Forensic Consumer Psychology: An Evidence-Based Framework for Detecting Deception and Digital Market Manipulation

Abstract

Digital markets expose consumers to deception through misleading advertising, fabricated reviews, concealed costs, and interface designs that steer choices while obscuring relevant information. This paper proposes a forensic consumer psychology framework for identifying such practices by integrating deceptive cues, choice-architecture features, and consumers’ cognitive and psychographic characteristics. It situates detection within the interaction between persuasive content and interface design, recognizing that consumer suspicion, vulnerability, and defensive processing can shape responses to potentially deceptive encounters. The framework distinguishes observable indicators of manipulation from the processes through which they may influence judgment and consumer outcomes, providing a structured basis for examining digital deception across advertising, reviews, pricing, and consent interfaces. By connecting individual-level psychology with market practices and digital choice environments, it offers an evidence-based foundation for consumer research, detection strategies, and the assessment of consumer harm.