Hello, You’ve been hacked: a study of victim notification preferences

ABSTRACT

In the context of identity theft, raising victims’ awareness is crucial to mitigate ensuing fraud. This study employs a two-part approach to evaluate the mode and content preferences for identity theft victimization notifications as well as recipients’ willingness to engage with these notifications. Notably, results underscore young adults’ inclination toward text message notifications featuring legitimizing credentials, signifying authenticity, and fostering rapid responses. Surprisingly, a randomized controlled trial yields a counterintuitive finding: actual identity theft victims display restrained interaction with text-based notifications, regardless of credential presence. The implications of these unexpected patterns guide theory and aid in the development of proactive policy initiatives.

KEYWORDS:

• Cybercrime
• identity theft
• fraud
• victimization

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Notably, ahead of launching this study, we tested this tracking apparatus using a simulated phishing attack. That messaging technique resulted in 18% (n = 57) of the sample clicking on the link (Muniz 2023).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Caitlyn N. Muniz

Caitlyn Muniz, PhD. is an assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at The University of Texas at El Paso. Her research interests center around perceptions of and responses to various types of victimization. Her recent work has been featured in outlets such as Journal of Experimental Criminology, Crime & Delinquency, Criminal Justice & Behavior, and Journal of Criminal Justice.

Taylor Fisher

Taylor Fisher is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Criminology at the University of South Florida. She received a graduate certificate in digital forensics at USF and is a member of the CIBR Lab (the Cybercrime Interdisciplinary Behavioral Research Laboratory). Her research interests include cybersecurity, digital forensics, network forensics, and cybercrime. Her recent work has been featured in Crime & Delinquency, Justice Evaluation Journal, and Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice.

Katelyn Smith

Katelyn Smith is a master’s student in the Department of Criminology at the University of South Florida. In addition, Katie holds a Master’s in Communicology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Her research focuses on technology-facilitated crime, deviant online communities, and theory backed methodologies.

Roan Ali

Roan Ali is an undergraduate student majoring in Information Assurance and Cybersecurity Management at the University of South Florida. She is a member of the Sarasota Cyber Lab, and her research spans a wide spectrum, encompassing various aspects of cybersecurity.

C. Jordan Howell

C. Jordan Howell, PhD. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminology at the University of South Florida. Dr. Howell’s research focuses on the human factor of cybercrime. He employs advanced computer science techniques to gather threat intelligence, which is then used to test social scientific theory, build profiles of active cyber-offenders, plot criminal trajectories, and disrupt the illicit ecosystem enabling cybercrime incidents.

David Maimon

David Maimon, PhD. is an associate professor of criminal justice and criminology at Georgia State University. His research interests include cybercrime, experimental methods, and cybersecurity.