment.