Fraud, Cybercrime and Ageing in the UK and South Korea

欺诈和网络犯罪，通过各种各样的类型，已经成为个人经历的一些最常见的犯罪，这就是问题的规模，RUSI（一个备受尊敬的智库）将其描述为对国家安全的威胁。老年人是犯罪分子很有希望的目标，因为他们通常现金充裕，有养老金、一次性付款和终身储蓄。许多人还具有增加受害几率的特征：认知能力下降；社会隔离;缺乏有能力的监护人来保护他们。疫情还意味着，许多老年人花在家里和上网上的时间更多了，这加剧了受害人数的增加。越来越多地使用数字技术在社会和经济生活的许多领域带来了巨大的好处，但也带来了新的风险。互联网的接入和使用不再局限于年轻、精通技术的人群。英国国家统计局（2021b）报告称，2013年至2020年期间，75岁以上的人最近使用互联网的比例几乎翻了一番，从29%增加到2020年的54%。然而，尽管老年人逐渐熟悉信息技术，但有人认为，老年人往往容易受到网络犯罪风险的影响。针对老年人的欺诈和网络犯罪问题刺激了世界各地的各种举措，试图解决这一问题，但令人惊讶的是，很少有研究表明打击此类犯罪的举措，而且几乎没有研究使用高质量的方法评估预防性举措（Prenzler, 2020）。与这些发展并列的是与所谓的“第四次工业革命”（4IR）相关的先进技术发展。与第四次工业革命相关的一些技术已经被用于防止欺诈和网络犯罪，例如使用数据分析来打击银行欺诈（Kim等人，2019）。该项目旨在建立一个由英国和韩国对针对老年人的欺诈和网络犯罪感兴趣的研究人员组成的网络。它将通过使用桌面策略和访谈来进行研究，绘制英国和韩国用于打击针对老年人的欺诈/网络犯罪的策略；任何证明其有效性的证据；并探索更好地利用技术的潜力。该项目将通过在各自国家举行的两次研讨会和两次会议建立网络。第一次会议将汇集来自两国（以及其他适当的国家）在这一领域进行探索的学者，以及相关从业者和技术公司（包括可能的早期职业研究人员）。这些研讨会将探讨解决这些犯罪的倡议和潜在想法，并使参与者能够建立网络。他们还将寻求确定如何更好地利用技术来防止针对老年人的欺诈和网络犯罪。最后的会议将用于展示项目的发现，展示好的例子；并为参与者提供更广泛的网络，进一步加强两国之间的学术网络。调查人员将编写一份研究报告和其他高质量的产出，这也将促进项目的另一个目标，即制作一个网站，提供对这一领域感兴趣的学者、学生和其他人士使用的资源。它将载有有关文章、报告、出版物的储存库；描述新兴技术及其潜力；有关网站的连结；研究报告和会议记录；以及对这一领域感兴趣的学院主要成员的简介。预计这些活动将成为对经济犯罪问题感兴趣的英韩学者长期合作的基础。

Fraud and cybercrime, through a wide variety of genres, have become some of the most common crimes individuals experience and such is the scale of the problem, RUSI (a highly respected think tank) have described it as a threat to national security. Older adults represent promising targets for criminals because they are often cash rich with pensions, lump sums, life savings. Many also have traits that increase the chances of victimisation: cognitive decline; social isolation; a lack of capable guardian to protect them. The pandemic has also meant many older adults have spent more time at home and online, contributing to increased victimisation. The growing use of digital technologies has been a huge benefit in many areas of social and economic life, but has also opened up new risks. Access and usage of the internet is no longer limited to the younger, tech-savvy population. The ONS (2021b) reported the proportion of those aged 75 years between 2013 and 2020 reporting recent internet use has nearly doubled from 29%, to 54% in 2020. However, despite their gradual familiarisation with information technologies, it is argued that older adults can often be vulnerable to cybercrime risks. The problem of fraud and cybercrime against older adults has stimulated a wide range of initiatives around the world to attempt to address this problem, but there has been surprisingly little research charting initiatives to counter such crimes and virtually none that has evaluated preventative initiatives using high quality methodologies (Prenzler, 2020). Juxtaposed to these developments has been the advanced technological developments associated with the so called '4th Industrial Revolution' (4IR). Some of the technologies associated with 4IR are already being utilised to prevent fraud and cybercrime, such as the use of data-analytics to counter banking frauds (Kim et al., 2019). This project seeks to build a network of researchers in the UK and South Korea interested in fraud and cybercrime against older adults. It will do this by conducting research using desk-based strategies and interviews mapping the strategies used to counter fraud/cybercrime against older adults in the UK and South Korea; any evidence of their effectiveness; and to explore the potential for technology to be better utilised.The project will build the network through two seminars and two conferences held in the respective countries. The first will bring together academics from the two countries (and others where appropriate) who have explored this area, with relevant practitioners and technology companies (including early career researchers where possible). These seminars will explore initiatives and potential ideas to tackle these crimes and enable participants to network. They will also seek to identify how technology could be better utilised to prevent fraud and cybercrime against older adults. The final conferences will be used to present the findings from the project, showcase good examples; as well as enable wider networking for participants, further strengthening academic networks between the two countries.The investigators will produce a research report and other high-quality outputs, which will also facilitate another objective of the project to produce a website with resources of use to academics, students and others interested in this area. It will contain a repository of relevant articles, reports, publications; descriptions of emerging technologies and their potential; links to relevant websites; the research report and recordings from the conferences; and profiles of key members of the academy with an interest in this area. These activities are envisaged to form the basis of a longer partnership of Anglo-Korean scholars interested in economic crime issues.