Havers, Benjamin;
(2025)
Developing an Intervention to Protect Older People from Cybercrime.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
Background: As older people spend more time online with digitalisation, they may, due to risk factors including social isolation and poor health, be disproportionally susceptible to cybercrime. I aimed to explore how risk factors vary between age groups, and how older age groups experience cybercrime, to inform the design of protective resources. / Methods: Study 1: I conducted logistic regression analysis of responses from the 2019/20 Crime Survey for England and Wales, investigating risk of cybercrime victimisation and financial loss across age groups and other socio-economic characteristics. Study 2: I interviewed victims aged 60+, their family and stakeholders to explore cybercrime reporting decisions; conducting a reflexive thematic analysis. Study 3: I held stakeholder workshops to develop approaches to increase cybercrime reporting; conducting a framework analysis. / Results: Study 1: Those reporting poor health (OR 1.74, p=0.001), were at greater risk of cybercrime victimisation. Despite being less likely to report any cybercrime in the past year, people aged 75+ were more likely to report financial loss from cybercrime (OR 4.25, p=0.037) and repeat cybercrime victimisation (OR 2.03, p=0.074). Study 2: I identified four themes around reporting experiences including the value of social support. Study 3: I developed five overarching intervention proposals for supporting older adults to avoid or report victimisation, including communications that normalise and decatastrophise cybercrime. / Conclusion: While younger adults are more at risk from cybercrime, older adults reported more severe offences (repeat victimisation and associated financial loss), indicating they may be more reluctant to report less serious offences. This reluctance may stem from shame, past experiences of unhelpful responses, and lack of awareness. Social support from peers and professionals can aid reporting and recovery. Stakeholders proposed strategies, including around training and communications, to increase reporting. These discussions informed ‘Online Porcupine’, a resource for local community organisations to hold interactive cybersecurity sessions.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | Developing an Intervention to Protect Older People from Cybercrime |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2025. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Security and Crime Science UCL |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10212331 |
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