AN EXAMINATION OF THE FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR STUDENTS INVOLVEMENT IN CYBER CRIMES

AN EXAMINATION OF THE FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR STUDENTS INVOLVEMENT IN CYBER CRIMES

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Crime seems to be an inevitable part of contemporary society. The world is becoming more dangerous despite the best efforts of social workers, law enforcement, and personal and criminal justice specialists (Yar, 2005). When it comes to crimes without a victim, such as murder, kidnapping, robbery, assault, sex offenses, child molestation, burglary, environmental crime, and arson, economic crime, political crime, and cybercrime are the norm. Wall (2005) defined cybercrime as either computer-aided crime committed by Nigerians originating in the Nigerian internet domain space or computer-aided crime committed by Nigerians stationed outside the Nigerian internet domain space. Information and communications technology (ICT) crimes that target Nigerian infrastructure are committed in collaboration with Nigerians within the Nigerian internet domain area and from any location (Walters, 1995). The emergence of cybercrime as a significant cause for concern in global society. Everyone is more vulnerable as a result of the world’s growing reliance on online transactions. The vulnerability of the Western world was the focus of earlier theories, including those put forth by Walters (1995), Yar (2005), and Wall (2005), but the growth of the Internet has exposed more countries to danger. Unfortunately, as is the case with many other things, the more technologies there are, the more potentially harmful they can be when used maliciously, as is the case with the internet, endangering your privacy, files, identity, and priceless bandwidth. Some of these cybercrimes include desktop forgery, chat rooms, credit card crimes, automated teller machine (ATM) and spoofing, as well as theft and fraudulent use of personal information, which is the cybercrime of the moment (UNICEF).

. Nigeria’s recent adoption of cashless transactions has also put the nation in danger. Greed and poverty are a couple of the motivating elements that draw young people into cybercrime. Since many people want to become wealthy quickly using any means possible, greed is another destructive wind that propels people to engage in illegal activities in Nigeria.

Poor parenting has fueled crime because some parents don’t offer much in the way of moral guidance. A child from such a family can learn anything they want outside of the home through peer groups, which could be detrimental. 71% of Nigerian families are classified as poor, with the remaining 50% falling into the core or extremely poor categories. Approximately 77% of families in urban areas and 68% of families in rural areas

are viewed as poor (UNICEF 2011).

SITUATION OF THE PROBLEM

Fraudsters currently use the Internet as a safe haven after simply moving from the streets to an electronic platform made available by the World Wide Web. According to Thomas (2005), cybercrime is elusive and constantly tries to hide in the face of advancement. Criminals look for ways to evade detection as methods and procedures for identifying crimes and criminals advance.

Different nations have employed a variety of strategies to combat crime depending on its type and scope. Undoubtedly, a nation with a high crime rate cannot prosper or grow. This is because crime and development are diametrically opposed. It has negative social and economic repercussions (Thomas, 2005). For

Nigeria, a nation working to regain its reputation in the face of cybercrime, is now focusing on the sources and conduits through which the crime is carried out, with Internet access points being the most common of these (Williams, 2005).

1.3 STUDY’S OBJECTIVES

The main goal of this study is to investigate the causes of students’ involvement in cybercrimes. The study’s other goals are:

i. To learn about the various types of cybercrimes.

ii. To determine the reasons why students participate in cybercrimes.

iii. To investigate how cybercrimes affect students’ academic performance.

1.4 QUESTIONS FOR RESEARCH

The following research inquiries will direct this investigation.

i. What are the various types of cybercrimes?

What are the causes, then?

of college students engaging in online crimes?

Does cybercrime have an impact on students’ academic performance?

1.5 RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER STUDIES

This study will be very helpful to the educational field because it will reveal the causes, manifestations, and effects of cybercrime on students. It will assist them in creating strategies that will effectively deal with this problem. Parents and other caregivers will also profit from this study because they will be better able to advise their dependents on how to avoid these factors.

Finally, this study will be useful to academics because it will act as a repository for past research and future references.

1.6 THE STUDY’S SCOPE

This study will concentrate on examining the variables that influence student involvement.

in online crimes. Additionally, the types, consequences, and causes of cybercrime will be emphasized.

Students from the University of Lagos in Akoka will serve as the study’s enrolled participants.

Limitations to the study: 1.7

This investigation will be restricted to looking at the causes of students’ involvement in cybercrimes. Additionally, it will only cover the types, repercussions, and causes of cybercrime.

The results of this study will only be applicable to University of Lagos, Akoka, so they cannot be applied elsewhere until more research has been done.

1.8 TERM DEFINITION

Examination: a thorough examination or investigation

A circumstance, fact, or influence that influences a result is referred to as a factor.

Internet crimes the practice of using a computer to further illicit goals