Online Fraud Victims Research Articles

Analisis Cyber Fraud Pada Platform Jual Beli Game Online

The purpose of this study is to examine the reasons why people become victims of internet fraud through the Steam game trading platform and to discuss the modes used by the perpetrators. The three main informants of this research are victims of online fraud through the Steam game trading platform. Apart from that, it also seeks the opinions of experts about this case of online fraud. These results are expected to be able to provide deeper insights into cybercrime cases on the Steam platform and the strategies used by online fraudsters when using the Steam platform. In addition, the results are also expected to raise government awareness to take better measures to combat online fraud in the future. In addition, this research can serve as a basis for creating policies that protect the public from the threat of online fraud.

Cheques or dating scams? Online fraud themes in hip-hop songs across popular music apps

How do hip-hop songs produced from 2017 to 2023 depict and rationalize online fraud? This study examines the depiction of online fraudsters in thirty-three Nigerian hip-hop songs on nine popular streaming platforms such as Spotify, Deezer, iTunes, SoundCloud, Apple Music, and YouTube. Using a directed approach to qualitative content analysis, we coded lyrics based on the moral disengagement mechanism and core themes derived from existing literature. Our findings shed light on how songs (a) justify the fraudulent actions of online fraudsters, (b) blame and dehumanize victims of online romance fraud, (c) glamorize online fraud, and (d) provide insights into prevailing attitudes, indigenous linguistics, and worldviews regarding cybercrime victimization. Specifically, our analysis shows the presence of moral disengagement mechanisms, including "dehumanization," “minimizing own agency,” and "displacement of responsibility." Moreover, we identify core contextual themes pertinent to online fraud in the Nigerian context: (a) "cyber spiritualism" and (b) "the North-South divide." This research underscores the global influence of musicians whose songs are easily accessible on diverse music platforms in trivializing the plight of online fraud victims. We argue that these artists' persuasive messages not only downplay but also satirize the victims' predicaments, thus contributing to the cultural worldviews and dimensions of online fraud. We conclude by underscoring these songs' capacity to actualize, reshape, and actively engage with the narratives of glamorization, justification, spiritualism, colonial legacies, gender dynamics, and societal implications. We recommend that future research endeavors explore non-conventional data sources adept at capturing the intricate fabric of cultural attitudes and dynamics.

‘Should’ve known better’: Using Lerner’s Belief in a Just World to understand how the Fraud Justice Network observe victims of online romance and investment frauds

This article explores the application of Lerner’s Belief in a Just World (BJW) to online fraud. BJW finds that people tend to blame victims when their sense of justice is threatened and if there is little or no chance of obtaining compensation or justice for the victim. Specifically, BJW suggests that when victims are perceived as acting with agency, and have little chance of compensation, they are blamed for their crime. Online fraud victims are blamed by family, friends, justice agencies, and themselves, for their victimisation. Little is known about why the Fraud Justice Network (FJN), which comprises the multitude of agencies that aim to combat online fraud, blames victims. This article begins to address this gap by presenting findings of qualitative interviews with 14 FJN representatives, using thematic analysis. Three significant themes emerge about victims: ‘agency’, ‘gullibility and compensation’, and ‘deservedness of justice’. This study found that (a) victims are seen as behaviourally responsible, (b) agency is blameworthy, and (c) victims deserve justice. The study also finds evidence of BJW thinking within the FJN. Findings can inform future organisational policies on how victims of online fraud can be more effectively managed and supported, including by financial institutions or law enforcement agencies.

Theoretical basis and occurrence of internet fraud victimisation: Based on two systems in decision-making and reasoning.

The influencing factors of internet fraud, including demographics, psychology, experience and knowledge of susceptibility, have been widely studied. Research on the psychological mechanism of the victimisation process of internet fraud is relatively scarce but suggests a new research perspective. To summarise and unify the research in this field, this study systematically searched and analysed articles on the psychological decision-making mechanism of online fraud victims. We found that (a) previous researchers consistently believed that the heuristic processing mode was correlated with susceptibility to online fraud and that the systematic processing mode was helpful to detect and identify fraud. From the overall review results, we do not reject this conclusion, but the verification and intrinsic explanation of this relationship need to be further strengthened. (b) Under the heuristic-systematic model (HSM), with the exception of the trait of suspicion, there is no consensus on whether psychological factors (e.g., personality) influence the likelihood of online fraud through the mediating effect of the selection of the two systems. Objective knowledge and experience in specific fields have been found to be able to achieve this path. Information on the influential variables of equipment and habits is emerging, but how they affect network victimisation through the heuristic processing system needs to be further clarified. (c) The measurement of variables is conducted through simulation experiments. There may be a gap between the likelihood of internet fraud victimisation in the simulation experiment and in the real world. (d) The defence strategies under the HSM are intentional explorations, such as content-based cue recognition technology and simulated scene training.

The role of social-psychological factors of victimity on victimization of online fraud in China.

The high incidence of online fraud in China poses a great threat to the social stability and property security of society. Victimity is the state or mindset of victims, referring to the various conditions related to being victims of crimes. Examining the association between the inherent and extrinsic factors of victimity and victimization of online fraud is of great importance for revealing the psychological mechanism of victimization and drawing up preventative measures. Through the questionnaire survey of 504 online fraud victims and 523 non-victims, univariate analysis and logistic regression analysis were used to investigate the risk factors correlated with victimization. Age, education, and social support are positively correlated with fraud victimization, while impulsiveness, trust tendency, smartphone usage, and negative life experiences are negatively correlated with fraud victimization. Subsequent regression analyses showed that all the factors above, except for smartphone usage, are significant predictors for online fraud victimization. Our conceptual model and empirical results demonstrate the important role of victimity in making an individual become a victim and help clarify the mixed findings of previous studies on the risk factors for online fraud.

Online Dating Scam Victims Psychological Impact Analysis

In an era of widespread mass marketing scams on the Internet, many victims have reported varying degrees of financial loss and psychological damage after encountering lottery scams and advance payment scams. Among them, the emotional damage to victims of online dating scams may be even more severe because the whole scam process involves mental attachment, sexual abuse, and relationship breakdown. There is little help and support for victims throughout the scam process and even after the scam is over, which not only makes it difficult for victims to get timely and professional assistance after experiencing online scams, but victims even run the risk of being scammed by criminals again afterward, so timely help and professional psychological treatment for victims is of positive significance. In previous studies, there are fewer reports summarizing and analyzing the psychological conditions of victims. In this paper, we will summarize the psychological problems of victims of online dating scams and compare the psychological treatment needed by victims of online dating scams who experience online aggression with the psychological treatment needed by victims who are actually violated in reality. For example, professional treatment for real victims of sexual assault has methodological merit for victims of online fraud, methods of privacy and psychological protection for victims of online romance fraud, criteria for measuring psychological status, and more. These are all measures to promote enhanced victim care and the prevention of online dating fraud throughout the industry.

Legal Protection Against Consumer on Online Transaction Fraud

In this modern era, technology is increasingly being utilized and used for various purposes, such as for conducting online transactions. Online transactions are increasingly being used by people because they are easy to use and can be done at any time. But on the other hand, violations of consumer rights still often occur due to fraud by business actors. Online transaction is virtually and between consumers and business actors don’t know each other, so the trust system becomes the main things in every online transaction and is very vulnerable to fraud. Indonesia has regulated consumer protection as stipulated in Law Number 8 of 1999 concerning Consumer Protection, the facts on the ground are that there are still many consumers who are harmed and don’t get justice. This study, it is expected to be able to answer the formulation of the problem, there is How is the legal view of Consumer Protection against online fraud victims and how to resolve disputes. This study uses a qualitative descriptive research method with a sociological juridical approach. The results of this study, although it is guaranteed by the Consumer Protection Act, many respondents do not get their rights to receive compensation and in terms of resolving consumer disputes or the parties concerned can take court or out of court according to the agreement of the parties, however alternative online dispute resolution can be implemented in full.

Implementasi Data Mining dengan Algoritma Naïve Bayes untuk Profiling Korban Penipuan Online di Indonesia

Profiling of victims of crime is intended to facilitate the targeting of information dissemination and carry out prevention efforts. Profiling is helpful to increase the awareness of internet users against cybercrime. This study aims to create a sociodemographic profile based on online fraud victims using Instant Messengers in Indonesia based on the sociodemography of online fraud victims, namely age, gender, education level, domicile, occupation, duration of using the internet in a day, and Instant Messenger media used. The method used in this research is the descriptive statistical method, namely Data Mining using the snowball sampling method by sharing a link via WhatsApp. Participants were given a link to fill out several survey questions about the sociodemographic of the victim, such as age, gender, occupation, domicile, and online fraud that had been experienced through the IM application. The survey was created using GoogleForms and sent online via WhatsApp to participants who had been victims of online fraud. The Data Mining technique was used to analyze the responses of 1910 participants and then classified using the Naïve Bayes Algorithm. The results showed that the Naïve Bayes Algorithm has an accuracy percentage of 75.28%. The prediction model for the vulnerability of online fraud victims is a female respondent, aged 27.3 years, using Instagram and WhatsApp, currently living in Central Java Province, education background is high school, and the duration of using the internet more than eight hours a day, and status as a Student/College Student.

Why do fraud victims get blamed? Lerner’s Belief in a Just World and its application to victims of online fraud

PurposeVictims of online fraud face a high level of blame from their families, friends, professionals, the broader community and often from themselves. Victims are commonly perceived as stupid, gullible and undeserving of justice. The reasons for this are under-researched, and there are currently no satisfactory explanations of why victim-blaming occurs so frequently in cases of online fraud. This paper aims to propose a potential theoretical explanation for the high level of blame experienced by online fraud victims.Design/methodology/approachLerner’s Belief in a Just World (BJW) theory is posited as a helpful theoretical explanation for the high level of blame directed towards victims of online fraud.FindingsThis paper argues that Lerner’s BJW theory is a helpful framework for understanding the blame faced by victims of online fraud because it posits that behavioural responsibility (a trait commonly ascribed to online fraud victims) is central to perceived blameworthiness; and that compensation for a crime determines the level of blame directed towards victims. As victims of online fraud are exceptionally unlikely to receive any type of compensation (whether monetary or otherwise), BJW may help explain the blame directed towards victims.Originality/valuePrior scholarship predominantly understands the blame faced by online fraud victims through the lens of Nils Christie’s (1986) “ideal victim” thesis. This paper presents an advance over this existing understanding by illustrating how BJW provides a more detailed explanation for victim blame in online fraud.

How Online Fraud Victims are Targeted in China: A Crime Script Analysis of Baidu Tieba C2C Fraud

E-commerce is the practice of purchasing, selling, transferring, and exchanging goods, services, or information through the Internet, a computer, and/or other devices. With the development of e-commerce markets, fraud is increasingly reported. This study uses a crime script analysis to examine how customer-to-customer (C2C) fraud occurs on China’s online platforms with a particular focus on the online marketplace Baidu Tieba and Tencent QQ, a tool that allows customers to make contact and negotiate deals and payment methods. The findings demonstrate that C2C fraud develops through pre-operation, operation, finalization, and exit stages, sharing commonalities with other online identity fraud processes. Implications for policy and interventions are also discussed in regard to e-commerce fraud in China and elsewhere.

The relevance of cyber security education in the classroom

Despite the fact that the Internet has had a positive effect on people's lives, there have been some negative problems associated with its use. Owing to a lack of knowledge and self-mechanism among Internet users to protect themselves from being victims of cyber-bullying, online fraud, racial abuse, pornography, and gambling, cases of cyber-bully, online fraud, racial abuse, pornography, and gambling have risen dramatically. However, previous research has shown that Internet users’ awareness is still poor or moderate. One of the most important steps to take is to instill information and understanding in Internet users as early as possible, i.e., young children. Young children, in particular, must be taught how to act safely in cyberspace and how to defend themselves in the process. The aim of this systematic review paper is to investigate why it is so important for modern learners to be informed about the dangers of being involved in cyberspace, as well as the methods that stakeholders may use to encourage cyber security education in schools. A few methods for implementing cyber security education in schools are addressed in this article.

‘Oh we can’t actually do anything about that’: The problematic nature of jurisdiction for online fraud victims

One of the most pressing challenges with policing online fraud relates to jurisdiction. Policing is traditionally based on territoriality, but the internet has changed this. Offenders in one country can target a victim in a second country, who is requested to send money to a third or fourth country.This article examines online fraud victims’ reporting to police. Specifically, it demonstrates the misconceptions that exist regarding jurisdiction, namely the relationship between the Australian Federal Police and state/territory police. A clear disconnect emerges between understandings and expectations of who can investigate what relating to online fraud. The Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network’s establishment in 2014 is a positive step but this has not fixed the issue entirely.Overall, the article argues that the jurisdictional challenges experienced by police are not understood by victims, and improvement is needed regarding awareness of victims and police alike, to reduce unnecessary, additional trauma to victims.

Victims’ motivations for reporting to the ‘fraud justice network’

ABSTRACTIt is well-established that (online) fraud has one of the lowest reporting rates across all crime categories. However, there is a large gap examining why some victims choose to report online fraud offenses. Therefore, this paper examines the under-researched group of online fraud victims who reported their crimes to authorities. Based on interviews with 80 victims across Australia, who lost at least AUD10,000 to online fraud, this paper demonstrates two motivations behind reporting: a sense of individual justice, and an altruistic notion of protecting others. The paper also highlights the negativity associated with the reporting process. The paper uses these findings to determine what can be learnt from the victims who were willing to report. It concludes with a discussion of the challenges evident in seeking to improve the confidence of victims reporting to authorities.

Expectations vs reality: Responding to online fraud across the fraud justice network

This article examines the response to online fraud, particularly as it relates to the Australian “fraud justice network”. Current research indicates that victims overwhelmingly experience a negative response to reporting online fraud. Much of this can be seen to stem from a misunderstanding and unrealistic expectations on what agencies can do, their data sharing practices, and the priority and value they place on victim information.Based upon interviews with 80 Australian victims of online fraud, this article demonstrates a variety of misconceptions held by victims regarding the fraud justice network in responding to online fraud. In doing this, it draws attention to the establishment of the Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network (ACORN) as a central reporting mechanism for online fraud, and highlights the benefits and continued challenges posed by its introduction. It concludes with thoughts how improve online fraud responses, across both victim and fraud justice network perspectives.

(Mis)Understanding the Impact of Online Fraud: Implications for Victim Assistance Schemes

ABSTRACTAustralia provides victims of violent crime access to financial support to assist with recovery, excluding victims of nonviolent offences. The author examines the experiences of online fraud victims, and details how the impacts experienced extend beyond financial losses, to include deterioration in health and well-being, relationship breakdown, homelessness, and unemployment, and in the worst cases, suicidal ideation. Using online fraud as a case study, the author argues eligibility to access victim assistance schemes should consider harms suffered rather than the offence experienced. Consequently, the author advocates a shift in eligibility criteria of victim assistance schemes to facilitate much-needed support to online fraud victims.

Online fraud victims’ experiences of participating in qualitative interviews

Institutional Review Boards often raise concerns about qualitative research with vulnerable populations such as crime victims, and assume that research with vulnerable populations will be distressing for participants. It is therefore vital to examine whether participants do in fact experience adverse effects stemming from their participation. The existing research is clear that some members of vulnerable populations do feel distressed when they participate in research; however, in most cases, this distress is outweighed by the benefits of participation, such as a sense of having contributed to community awareness raising. This literature is, however, predominantly quantitative. In addition, it overwhelmingly focuses on violent trauma, providing no insight into participants’ experiences of research on non-violent traumatic events. The current study addresses these shortcomings by examining the research participation experiences of victims of online fraud. Specifically, an online questionnaire designed to elicit qualitative data was administered to victims of online fraud who had previously participated in a semi-structured qualitative interview. Among other findings, the study suggests that perceptions about the outcomes of research, in addition to the research process, influence victims’ satisfaction with their participation in qualitative research.

The ‘ACA Effect’: Examining How Current Affairs Programs Shape Victim Understandings and Responses to Online Fraud

In recent years, numerous current affairs stories on online fraud victimisation have been broadcast on Australian television. These stories typically feature highly organised, international ‘sting’ operations, in which alleged offenders are arrested and investigated by law enforcement. These portrayals of police responses influence the expectations that some online fraud victims have about how their individual cases will be handled by law enforcement. Based on interviews with 80 online fraud victims, this article argues that a narrow media portrayal of online fraud by television current affairs programs — termed the ‘ACA effect’ — informs victims' understandings of online fraud and their responses to it. In particular, current affairs programs influence what victims of online fraud expect from police. The article further demonstrates that current affairs programs present themselves as de facto law enforcement agencies, to which victims who receive an unsatisfactory response from police might turn. Overall, the article highlights the importance of current affairs programs portraying a more realistic image of official responses to online fraud.

No laughing matter

There is a strong sense of negativity associated with online fraud victimization. Despite an increasing awareness, understanding about the reality of victimization experiences is not apparent. Rather, victims of online fraud are constructed as greedy and gullible and there is an overwhelming sense of blame and responsibility levelled at them for the actions that led to their losses. This belief transcends both non-victims and victims. The existence of this victim-blaming discourse is significant. Based on interviews with 85 seniors across Queensland, Australia, who received fraudulent emails, this article establishes the victim-blaming discourse as an overwhelmingly powerful and controlling discourse about online fraud victimization. However, the article also examines how humour acts as a tool to reinforce this discourse by isolating victims and impacting on their ability to disclose to those around them. Identifying and challenging this victim-blaming discourse, as well as the role of humour and its social acceptance, is a first step in the facilitation of victim recovery and future well-being.

Online Fraud Victims in England and Wales: Victims' Views on Sentencing and the Opportunity for Restorative Justice?

AbstractThe advent of the Internet has expanded opportunities to commit fraud and millions regularly fall victim. Fraud victims in general have been largely neglected by researchers in comparison with other crimes. There has also been very little research on issues related to the sentencing of fraudsters. This article offers some of the first insights on what individual online fraud victims actually want regarding the sentencing of the scammers who target them. It explores their views on aggravating and mitigating factors as well as the different types of sanction which can be used. The article particularly highlights the opportunities and attraction of restorative justice‐based approaches to victims. It uses data from in‐depth interviews with 15 online fraud victims, six focus groups with a further 48 online fraud victims and interviews with nine professional stakeholders involved in combating this problem.

Improving the Police Response to Online Fraud

Online fraud poses a significant problem to society in terms of its monetary losses and the devastating impact on victims. It also poses significant challenges to law enforcement agencies, regarding their ability to investigate crimes which are complex, occur in a virtual environment, incorporate multiple (often international) jurisdictions, and have a very low reporting rate. This paper examines the police response to online fraud. It argues that traditionally, fraud has received little attention and priority from police agencies and this is exacerbated in the online context. In contrast to this, the paper presents the example of Project Sunbird, a partnership between the West Australian Police and the West Australian Department of Commerce which has embraced the use of financial intelligence to proactively contact suspected victims of online fraud. This paper argues that a proactive approach to policing online fraud can have substantial positive effects for police and victims alike.