Assessing the seriousness of cybercrime: The case of computer misuse crime in the United Kingdom and the victims’ perspective

Abstract

The reform of the Crime Survey of England and Wales (a national victim survey) has exposed a very high number of individuals who fall victim to computer misuse cybercrimes such as hacking, computer viruses and ransomware. These crimes receive very little attention from the criminal justice system and very few are brought to justice, partly because of the nature of them (global crimes), but also because of a lack of capability among the police. This paper draws on official statistics, an empirical survey and interview research with computer misuse victims. The paper juxtaposes the low priority and lack of resources given to this crime by political and police leaders against many victims’ perceptions and experiences of the crime as equivalent if not more serious than physical counterparts such as burglary, where there is greater interest. The increasing prominence of the virtual world in human life and the impacts of these crimes call for a reappraisal of the official assessment of seriousness in order to raise the priority and increase the capacity of criminal justice towards such offences.

Understanding cybercrime in ‘real world’ policing and law enforcement

“…Means of exploitation include social engineering and trickery, manipulation of decision-making processes through perceived urgency or authority and utilisation of predictable habits relating to website use, downloads, password use and social or professional networking (Nurse, 2019). Victims may, therefore, blame themselves or experience blame from others, in addition to potentially devastating consequences such as financial loss or damage to reputation and career (Button, 2020). Most victims of cybercrime report being affected emotionally, ranging from annoyance to depression, insomnia, anxiety and panic attacks (ONS, 2020).…”

“…Each year, a higher percentage of cyber fraud victims report emotional effects than non-cyber fraud victims (ONS, 2020). Victims of cybercrime can suffer lasting psychological and emotional effects including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), with associated impacts on physical health (Button et al, 2020;Cross et al, 2016;Jansen and Leukfeldt, 2018;Kirwan and Power, 2013). Victims may also feel ashamed or violated by an invasion of their privacy or experience the breakdown of relationships following financial loss, leaked information, sextortion 1 or romance scams (Cross et al, 2016;Nurse, 2019).…”

“…Whilst most internet users report fear of cybercrime, the importance of information security and concerns over privacy, only a minority of users translate these into preventative behaviours, even following victimisation (Button et al, 2020). This discrepancy between privacy attitudes and behaviours is known as the 'privacy paradox' (Barnes, 2006;Gerber et al, 2018).…”

Crime, Justice and Media: Debating (Mis)representations and Renewed Challenges

“…Assim, a vitimização é um tema que requer especial atenção e investigação, pois é inegável que infratores têm explorado a internet. Finalmente, as vítimas precisam de se sentir seguras para denunciar um crime, o que só acontecerá se os casos forem tratados com seriedade, prevenindo mais vitimização e potenciais questões de saúde mental; considerando que, em um mundo pós-pandémico, a maioria das pessoas precisa de passar tempo online, isto já não é opcional (Button et al, 2022).…”

Towards Artificial Intelligence-Based Cybersecurity: The Practices and ChatGPT Generated Ways to Combat Cybercrime

“…In recent years, cybercrime has become one of the most crucial points circulated between companies, organizations, and individuals, which is considered one of the most serious crimes [1] [2]. These crimes pursue to steal data and change the course of computers by manipulating systems and changing protection programs.…”