An exploratory profiling study of online auction fraudsters

Abstract

Online auctions are one of the most popular e-commerce applications. With the growth of online auctions, the amount of online auction fraud has increased significantly. Little work has focused on the criminal profiling of online auction fraudsters. This exploratory study uses multi-variate behavioral analysis to profile 61 online auction fraud offenders based on their behavior. The relationships between offender behavior and personal characteristics are also examined. The results yield a taxonomy of online auction fraud offenders: (i) novice-moderately-active; (ii) intermediate-inactive; and (iii) experienced-active. Discriminant analysis of the personal characteristics of offenders yields 78.6% accurate identification of the offender type. The results demonstrate that (intrinsic) personal motivation, education level and age are the most significant characteristics of experienced-active offenders.