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Abstract

Although a number of studies exist on cybercrime and its abuses, little is known about the pattern of cybercrime abuses individual Internet users experience in Nigeria, especially the south eastern region. Using data collected via various methods, this study examines the pattern of cybercrime abuses of individual Internet users in Umuahia, Abia State, of South Eastern Nigeria. The result of the analysis of 1,067 samples drawn from 223,134 Internet users in Umuahia North LGA of Abia Sate showed that: while most users are victims of stolen ICT-gadgets (19%), fraud related offences (17%), and hacking (15%); they rarely fall victims of malware attacks, cyber-bullying, etc as their proportion hover around 9% and below. On average, individual Internet users experience more of property-based cyber abuses (M = 1.94; SD = 1.21) than they experience violent-based cyber abuses types (M = .44, SD = .73), t(923) = 37.14s, p = .000, r =.3. Individual internet uses experience more cyber-enabled abuses (M = 1.25; SD = 1.09) than they experience cyber-focused abuses (M = 1.17, SD = .89), t(923) = 2.006, p = .000, r =.2. It was further revealed that while money (49%) and phone (36%) are about the most significant item lost to cybercrime abuses; items like laptops, cars, contacts, online accounts, and airtime are barely lost as their proportion hover around 3% and below. Increasing information security awareness campaign, especially that of property-based categories was recommended.

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