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(Mis)Understanding the Impact of Online Fraud: Implications for Victim Assistance Schemes

Cross, Cassandra (2018) — Victims & Offenders

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DOI: 10.1080/15564886.2018.1474154 (opens in a new tab)

Type:   Journal Article
Country:   Australia
Tags:   Australia, Domestic Violence, Financial Loss, Online Fraud, Psychological Harm, Romance Scams, Victim Assistance, Victim Vulnerability
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Synopsis

            
The article by Cassandra Cross examines how online fraud causes harms that extend well beyond financial loss and argues for a reconsideration of who is eligible for victim assistance schemes in Australia. Using online fraud as a case study, Cross draws on narratives from 80 victims who lost at least AU$10,000, gathered through semi-structured interviews as part of a broader project. The study shows that victims often experience declines in physical and mental health, relationship breakdowns, unemployment, and other long‑term consequences, including suicidal ideation in extreme cases. The author emphasizes that current victim assistance programs typically distinguish eligibility by whether the crime was violent, excluding many online fraud victims from support. The article also highlights the complexity of online fraud victimization, noting that many victims have histories of prior victimization and that fraud can interact with ongoing abuse and trauma. In particular, the research documents cases where romance fraud victims faced abusive dynamics, manipulation, verbal aggression, and even blackmail, illustrating how online fraud can compound previous harms and create new vulnerabilities. Cross argues that these patterns of harm indicate the need for access to financial and supportive services that address overall well‑being, rather than limiting eligibility to victims of violent offenses. In terms of implications, the paper advocates shifting eligibility criteria away from an arbitrary violent/nonviolent distinction toward a harms‑based understanding of crime impact. This would potentially broaden access to counseling, medical care, and financial assistance for online fraud victims and their families. The author also discusses practical considerations for implementation and acknowledges limitations related to reporting practices and jurisdictional variation in Australia. The conclusion calls for policy reform to recognize online fraud victims as legitimate recipients of victim support.

          

        
                  

            
Identified Gaps

            
The paper identifies no prior critical examination of whether the changing nature and severe impacts of online fraud require victim-assistance schemes to move beyond a violence-based eligibility criterion. It also identifies limited research on online fraud types and calls for more examination of links between prior domestic or sexual violence and romance-fraud vulnerability.

          

        
                  

            
Methods

            
The article analyzes semistructured qualitative interviews with 80 Australian online-fraud victims who each lost at least AU$10,000. Participants were recruited through ACCC Scamwatch reports from five major cities. Interviews were transcribed or documented in detailed notes and coded in NVivo 11 using both axial and open coding, combining deductive and inductive analysis. Approximately one third of the sample experienced romance fraud, one third investment fraud, and one third other or mixed schemes.

          

        
                  

            
Limitations

            
The sample was limited to reported Scamwatch victims with losses of at least AU$10,000, concentrated in five large cities, and had a 5% participation response rate. The author does not claim it represents all online-fraud victims. Some interviews were conducted by telephone, and some could not be recorded, requiring handwritten notes. Findings therefore primarily illuminate high-loss, reporting victims rather than prevalence or causal relationships in the broader victim population.

          

        
                  

            
Future Work

            
Further research is needed to examine the relationship between prior domestic violence and sexual assault and online fraud victimization, particularly romance fraud. The paper also indicates a need to consider how victim-participation provisions in assistance legislation should be interpreted for online fraud victims so that self-blame and victim-blaming do not obstruct access to support.

          

              

    
    

        
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