Older adults are vulnerable to several forms of cybercrime, particularly financial fraud. However, efforts to promote risk reducing behaviors among this vulnerable population have been limited. Moreover, the lack of behavioral focused risk-reduction materials has contributed to an increasing victimization risk amongst this high-risk population. To address this gap, this article outlines a curriculum and guidelines for conducting a speaker series targeted at older adults. Specifically, this article details a cyber hygiene training speaker series conducted at an assisted living facility located in large city in the Midwest. Feedback and developments from this speaker series are discussed in light of future research and policy, with careful consideration to resolving the challenges faced during the series. 

Contact for Project: Rachel Van Etten (vanettre@mail.uc.edu)

Today’s youth are growing up in a time with unprecedented access to media and the digital space, leading to the potential for cyberbullying victimization. Cyberbullying victimization may have a greater impact than traditional bullying on the lives of adolescents and may cause significant social disruption in the lives of those victimized. Using data from the 2022 NCVS: School Crime Supplement, this study assessed whether or not cyberbullying victims experience immediate social disruption, the differences in the rate of cyberbullying victimization by gender, and whether or not there are significant differences in the level of disruption experienced should disruption be experienced at all. Results showed that adolescent girls are at a greater risk of cyberbullying victimization and greater risk of experiencing social disruption than adolescent boys. Further, social disruption as a result of cyberbullying victimization is significantly higher for adolescent girls than it is for adolescent boys. Findings indicate a need for gendered interventions and response to cyberbullying victimization. 

Contact for Project: Rachel Corsello (corselrm@mail.uc.edu)

Coming soon

Summary: The cyber hygiene attitudes and adoption project seeks to understand how individuals engage in cyber  hygiene and their willingness to adopt cyber hygiene best practices. Specifically using Lucid Theorem opt-in survey sample will be collected and used as the data for this project. 

Contact for Project: Timothy Engle (englety@mail.uc.edu)

Summary: While crime mapping has proven fruitful in the analysis of geospatial patterns of crime in the United States, few works have sought to examine whether geospatial patterns emerge for cyber-enabled crimes which do not require convergence between victims and offenders. The current study uses open source fraud reporting data to map and geospatially analyze patterns in fraud, including mapping victim locations by specific fraud types, mapping offender locations, and considering the distance between parties. In so doing, the study aims to provide a clearer understanding of whether geospatial patterns emerge for largely online forms of crime, to potentially inform targeted interventions where populations most at risk to specific forms of victimization may be most affected. 

Contact for Project: Cooper Maher (Maherco2@msu.edu)

Summary: Incels, men who self-identity as involuntarily celibate, use various strategies to ostensibly improve their appearance to a suitable female mate, known as looksmaxxing. The current study reviews an online forum for incels to identify these strategies and develop a dictionary for their unique vocabulary. Through summative content analysis, numerous themes are identified to describe the preparation for, opinions of, and experiences with looksmaxxing that may resemble self-harm behaviors. This exploratory analysis includes descriptive statistics and multivariable regression analyses of users’ non-identifiable information including self-rating systems, frequency of posting, use of hate speech, banned status, and use of incel vocabulary terms and phrasing that may predict harming behavior.  

Contact for Project: Kaylin Coe (coeka@mail.uc.edu)

Summary: This study evaluates the nationwide prevalence of cybercrime resources offered by police departments using data from the 2020 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey. The LEMAS data indicate whether agencies have a specialized cybercrime unit, designated personnel addressing cybercrime, or handle cybercrime informally. To assess the accessibility of cybercrime resources, we are conducting a review of agency websites to determine whether the cybercrime services they report maintaining are explicitly available to the public. Additionally, we will compare the prevalence of cybercrime personnel in the 2020 LEMAS data to prior research to examine trends in law enforcement’s approach to cybercrime over time. Findings from this study will provide insight into the extent to which law enforcement agencies publicly communicate their cybercrime resources and whether agencies are increasingly formalizing their response to cybercrime. 

Contact for Project: Matt McGrath (mcgratm2@mail.uc.edu)

Summary: The purpose of this project is to engage in an approximate replication and expansion of Sellin and Wolfgang's (1964) index of crime seriousness. Specifically, this project seeks to recreate the famous index with the inclusion of an extensive list of cybercrimes in the context of a Type 1 UCR offenses in order to better understand how the general public views cybercrime. 

Contact for Project: Timothy Engle (englety@mail.uc.edu)

Coming Soon

Contact for Project: Max Manz (manzmt@mail.uc.edu)