Cybercrime Victimization
Billy Henson, Bradford W. Reyns, Bonnie Sue Fisher · 2016
The technological evolution experienced over the last few decades has irreversibly changed our daily lives. Thanks to the Internet, it is now easier than ever to access information, communicate, and interact with others. Unfortunately, however, this technological evolution also has helped to spawn a criminal evolution. Criminal offenders now have a new array of tools at their disposal to both help reach potential victims and more efficiently commit their crimes. As a result, cybercrime has become one of the fastest growing crime typologies in the world. In this chapter, we discuss personal cybercrime victimization, which includes many forms of the more serious types of cybercrime victimization (e.g., cyberstalking, online sexual exploitation, etc.). Throughout the chapter, particular attention is given to the prevalence, theoretical explanations, and impact of the various forms of personal cybercrime victimization.