Human Factors Leading to Online Fraud Victimisation: Literature Review and Exploring the Role of Personality Traits

Human Factors Leading to Online Fraud Victimisation: Literature Review and Exploring the Role of Personality Traits

Jildau Borwell (The National Police of the Netherlands, The Netherlands), Jurjen Jansen (Open University of the Netherlands, The Netherlands & NHL University of Applied Sciences, The Netherlands & Dutch Police Academy, The Netherlands) and Wouter Stol (Open University of the Netherlands, The Netherlands & NHL University of Applied Sciences, The Netherlands & Dutch Police Academy, The Netherlands)
Copyright: © 2018 |Pages: 20
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-4053-3.ch002

Abstract

With the advent of the internet, criminals gained new tools to commit crimes. Crimes in which the use of connected information technologies is essential for the realisation of the offence are defined as cybercrimes. The human factor is often identified as the weakest link in the information security chain, and it is often the behaviour of humans that leads to the success of cybercrimes. In this chapter, end-user characteristics are studied that may predict cybercrime victimisation. This is done by means of a review of the literature and by a study on personality traits. More specifically, personality traits from the big five are tested on victims of three different types of online fraud, phishing, Microsoft fraud, and purchasing fraud, and are compared with norm groups of the Dutch population. This chapter ends with implications for online fraud prevention and possibilities to advance the study of cyber victimisation.
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The Relevance Of The Human Factor In Explaining Cyber Victimisation

The rising threat that cybercrime poses has increased the urgency to gain an understanding of online fraud victimisation (NCSC, 2015). The opportunities that the internet offers are multiplying, and society is increasingly adjusting to the idea that these opportunities should be used (Pratt, Holtfreter, & Reisig, 2010). Moreover, the rise in these options is going hand in hand with a decline in the number of analogue alternatives available (NCSC, 2015). As a consequence, people are becoming more dependent on the internet, which in turn is exacerbating their vulnerability (Choi, 2008; Furnell, Bryant, & Phippen, 2007). If we are to steer future developments in the field of information technology in the right direction when it comes to safety and security, then it is essential that we have a good understanding of online fraud and what makes people fall victim to it. The knowledge emanating from this chapter can help various organisations, like the police, banks and commercial companies, both on- and offline, to arrive at more effective, behaviour-oriented preventive measures.

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