NCJ Number
227085
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 36 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2009 Pages: 369-384
Date Published
April 2009
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This study examined the antecedents of online consumers' estimates of the risk of credit card theft victimization and whether risk perceptions were empirically linked to online lifestyles.
Abstract
Results found that socially vulnerable respondents, especially those reporting lower levels of socioeconomic status, perceived higher levels of risk. These risk perceptions were associated with online behaviors that reduced the potential likelihood of online theft victimization such as making fewer purchases and spending less time online. These findings are consistent with extant research examining the determinants of risk judgments and subsequent behavioral adaptations in violent and property crime contexts. The results speak to the ability of the risk interpretation model to explain subjective victimization likelihood and avoidance-oriented, risk-reduction behaviors in cyberspace. Also found was that financially impulsive people, relative to less impulsive Internet users, judged their risk of online credit card theft to be quite high; impulsive individuals do not constrain their behavior in ways that could limit their exposure to online fraud victimization. Data were collected from 1,000 adults in the State of Florida using telephone interviews. Tables, figure, notes, and references