Psychodemographic Factors Predicting Internet Fraud Tendency among Youths in Southwestern, Nigeria

Abstract

Advancement in telecommunications globally within the last two decades has consistently been accompanied with an upsurge in incidences of e-fraud. The objective of this study was to investigate the psychological and demographic factors such as peer influence, materialistic value, impulsivity, self-control, age, sex and highest educational factors as they predict internet fraud tendency among youths that patronise cybercafés in south-western Nigeria. The study utilized a cross-sectional survey with an ex-post facto design, 986 youth internet users from Lagos and Ibadan were purposively sampled to participate in the study.The factors jointly predicted internet fraud tendency among internet users (R2=.23, F(7, 965) = 40.684.76, P<.001). Independently, peer influence and materialistic value (? =-.096, t = -2.97, p<.01; ? =-.396 t =-12.24, p<.001) were significant. In the 23% variation observed in the prediction, peer influence contributed 19.5% while materialistic values, age and sex contributed 3.5%. Therefore, the development of intervention programmes for mitigating factors that predispose youths to internet fraud practices should include counselling on keeping the right company, resisting peer pressure and placing less emphasis on material acquisition

DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2015.v5n2p159