A study of cybercrime victimisation and prevention: exploring the use of online crime prevention behaviours and strategies

Date03 February 2020
Pages17-33
Published date03 February 2020
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/JCRPP-12-2019-0070
AuthorJacqueline M. Drew
Subject MatterHealth & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology
A study of cybercrime victimisation and
prevention: exploring the use of
online crime prevention behaviours
and strategies
Jacqueline M. Drew
Abstract
Purpose The evolution of digital technology has changed the way in which we, as a global society,
socialiseand conduct business. This growth has led to an increasing relianceon technology, much more
interconnectednessand in turn, an expansion of criminal opportunities,known now as ‘‘cybercrime’’. This
study aims to explore theexperience of victimisation, perceptions of cybercrimeand use of online crime
preventionstrategies.
Design/methodology/approach The study involved a survey of a representative sample of the adult
Australian population. The study sample was made up of 595 Australian adult participants. The study
seeks to better understand how previous victimisation, perception of cybercrime prevalence and
perception of harm causedby cybercrime are related to the use of online crime preventionstrategies. It
seeks to contribute to a body of work that has found that crime prevention education focused on
increasingknowledge is limited in its effectivenessin reducing victimisation.
Findings This study identifieskey levers, in particular perceived prevalence and harm of cybercrime,
as criticalin the use of online crime prevention strategiesby potential victims.
Research limitations/implications As such, this studyprovides an important evidence base on which
to develop more effective online crime prevention education and awareness campaigns to reduce
cybervictimisation.
Practical implications The practical implicationsinclude the relationship between cybervictimisation
and self-protective online strategies of potential victims and the development of more effective online
crime preventionprogrammes.
Originality/value The research takes a different perspective from much of the previous research,
seeking to better understandhow attitudinal factors (perceived prevalenceof cybercrime and perceived
harm of cybercrime)might motivate or influence theuse of online crime prevention strategiesby potential
victims.
Keywords Cybercrime, Victimization, Routine activities approach, Lifestyle exposure,
Target hardening, Crime prevention, Crime prevention and reduction
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Individuals increasingly rely on technology for everyday needs, from commerce to social
interaction. For most people in the western world, technology is an integral part ofeveryday
life (Holt and Bossler, 2014). While statistics vary, in 2019, there were an estimated 4.48
billion internet users across the world with a penetration rate of 57 per cent among the
global population (Statista, 2019). The advancement of the internet has opened a relatively
unsecured environment to criminal exploitation, connecting billions of users and making
Jacqueline M. Drew is
based at the School of
Criminology and Criminal
Justice, Griffith University
Arts Education and Law,
Mount Gravatt,
Queensland, Australia.
Received 3 December 2019
Revised 17 December 2019
Accepted 17 December 2019
The author thanks to Associate
Professor Michael Townsley for
his feedback and Kelsey
Pruden for her assistance in
data collection.
Funding: Funding for this
research was provided by
Griffith Criminology Institute,
Griffith University.
DOI 10.1108/JCRPP-12-2019-0070 VOL. 6 NO. 1 2020, pp. 17-33, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2056-3841 jJOURNAL OF CRIMINOLOGICAL RESEARCH, POLICY AND PRACTICE jPAGE 17
them potential targets (Neal and House of Representatives Committee on Communications,
2010). Facebook alone, just one online social platform, engages more than two billion
people and sees more than 100 billion messages shared each day by users across the
globe (Facebook, 2019). Clough (2015) states that given the increased use of technology,
particularly social media, individuals are increasingly exposed to victimisation because of
their online presence, and offenders have access to an almost unlimited pool of potential
victims, with no geographic constraints.
Aiken et al. (2016) state that cybercrime has become more profitable than the global
trade of marijuana, cocaine and heroin combined. These statistics are confronting,
particularly given that it is widely acknowledged that current statistics surrounding cyber
fraud are grossly underestimated, often resulting from underreporting by victims
themselves, and therefore not entirely reflective of the issues we now face (Australian
Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), 2016; Neal and House of
Representatives Committee on Communications, 2010). As an example, in 2016, victim
reported losses reported to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
totalled US$83.5m; however, when combining data across reporting agencies, including
the cyber reporting network and law enforcement data, losses added to almost US$300m
(Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), 2017). Further, it is
important to acknowledge that financial harm does not capture the significant and
devastating psychological and emotional impact of cybervictimisation (Leukfeldt, 2018;
Modic and Anderson, 2015).
Traditional approaches to combatting crime are fraught with difficulties in the inter-
connected world of technology in which we now live. Law enforcement agencies, who
have the primary mandate for crime control and play an important role in crime
prevention, work largely in a context of identifying and apprehending offenders. The
modus operandi of cybercriminals often renders traditional policing approaches
ineffective. The anonymity that the internet provides to offenders, the geographic
dispersion of offenders and victims and with offenders typically located outside of the
jurisdiction in which victimisation takes place and in turn, outside the jurisdictional reach
of local law enforcement, makes cybercrime a challenging problem for law enforcement
(Button et al., 2011;Webster and Drew, 2017). As such, there is strong and urgent need
to devise different ways to combat cybercrime and move much more towards a crime
prevention focus that seeks to prevent victimisation from occurring, constituting a
primary crime prevention approach.
Sarre et al. (2018) conclude that education is one of the best responses to cybercrime,
specifically education of those who are vulnerable to victimisation. It is argued in this paper
further understanding of crime prevention approaches that focus on self-protection by
potential victims, reducing opportunities for crime is needed (Cornish and Clarke, 2003).
There is still much to understood about online victimisation risk and crime prevention in the
online context to develop evidence-based, effective and impactful cybercrime prevention
initiatives (Drew and Farrell,2018;Grabosky, 2001;Reyns, 2010).
The purpose of the current research is to contribute to the limited evidence base that
currently exists to guide those who seek to develop effective cybercrime prevention
programmes for potential victims. The current study seeks to better understand the use of
cybercrime prevention strategies and previous victimisation, perceived prevalence of
cybercrime and perceived harm resulting from cybercrime victimisation. By understanding
what factors are associated with an individual’s decision to use self-protective crime
prevention behaviours in the online environment, we can start to understand the levers that
may be most useful to integrate in the design of crime prevention initiatives and
programmes. This will allow us to actively support individuals to better protect themselves
from cybercrime victimisation.
PAGE 18 jJOURNAL OF CRIMINOLOGICAL RESEARCH,POLICY AND PRACTICE jVOL. 6 NO. 1 2020

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