Sociological and Criminological Research of Victimization Issues: Preliminary Stage and New Sphere of Cybercrime Categorization

Objective : to identify the main issues of victimization as a result of cybercrime growth in the world in general and in Nigerian society in particular from the standpoint of sociological approaches, using a Tripartite Cybercrime Framework (TCF), which comprises geopolitical, psychosocial and socioeconomic categories of cybercrime. Methods : the methodology is based on the sociological research method. The data collection included the distribution of a questionnaire among 896 participants from the academic environment, including students and university staff, and the analysis of the responses. The presented data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, with special attention to the issues of gender inequality, socio-economic factors, the impact of educational level on vulnerability to online fraud and victimization as a result of cybercrime through the prism of the ideal victim concept and the socio-economic gap between North and South. Results : the article presents an analysis of the Tripartite Cybercrime Framework. The survey showed that 65.20% of the participants had been victims of cybercrime. There were more men among the victims (64.69%). The authors found patterns in the distribution of cybercrimes. All cybercrimes against the respondent were socio-economic ones, which underlines the high frequency of cybercrime and the relevance of countering it in Nigerian society. Special attention was paid to the issues of gender inequality, socio-economic factors, and the impact of education on vulnerability to cybercrime. The article considers from the viewpoint of the ideal victim concept. The study results provide an idea of the prevalence and distribution of specific types of cybercrime in the socio-economic category among the studied population. Scientific novelty : For the first time, the study uses the Tripartite Cybercrime Framework (TCF) to study victimization as a result of cybercrime in Nigerian society. The research novelty is also due to the fact that the conceptual foundations of countering cybercrime that have developed in the global North are not fully applicable in Nigeria. Practical significance : the results obtained demonstrate the need to apply carefully calibrated gender-based, inclusive and contextual approaches to the development of a national legal policy to combat cybercrime. The results can be used to justify the law-making decisions which are being developed in the field of preventing and countering manifestations of cybercrime, as well as to form the basis for legal measures to protect cybercrime victims.