Overconfidence, overliteracy. Online IDentity Theft stigma on the expert users

Progress and digital transformation of the society have provided criminals with new opportunities to obtain and misuse personal identity information. The emer-gence and spread of online identity theft (OIDT) is an example of this. Very little is known about the profile, needs and experiences of people whose identity informa-tion has been compromised or misused. OIDT European victims often do not re-port the crime. But the negative experience hides important resistance in psycho-social perception. With the aim of analysing the impact of OIDT in different Euro-pean countries, but also to profile victims, this article will show how: (1) OIDT af-fects also expert users; (2) the OIDT-related stigma creates a "constructed" fragili-ty in these victims; (3) the higher the degree of confidence and digital literacy, the bigger the perception of stigma and the fear experiencing a secondary victimisa-tion.