Cyber Frauds, Scams and Their Victims

Identity fraud perpetration techniques — Redirection or stealing of mail — ‘Jackal’ fraud — Theft of personal information — ‘Dumpster diving’ — ‘Skimming’ and ‘sniffing’ — Social engineering — Trojans, malware and spyware — Hackers — Corruption and incompetence — Darkweb/net — Detection avoidance strategies — ‘Rip and tear’ — Operation from regimes with limited police interest/weak sentencing — Making reporting unlikely — Fraudster networking and the ‘darkweb’ — Conclusion — 4 ‘Not a victimless crime’: the impact of fraud upon victims — Introduction — Impact of crime in general — Psychological impact — Emotional impact — Behavioural impact — Physical impact — Financial impact — The ‘victimless’ crime? — Financial impact — Little or no impact — Psychological impacts — Anger — Stress — Upset — Ridicule and embarrassment — Impact on relationships — Physical and mental health impacts — Suicide (attempts and ideation) — Damaged reputation — Fear of violence and other negative consequences — Change in behaviour — Conclusion — 5 Blaming the victim — Introduction — An introduction to victimology — The ideal victim — The stereotype of online fraud victims — The consequences of the victim-blaming attitude — Conclusion — 6 ‘Forgotten victims’: supporting those who experience fraud — Introduction — Problems with supporting victims: getting support — The needs of fraud victims — A formal response through the criminal justice system or other relevant system — Getting money back and/or compensation — Prevention advice and information — Formal and informal support — Other needs — An ideal response to fraud victims’ needs — Best practice examples from across the world — Action Fraud and Victim Support (UK) — Senior Support Unit (Canada) — Face-to-face support groups (Australia) — Think Jessica (UK)