Experiences of Online Rental Scam Victimisation in the University of Edinburgh Student Population (P048)

• In Event: Poster session

Abstract

In this paper we investigate the issue of ‘online rental scam victimisation’ in the context of the student population of the University of Edinburgh. We define this as the fraudulent extraction of funds from people navigating the online rental market. Although, a report by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales, recognised this as an ‘emerging’ type of fraud as early as 2013, the reality is that a decade later there is still a considerable lack of insight and research on the different aspects of this issue. As far as the specific geographical context of our research project is concerned, namely Edinburgh, Scotland, there has been a number of reported instances of online rental scam victimisation of students. So far, there has been no research that has collated these stories or quantified the frequency of this form of victimisation, and as such we are yet unaware of the full scale of this issue.

Therefore, this research aims to produce data on the prevalence of this type of victimisation among the student population of the University of Edinburgh. Further, we seek to understand how victims, including near-victims, respond to this type of victimisation, such as the actions in the aftermath of the being victimised (e.g. reporting to the police, seeking support etc.) and the practical and emotional consequences they suffer as a result. We have adopted a mixed methods approach, which consists of an online questionnaire disseminated to the student population of the University of Edinburgh and three focus groups, where students who have been victimised or targeted as prospective victims of an online rental scam have been invited to share their experiences. The findings could help current and prospective students learn about how to identify the early signs of an online rental scam and better protect themselves against becoming victims.

Authors

• Oana Petcu, University of Glasgow & University of Edinburgh

• Leo Kritikos, University of Edinburgh

• Daniela Andrea Mardones Bravo, University of Edinburgh