Cyber Crime Awareness, And Fraud Prevention

Abstract: The growing use of smartphones, social media, instant messaging, digital banking, online shopping and electronic services has increased the convenience of everyday life. At the same time, members of the public may be exposed to cybercrime such as phishing, fake forwarded messages, online payment fraud, fraudulent job offers, impersonation, identity theft, fake customer-care numbers and malicious applications. This research project proposes to study cybercrime awareness and prevention practices among the general public, including students, working people, business owners and senior citizens. A descriptive survey using a structured questionnaire is proposed. Responses will be summarised using counts, percentages, tables and charts after genuine data are collected. A small Python-based awareness tool is also proposed to flag warning signs in a message and provide safety guidance. The tool will be educational only and cannot conclusively determine whether a message is fraudulent. No survey findings are claimed in this draft because actual responses have not yet been collected.

Keywords: Cyber crime, online fraud, phishing, fake messages, digital safety, cyber awareness, fraud prevention.