The Determinants of Online Fraud Intention in Malaysia

Young, Jeffrey Jung Wei (2024) The Determinants of Online Fraud Intention in Malaysia. Masters thesis, Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology.

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Abstract

The rapid expansion of online platforms and the increasing sophistication of cybercriminals have raised concerns about the prevalence of online fraud. As digital transactions become more prevalent, the risk of falling victim to fraudulent activities also rises. Understanding the factors that influence individuals' intentions to engage in online fraud is essential for developing effective prevention and mitigation strategies. This research seeks to address this issue by investigating the determinants of online fraud intention. By examining the existing body of research on online fraud intention, significant gaps in empirical studies become evident. These gaps pertain to the examination of specific characteristics related to online fraud, the exploration of how individuals rationalize their fraudulent actions, the role of perceived opportunities, the role of the media capabilities and the involvement of denial of risk components. Consequently, this research aims to enhance our understanding of online fraud intention by investigating the influence of key factors such as rationalization, opportunity, parallelism, rehearsability, and perceived self-confidence in the context of digital communication platforms. For the development of the conceptual framework, theories related to fraud, rationalization, and opportunity are employed as the theoretical foundation. This research explores both the direct and indirect relationships between these factors and online fraud intention. Additionally, this study delves into the moderating role of perceived self-confidence in the relationship between rationalization and online fraud intention. To achieve the research objectives, a total of 302 samples were collected through an online survey, and the collected data were analyzed using statistical software. The statistical findings strongly support the direct relationships between rationalization, opportunity, parallelism, rehearsability, perceived self-confidence, and online fraud intention. Moreover, the results also indicate that the indirect relationships through mediating factors are statistically significant. Furthermore, this research demonstrates that the perceived self-confidence moderates the relationship between rationalization and online fraud intention. The outcomes of this research have significant theoretical and practical implications. They underscore the importance of various factors in shaping individuals' intentions to engage in online fraud, shedding light on critical determinants and potential avenues for intervention. As the research concludes, it acknowledges certain limitations and offers recommendations for future studies aimed at further enhancing our understanding of online fraud intention and developing effective strategies to combat cybercrime.