Knowledge and Protective Practices of Female Facebook Users Against Love Scams in Malaysia

This study examines what Malaysian women who use Facebook know about love scams and how they protect themselves online. The authors describe love scams as fraudulent romantic schemes used to induce financial or sexual exploitation, and they focus on female Facebook users in Malaysia. A quantitative approach was used, distributing questionnaires to a purposive sample of 609 women. The researchers assessed two domains: knowledge of love scams and protective practices, reporting that most respondents demonstrated high levels in both areas. Analyses indicate a positive and statistically significant relationship between knowledge and protective practices (Pearson r = 0.30, p < 0.05). The study also reports subgroup differences. There were no significant differences in knowledge or protective practices between women who had personally been victims of love scams and those who had not. However, there were significant differences when comparing respondents who had a close family member, friend, or colleague who had been a victim with those without such a history: those with a close contact who had been a victim scored higher on both knowledge and protective practices. Additional descriptive findings describe the emphases of respondents’ knowledge and practices, such as recognizing scams and avoiding sharing sensitive information or funds with unknown or recently acquainted online contacts. The authors suggest that these findings can serve as benchmarks for measuring and monitoring knowledge and protective behavior among female social media users in Malaysia. They imply that heightened awareness and careful online conduct contribute to protective practices, though the study does not present causal conclusions or broad generalizations beyond the sample.