The psychology of internet fraud victimisation: A systematic review
Open accessAbstract
Existing theories of fraud provide some insight into how criminals target and exploit people in the online environment; whilst reference to psychological explanations is common, the actual use of established behavioural theories and/or methods in these studies is often limited. In particular, there is less understanding of why certain people/demographics are likely to respond to fraudulent communications. This systematic review will provide a timely synthesis of the leading psychologically based literature to establish the key theories and empirical research that promise to impact on anti-fraud policies and campaigns. Relevant databases and websites were searched using terms related to psychology and fraud victimisation. A total of 44 papers were extracted and 34 included in the final analysis. The studies range in their scope and methods; overall, three main factors were identified: message ( n = 6), experiential ( n = 7), and dispositional ( n = 21), although there was some overlap between these (for example, mapping message factors onto the dispositional traits of the victim). Despite a growing body of research, the total number of studies able to identify specific psychological processes associated with increased susceptibility to online fraud victimisation was limited. Messages are targeted to appeal to specific psychological vulnerabilities, the most successful linking message with human factors, for example, time-limited communications designed to enact peripheral rather than central information processing. Suggestions for future research and practical interventions are discussed.
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Existing reviews highlight that empirical evidence of post-victimization mental health and psychosocial sequelae is fragmented across disciplines and heterogeneous in study design, populations, and outcome measures.
“Existing reviews highlight that, although psychological harm is frequently acknowledged, empirical evidence of post-victimization mental health and psychosocial sequelae is fragmented across disciplines and heterogeneous in study design, populations, and outcome measures”
From Mental health and psychosocial sequelae of fraud victimization: a systematic review (2026) · cites this paper as Norris et al., 2019
The Meta-analysis section (page unavailable) says the reviewed studies had diverse theoretical backgrounds and unrelated outcome measures; the study summary also shows varied samples and methods. But the Methodology section says the review focuses on responses to fraudulent communications and mechanisms of victimisation, not post-victimisation mental health or psychosocial sequelae. The cited review therefore supports heterogeneity in a related literature, not the claim about evidence of subsequent harm. (LLM, conf=0.84)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredWith few exceptions, most studies only apply quantitative methodologies in the study of financial scams against older people, thus missing victims' narratives and interpretations of needs and reasons for not reporting.
“With few notable exceptions (Cross et al. 2016; Kopp et al. 2015), most studies only apply quantitative methodologies in the study of financial scams against older people, thus missing the victims' narratives and interpretations of needs as well as the reasons given for not reporting (for example, Li et al. 2022; Zhang and Ye 2022; for a systematic review see Norris et al. 2019).”
From “If We Don’t Listen to Them, We Make Them Lose More than Money:” Exploring Reasons for Underreporting and the Needs of Older Scam Victims (2023) · cites this paper as Norris et al. 2019
The review’s summary tables list many surveys and experiments alongside a few qualitative approaches, supporting a predominance of quantitative methods among the online-fraud studies it reviewed. But its focus is not specifically financial scams against older people, and it does not establish that these methods miss victims’ narratives or interpretations of needs. The Previous Reviews section also discusses possible reasons older victims do not report, including self-blame and limited social networks. (LLM, conf=0.82)
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- Authors
- Norris, G., Brookes, A., & Dowell, D.
- Affiliations
- Aberystwyth University (GB)
- University of St Andrews (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Norris, Gareth
- Venue
- Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology
- Published
- 2019-07-02
- Volume
- 34
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 231-245
- ISSN
- 0882-0783 (ISSN-L)
- 1936-6469
- OpenAlex
- W2954029188
- Cited by
- 143
- References
- 54
- Citations by year
- 2026: 36 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 2
- FWCI
- 2.01
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- St Andrews Research Repository (St Andrews Research Repository) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- Aberystwyth University
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Information Systems › Cybercrime and Law Enforcement Studies
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Information Systems › Spam and Phishing Detection
- Social Sciences › Law › Criminal Justice and Penology
- Keywords
- online fraud, psychological vulnerability, dispositional factors, experiential factors, information processing
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