Abstract Research has highlighted gaps in the publics ‘awareness of burglar behaviour and their perceptions of vulnerability, perhaps indicating a need for further prevention training. No such research exists examining students’ awareness, but is vital given students’ relatively high levels of burglary victimisation. To provide this research, students were asked to complete a mock burglary in a simulated environment, with burglary awareness inferred based on their performance relative to previous experienced burglars. Further context was added by qualitatively analysing participants’ verbalisations during the task. Performance was also compared between first and third year undergraduates to further examine differences in awareness across student populations. No significant differences were found between the behaviour of first and third years. Nevertheless, both groups showed an overall limited understanding of burglary behaviour through their performance and verbalisations. Results demonstrate that raising awareness of victimisation and burglary behaviour is integral to improve the safety of University students.

Abstract Despite decades of research on Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), the specific impact of its dimensions on fear of crime (FoC) remains under-examined. This study investigates these effects by analyzing responses from 460 participants who evaluated photographs and completed the Situational Fear of Crime Scale for Public Spaces (SFS-Scale). The findings reveal that deficiencies in natural surveillance, followed by a lack of territoriality, are linked to heightened FoC. Moreover, natural surveillance emerged as a more significant predictor of FoC compared to territoriality. Additionally, police officers and military personnel reported lower levels of FoC than the general public. The study highlights the importance of understanding how CPTED dimensions shape public perceptions of safety. It also offers practical insights for the development of targeted public security policies. These findings suggest that CPTED principles can play a crucial role in reducing fear of crime and enhancing public safety in urban settings.

Raising awareness to combat scams has become a central strategy of fraud/scam prevention. Using data from a wider evaluation of a targeted campaign to improve fraud prevention and awareness for older adults predominantly over 75, this paper offers findings on the most effective means of dissemination of anti-scam communications to this group. The paper draws upon almost 1000 questionnaire responses and qualitative data from older adults, as well as volunteers and workers involved in the project. The research finds many older adults have not received any fraud prevention or awareness communications in the prior six months, illustrating a gap in fraud prevention messaging reaching this group. The paper also shows that the preferred method of dissemination is one-to-one through friends and family and that is also the case for the most isolated. The paper offers some potential solutions to address these gaps, particularly for lonely older adults.

Recently, Japan has been grappling with various forms of consumer fraud. Consumer fraud victimization causes not only monetary losses but also nonmonetary costs such as emotional stress and psychological trauma. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the factors associated with the risk of consumer fraud victimization in order to identify vulnerable groups and implement suitable prevention measures. Consequently, this study aims to analyze the sociodemographic and routine activity factors associated with consumer fraud victimization risk in Japan. Drawing on data from a social survey of residents in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, this study employs a series of logistic regression models. This study demonstrates that while using social networking services is unrelated to respondents’ likelihood of experiencing consumer fraud victimization, the frequency of contacting individuals whom respondents have only met online was statistically linked to increased consumer fraud risk. Additionally, only 10.7 to 31.9% of respondents were aware of the available support services for victims of consumer fraud and related issues. This study proposes that social networking providers could aid in preventing consumer fraud by displaying warning messages when users send messages, alerting them to possible threats.