Virtual items trading scams is an emerging type of cybercrime that affects online gamers throughout the world. To understand the differentiated nature of this phenomenon, it is important to examine the interactional dynamics between victim and offender. Currently, however, there is not much research literature examining victim-offender interactions. To address this research gap, we conducted a qualitative study among young Danish victims of virtual item trading scams. A total of 23 young Danish online gamers were interviewed on their trade scams experiences. To guide our study, we drew on micro-sociological theory, specifically Erving Goffman’s conception of impression management and strategic interaction as well as theory of social engineering. Based on ideal type analysis focusing on the interactional processes and exchanges, a typology including four different types of virtual item trading scams were identified: Trade manipulation, phishing scam, trade forum scam, and trust trade scam. Altogether, the four different types constitute an interactional anatomy of virtual items trade scams. As this construct highlights different interaction patterns between offender and victim, particularly aspects of offender’s deceptive techniques and victim’s abilities to see through scamming attempts, the findings may inform preventive measures.
AndersonALMeierRF (2004) Interactions and the criminal event perspective. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice20(4): 416–440.
3.
AntonyRChangVHa-HoangMTH, et al. (2023) Toxic by design: Exploring the relationship of game affordances and negative behavior. iConference 2023 Proceedings. Available at: https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/items/126415
4.
AtlasSPuttermanL (2011) Trust among the avatars: A virtual world experiment with and without textual and visual cues. Southern Economic Journal78(1): 63–86. DOI: 10.4284/0038-4038-78.1.63.
5.
BakkenSA (2021) Drug dealers gone digital: Using signalling theory to analyse criminal online personas and trust. Global Crime22(1): 51–73. DOI: 10.1080/17440572.2020.1806826.
6.
BullinghamLVasconcelosAC (2013) ‘The presentation of self in the online world’: Goffman and the study of online identities. Journal of Information Science39(1): 101–112. DOI: 10.1177/0165551512470051.
7.
CaiTDuLXinY, et al. (2018) Characteristics of cybercrimes: Evidence from Chinese judgment documents. Police Practice and Research19(6): 582–595. DOI: 10.1080/15614263.2018.1507895.
8.
ChangFCMiaoNFChiuCH, et al. (2016) Urban–rural differences in parental Internet mediation and adolescents Internet risks in Taiwan. Health Risk & Society18: 188–204. DOI: 10.1080/13698575.2016.1190002.
9.
CialdiniRB (2007) Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. Harper & Collins.
CraftJA (2007) Sin in cyber-eden: Understanding the metaphysics and morals of virtual worlds. Ethics and Information Technology9: 205–217. DOI: 10.1007/s10676-007-9144-4.
12.
DillaWNHarrisonAJMenneckeBE, et al. (2013) The assets are virtual but the behavior is real: An analysis of fraud in virtual worlds and its implications for the real world. Journal of Information Systems27(2): 131–158. DOI: 10.2308/isys-50571
13.
DitchfieldH (2020) Behind the screen of Facebook: Identity construction in the rehearsal stage of online interaction. New Media & Society22(6): 927–943. DOI: 10.1177/1461444819873644
14.
DowningS (2010) Online Gaming and the Social Construction of Virtual Victimization. Eludamos:Journal for Computer Game Culture4(2): 287–301. DOI: 10.7557/23.6049.
FerreiraAJakobssonM (2016) Persuasion in Scams. In JakobssonM (ed.) Understanding Social Engineering Based Scams. Springer New York NY. DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-6457-4
17.
FerrellJ (2013) Cultural Criminology and the Politics of Meaning. Critical Criminology21: 257–271. DOI: 10.1007/s10612-013-9186-3.
18.
FerrellJHaywardKYoungJ (2015) Cultural Criminology: An Invitation. 2nd Edition. Sage.
19.
GandolfiEFerdigRESoyturkI (2023) Exploring the learning potential of online gaming communities: An application of the game communities of inquiry scale. New Media & Society25(6): 1374–1393. DOI: 10.1177/14614448211027171.
20.
GibsonJJ (1977) The concept of affordances. In: ShawR.BransfordJ (Eds) Perceiving Acting and Knowing: Toward an Ecological Psychology. New York: Johne Wiley & Sons pp. 67–81.
21.
GoffmanE (1959) The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. Anchor Books.
HamariJAlhaKJärveläS, et al. (2017) Why do players buy in-game content? An empirical study on concrete purchase motivations. Computers in Human Behavior68: 538–546. DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2016.11.045.
26.
HatfieldJM (2018) Social engineering in cybersecurity: The evolution of a concept. Computers & Security73: 102–113. DOI: 10.1016/j.cose.2017.10.008.
27.
HaywardKYongJ (2012) Cultural Criminology. In MaguireMMorganRReinerR (eds) The Oxford Handbook of Criminology (5th ed.) Oxford: Oxford University Press pp. 113–136.
28.
HoltTJBosslerAM (2009) Examining the applicability of lifestyle-routine activities theory for cybercrime victimization. Deviant Behavior30: 1–25. DOI: 10.1080/01639620701876577.
29.
HoltTJSmirnovaOHutchingsA (2016) Examining signals of trust in criminal markets online. Journal of Cybersecurity2(2): 137–145. DOI: 10.1093/cybsec/tyw007
KatzJ (1988) Seductions of crime. New York: Basic Books.
32.
KilvingtonD (2021) The virtual stages of hate: Using Goffman’s work to conceptualise the motivations for online hate. Media Culture & Society43(2): 256–272. DOI: 10.1177/0163443720972318.
33.
KimHYangSKimHK (2017) Crime scene re-investigation: a postmortem analysis of game account stealers’ behaviors. NetGames '17: Proceedings of the 15th Annual Workshop on Network and Systems Support for Games: 1–6.
34.
KristiansenSJensenAV (2023) Victimization in online gaming-related trade scams: a study among young Danes. Nordic Journal of Criminology24(2): 1–17. DOI: 10.18261/njc.24.2.6.
35.
KuYChenYCWuKC, et al. (2007) An Empirical Analysis of Online Gaming Crime Characteristics from 2002 to 2004. In: Yang et al, Intelligence and Security Informatics. PAISI 2007. Lecture Notes in Computer Science Vol. 4430. Springer: Berlin Heidelberg. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-540-71549-8_3.
LeukfeldtER (2014) Phishing for suitable targets in The Netherlands: Routine activity theory and phishing victimization. Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking17(8): 551–555. DOI: 10.1089/cyber.2014.0008.
NormanDA (1988) The Psychology of Everyday Things. Basic Books.
40.
O’KeeffeSSuzukiMMcCabeR (2023) An ideal-type analysis of people’s perspectives on care plans received from the emergency department following a self-harm or suicidal crisis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health20(19): 6883. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20196883.
41.
O’NeillAStapleyEStockS, et al. (2021) Adolescents’ understanding of what causes emotional distress: A qualitative exploration in a non-clinical sample using ideal-type analysis. Frontiers in Public Health9: 3321. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.673321.
42.
OksanenAKeipiT (2013) Young people as victims of crime on the internet: A populationbased study in Finland. Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies8(4): 298–309. DOI: 10.1080/17450128.2012.752119.
43.
ReithGDobbieF (2011) Beginning gambling: The role of social networks and environment. Addiction Research & Theory19(6): 483–493. DOI: 10.3109/16066359.2011.558955.
44.
RonzhynACardenalASBatlle RubioA (2023) Defining affordances in social media research: A literature review. New Media & Society25(11): 3165–3188. DOI: 10.1177/14614448221135187.
45.
SalahdineFKaabouchN (2019) Social engineering attacks: A survey. Future internet11(4): 89. DOI: 10.3390/fi11040089.
46.
SaldañaJ (2013) The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers. Sage.
47.
ShangYWangKTianY, et al. (2023) Theoretical basis and occurrence of internet fraud victimisation: Based on two systems in decision-making and reasoning. Frontiers in Psychology14: 1087463. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1087463.
48.
SharmaRAlaviSAhujaV (2017) Generating trust using Facebook-A study of 5 online apparel brands. Procedia Computer Science122: 42–49. DOI: 10.1016/j.procs.2017.11.339.
49.
StapleyEO’KeeffeSMidgleyN (2022) Developing typologies in qualitative research: The use of ideal-type analysis. International Journal of Qualitative Methods21: 633. DOI: 10.1177/16094069221100633.
50.
SteinmetzKF (2016) Hacked: A Radical Approach to Hacker Culture and Crime. New York University Press.
51.
SteinmetzKFGrubbJ (eds.) (2024) Video Games Crime and Control. Getting Played. Routledge. DOI: 10.4324/9781003346869.
ThompsonJB (2020) Mediated interaction in the digital age. Theory Culture & Society37(1): 3–28. DOI: 10.1177/0263276418808592.
56.
WangFTopalliV (2022) Understanding romance scammers through the lens of their victims: Qualitative modelling of risk and protective factors. American Journal of Criminal Justice49(1): 145–181. DOI: 10.1007/s12103-022-09706-4.
57.
WeberM (1949) The Methodology of the Social Sciences. The Free Press.
58.
WhittyMT (2015) Anatomy of the online dating romance scam. Security Journal28(4): 443–455. DOI: 10.1057/sj.2012.57.
59.
WrightRChakrabortySBasogluA, et al. (2010) Where did they go right? Understanding the deception in phishing communications. Group Decision and Negotiation19: 391–416. DOI: 10.1007/s10726-009-9167-9.
60.
ZamanBVan MechelenMDe CockR, et al. (2020) Perceptions of and exposure to games of chance gambling and video gaming: Self-reports of preadolescents and parents. Journal of Gambling Issues46: 13. DOI: 10.4309/jgi.2021.46.13.
