The needs of victims of cybercrimes and the role of mediation

background

With the rise of technology usage, there is also a rise in cybercrime. Research indicates that the consequences of cybercrime for victims are comparable to crimes committed offline. Victims experience feelings of guilt and shame, feel angry and frustrated, experience stress and fear. They also experience loss of control, trust and safety. What is not entirely clear yet, is if victims of cybercrime also experience the same needs.

Some of the needs that victims of offline crimes have, is a need for information from the offender and to come in contact with the offender. Is this also true for victims of cybercrime, since these crimes often involve anonymous offenders. Do victims want to know who the offender is?

Since cybercrime is remote and the offender can even live in a different country, it is often difficult to catch the offender. Even when victims have a need to come in contact with the offender, this is sometimes impossible. What might be a solution here are virtual reality agents. Possibly, by interacting with virtual avatars representing the offenders, might restore victim’s needs.

Research questions

1.      What needs do victims of (different) cybercrimes have?

2.      Are victims of cybercrime willing to participate in mediation and why?

3.      Can VRA’s be used to restore the needs of cybercrime victims?

Type of research

Experimental research.

Key words

Cyber crime, victims, needs, VRA

Information

Please contact Steven Watson (s.j.watson@utwente.nl) when you are interested in this assignment.

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Literature

Boom, A. T., Kuijpers, K. F., & Moene, M. (2008). Behoeften van slachtoffers van delicten: Een systematische literatuurstudie naar behoeften zoals door slachtoffers zelf geuit [Needs of victims: a systematic literature study into the needs as indicated by victims]. WODC

Borwell, J., Jansen, J., & Stol, W. (2021). Comparing the victimization impact of cybercrime and traditional crime: Literature review and future research directions. Journal of Digital Social Research3(3), 85-110.

Freitas, J. R. S., Velosa, V. H. S., Abreu, L. T. N., Jardim, R. L., Santos, J. A. V., Peres, B., & Campos, P. F. (2021). Virtual Reality Exposure Treatment in Phobias: a Systematic Review. Psychiatric Quarterly, 92(4), 1685-1710. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-021-09935-6