This study addresses the impact of countermeasures in the control and prevention of online fraud in Saudi Arabia and the influence of the environmental context. Combatting online fraud is facilitated when the public is fully educated and is aware of its types and of the prevention methods available. People are reliant on the Internet; the possibility of being breached by hackers and fraudsters is growing, especially as socialising, online shopping and banking are carried out through personal computers or mobile devices. Online fraud has been described as an epidemic that has spread to most online activities. Its prevalence has been noted to be in regions where there is high adoption of e-commerce, and, along with it, large online financial transactions. The argument is therefore the measures taken are either are inadequate or have failed to effectively address all the issues because of the organisational and environmental context of the country. This research aims to examine online fraud perceptions and the countermeasures designed and used by financial institutions in Saudi Arabia to control and prevent online fraud in its environmental context, to examine the effectiveness/impact of the countermeasures and to examine the factors that may affect/influence the impact of the countermeasures. The qualitative method approach was chosen to ensure balanced coverage of the subject matter. The nature of the research requires a broader, in-depth, examination of the experiences of the participants from their own perspective. Meanwhile levels of awareness are low, because of lack of knowledge and training, a lack of government sensitisation and the religious inclinations of the population. The findings also confirm the efforts of organisations to put in place countermeasures using various technological means, coupled with procedural controls and checks. The measures create obstacles to most customers, who find it cumbersome to engage in online activities because of those procedures and checks. The findings also show two types of regulations: government and organisational rules, with different foci and purposes, which are mostly centred on the monitoring of Internet operations and operational guidelines. The enforcement of rules in the light of prosecuting offenders has also been minimal and passive. The countermeasures of most banks/organisations mostly focus on prevention and detection. However, the findings suggest that the activities in each component and their interrelationships have a collective impact on combatting online fraud. The success of any effort or approach to combat fraudulent activities therefore depends on the activities of the four countermeasure components.

Frauds conducted online are crimes that are and has been increasing in numbers over the last years. Government reports shows that this is the case in Sweden as well as internationally. As of today the Swedish legal systems lacks a definition and categorization approach for online frauds. This thesis aims at developing such definition and a classification scheme that can be used to classify online frauds. Further, this thesis suggests and evaluates a defense mechanism for use in arenas were online frauds are executed. The results bring a definition and classification scheme that has been developed in cooperation with the Swedish police and validated with a judge from a Swedish court. The evaluation of the suggested defense mechanism indicates that our suggested defense mechanism has the potential to make internet users less susceptible to online fraud attacks.

<p>Cybercrime and online scams are rampant in today’s tech-savvy world. In the past, scammers relied heavily on emails to contact potential victims but today, the presence and widespread usage of social networking platforms and e-commerce businesses has increased the availability of potential victims and made them easily accessible. It could be assumed that since unsuspecting users seek various products or services online - rentals, booking trips, seeking jobs, dating, it makes them easy targets for scammers yet, it is not just individual users who suffer from fraud, but organizations and institutions as well. A study at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Research found that cybercrime costs the global economy up to approximately 540 billion euros annually. There is plenty of research on the technical measures that individuals and organizations may take to prevent themselves from falling prey to fraudsters, however, research trends in the recent past have shifted towards analyzing the human element present in the scenarios. Researchers have argued that identifying the underlying psychological and sociological factors used by fraudsters could help tackle the very root cause of such fraudulent attacks. While there exists some research focusing on the experiences and psychology of victims of these attacks as well as the countermeasures that can be taken to protect them from such attacks, there is little research on the psychology and motivation of those who commit online fraud. This study aims to identify the psychological factors that affect the predilection of scammers to commit online fraud.</p>

Denna uppsats undersöker unga individers perspektiv på brottsförebyggande kampanjer mot bedrägerier, med fokus på Myndigheten för samhällsskydd och beredskap- och Polismyndighetens kampanj Tänk Säkert. Undersökningen inspirerades av polisområde Malmö och syftar till att identifiera kunskapsbrister hos unga om onlinebedrägerier samt att utvärdera effektiva metoder och kanaler för att sprida kampanjens budskap. En digital enkät användes för datainsamling. Resultaten visar att de flesta respondenter har viss kunskap om varningssignaler och tillvägagångssätt för bedrägeri. Tidigare bedrägerioffer har dock lägre självförtroende när det gäller att känna igen varningssignaler och tillvägagångssätt för bedrägeri, vilket påverkar deras kunskapsnivå negativt. Den individuella faktorn boendemiljön visar sig ha minst påverkan på deras kunskapsnivå. Utifrån resultatet går det inte att uttala sig om kampanjen Tänk Säkert är en effektiv brottsförebyggande åtgärd, enbart att den nått ut till få individer. För framtida kampanjer rekommenderas det att öka räckvidden, särskilt eftersom unga är en sårbar grupp för onlinebedrägerier och uppvisar kunskapsbrister inom området. / This thesis examines young individuals’ perspectives on crime prevention campaigns against fraud, focusing on the Think Safe campaign by The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency and The Swedish Police Authority. The study, inspired by the Malmö Police District, aims to identify knowledge gaps among young people regarding online fraud and evaluate effective methods and channels for disseminating the campaign’s message. A digital survey was used for data collection. The results show that most respondents have some knowledge of fraud warning signs and methods. However, previous fraud victims have lower confidence in recognizing warning signs and methods of fraud, which negatively affects their knowledge levels. The individual factor ‘the living environment’ appears to have the least impact on their level of knowledge. Based on the results, it is not possible to conclude whether the Think Safe campaign is an effective crime prevention measure, only that it has reached very few individuals. For future campaigns, it is recommended to increase the campaign’s reach, especially since young people are a vulnerable group for online fraud and exhibit knowledge gaps in this area.