Routine activities and consumer fraud victimization

Findings from a social survey in Chiba Prefecture, Japan

Bibliographic Data

ID12884151
AuthorsAi Suzuki (0000-0001-9131-1880, Fukushima University, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume26
Issue4
Pages373-384
Publication date2024-10-15
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCrime Prevention and Community Safety (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1743-4629 • E-ISSN: 1460-3780
PublisherPalgrave Macmillan (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1057/s41300-024-00219-2
OpenAlexW4403441704
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited27

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

Business · Civil disorder · Crime prevention · Criminology · Domestic violence · Environmental health · Fear of crime · Poison control · Suicide prevention · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Cybercrime and Law Enforcement Studies · Medicine · Psychology · Spam and Phishing Detection

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access