Skip to main content

Meeting the Challenges of Fraud in a Digital World

Cross, Cassandra (2022) — The Handbook of Security

View Original Source (opens in a new tab)

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-91735-7_11 (opens in a new tab)

Type:   Journal Article
Country:   Global
Tags:   Cross Border Policing, Digital Fraud, Prevention, Psychological Abuse, Romance Scams, Social Engineering, Victim Support, Victim Vulnerability
Citation tools
Download RIS Download BibTeX 


              
              

            

          

        


      

      

    

        
Transparency

        
Evidence and review status

        
This page contains AI-generated content. No human content review or subject-matter-expert review is recorded.

    


    

                    

                
Source basis

                

                    Downloaded PDF
                

            

                    

                
AI-generated page content

                

                    Yes
                

            

                    

                
Automated checks

                

                    Passed
                

            

                    

                
Administrative approval

                

                    Yes
                

            

                    

                
Human content review

                

                    Not recorded
                

            

                    

                
Subject-matter-expert review

                

                    Not recorded
                

            

            


    

        
            How this was prepared
        
        

                            

                    
Source basis

                    

                    
RSRC downloaded and privately stored a copy of the paper for internal analysis. The PDF is not offered to viewers from this page.


                                            
    
                                                            
  • 
                                    PDF added to RSRC:
                                    
                                
    • 
                                                    

                    
                                        

                

                            

                    
AI-generated page content

                    

                    
AI-generated research notes displayed on this page: Synopsis, Identified gaps, Methods, Limitations, Future work. The paper itself is not described as AI-generated.


                                            
    
                                                            
  • 
                                    Document analysis recorded:
                                    
                                
    • 
                                                            
  • 
                                    Synopsis generation recorded:
                                    
                                
    • 
                                                            
  • 
                                    Page record updated:
                                    
                                
    • 
                                                    

                    
                                        

                

                            

                    
Automated checks

                    

                    
The current, source-bound synopsis passed the recorded versioned publication checks.


                                            
    
                                                            
  • 
                                    Checks completed:
                                    
                                
    • 
                                                    

                    
                                            

                            
                                View passed checks (3)
                            
                            
    
                                                                    
  • Length, completeness, repetition, refusal, boilerplate, and active-markup screening
    • 
                                                                    
  • Numerical claims checked against the available source text
    • 
                                                                    
  • English-source lexical grounding check
    • 
                                                            

                        

                                        

                

                            

                    
Administrative approval

                    

                    
An authenticated administrator approved the bibliographic record for public Library display. This is not a review of every research claim.


                                            
    
                                                            
  • 
                                    Approved for public display:
                                    
                                
    • 
                                                    

                    
                                        

                

                            

                    
Human content review

                    

                    
No human review is recorded for the AI-generated content displayed on this page.


                    
                                        

                

                            

                    
Subject-matter-expert review

                    

                    
RSRC has not recorded review of this content by a subject-matter or methods expert.


                    
                                        

                

                    

    


    

        Review-state definitions

        Found a possible error?
        Request a correction.
    



    



              

        
                  

            
Synopsis

            
The publication surveys fraud in the digital era, foregrounding how technology and online environments have expanded both the reach and complexity of offending. It frames fraud as a cyber-enabled, cross-channel phenomenon that blends online and offline techniques, with offenders leveraging multiple communication platforms (email, social media, text, phone, in person) to deceive victims. The chapter’s purpose is to summarize what is known about fraud, including its categories, how it is perpetrated, who is vulnerable, and how policing, prevention, and victim support operate today. It emphasizes that despite long-standing recognition of fraud, the online context has created new challenges for law enforcement, policy makers, and service providers, underscoring the need to rethink current practices. The work highlights several prevalent fraud categories, including advance fee fraud, romance fraud, and business email compromise, and it explains common techniques such as social engineering and psychological abuse that exploit human vulnerabilities. It discusses who is vulnerable, noting that there is no universal victim profile and that risk can shift with life circumstances, age, and other factors. The analysis also covers harms beyond financial losses, including physical safety, emotional well-being, relationships, and reputation, and it addresses gaps in policing and victim support. Finally, it reviews prevention and response efforts, arguing for messaging that centers on the act of requesting money or information, rather than enumerating every possible scam, and it describes emerging support programs for fraud victims in several countries. The chapter notes ongoing challenges and the need for stronger evaluation, coordination, and resource allocation to reduce victimization and improve recovery.

          

        
                  

            
Identified Gaps

            
The chapter identifies a paucity of evaluated fraud-prevention interventions despite the growing global fraud problem. It also describes inconsistent public prevention messaging, insufficient knowledge of fraud-specific banking red flags, and a global shortage of services supporting fraud victims' recovery. Evidence on whether older adults are more susceptible to fraud is mixed, although vulnerability may differ by fraud type.

          

        
                  

            
Methods

            
Narrative handbook chapter synthesizing cited research, official fraud-loss reports, and examples of policing, prevention, and victim-support programs. It reviews fraud categories, offender tactics, victim vulnerability, harms, policing barriers, prevention, and support. Romance-fraud-specific claims draw on prior studies, including a cited analysis of 21 victim narratives.

          

        
                  

            
Limitations

            
This is a broad, descriptive synthesis rather than a new empirical study. It does not report a systematic search, selection criteria, quality appraisal, or original data collection. Romance fraud is one category within a wider fraud review, so its claims are mainly based on cited prior research rather than detailed primary evidence in this chapter.

          

        
                  

            
Future Work

            
Develop and rigorously evaluate fraud-prevention programs using robust measures of effectiveness. Test prevention messages that focus on requests for money or personal information rather than changing scam plotlines. Improve banks' understanding of victimization and identify transaction red flags relevant to authorized fraud transfers. Expand and resource victim-support services and staff training.

          

              

    
    

        
Related Research Insights

        

            See how this publication connects to RSRC's living evidence syntheses through current citations and research-topic mapping.