Fraud on the Socials: Exploring Young people’s Understandings and Experiences of Online Fraud and the Implications for Policy and Practice

Findings from focus groups conducted as part of our current Dawes-funded research on Tackling Online Fraud suggest that online fraud or ‘scams’ are widespread among young people (aged 18-25), almost ‘normalised’, with some participants indicating that exposure to fraud started at a young age, commonly in the context of gaming and via social media platforms. Survey findings from the same project demonstrate that young adults (18-24) experienced a higher victimisation rate than any other age group in England and Wales and nearly a third (32%) of young adults reported being a victim of fraud in the last 12-months. Despite this significant presence of young people in the online fraud problem, there remains a paucity of research that focuses on how online fraud is understood and experienced by young people. The issue of fraud and young people has either been missed or does not get the attention it deserves in national legislation or strategy.

This study aims to explore how young people variously understand and experience online fraud, focusing particularly on social media and online gaming platforms as spaces within which young people spend much of their leisure time and undertake a considerable proportion of their socialising. Reflecting the heterogeneity of young people’s understandings, perceptions and experiences of the risks of and opportunities for fraud, this study aims to provide insight into what kind of prevention and protection messages will have the greatest resonance with young people’s lived experiences.

The project has two main aims:

1. To explore the extent and nature of young people’s exposure to fraud – as potential victims and perpetrators – via social media and gaming platforms, and the associated harms.
2. To identify ways of supporting young people to navigate risks of online fraud on these platforms.

To achieve these aims we will be undertaking:

• A context and policy review
• Focus groups and interviews with young people and 
• Engagement with experts working in this space. 

The project is being undertaken by ICPR and consultant Dr Mike Skidmore from The Police Foundation