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Abstract

This study investigates the personal accounts of both perpetrators and victims to better understand the techniques and strategies used in vishing and smishing schemes. It adopts a qualitative cross-sectional design across three Lagos slums (Ajegunle, Amukoko, and Ijora-Badia), using snowball sampling to recruit 20 victims and 10 perpetrators for in-depth interviews. Findings reveal that perpetrators impersonate trusted entities using low-tech tools (pre-registered SIMs, bulk SMS apps) to exploit trust. Selective morality emerges among offenders, with some repaying known victims due to guilt while exploiting strangers, alongside a mentorship culture where experienced scammers train newcomers. Poverty and peer influence normalize the crimes, with successful fraudsters valorized as resourceful. Victims, hindered by stigma and distrust in authorities, rarely report crimes, while low digital literacy increases vulnerability. These findings highlight the need for multi-level interventions. Thus, the study recommends that government agencies enhance cybercrime enforcement through slum-based task forces, stricter SIM regulations, real-time banking fraud detection, and localized awareness campaigns; communities should mobilize participants for anti-fraud education; and residents must adopt self-protection measures such as verifying messages, using call-blocking apps, and reporting scams via official channels.

Note on the Author(s)

Lateef Junior ADEYEMO* is a PhD (Criminology) candidate at the Department of Sociology, University of Ibadan. He earned his BSc in Sociology & Anthropology from Obafemi Awolowo University, followed by a Master's in Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice from Ahmadu Bello University, and later, an MSc in Sociology (Criminology) from the University of Ibadan. His research interests span environmental criminology, cybercrime, and digital diplomacy, with a particular focus on the intersection of crime, conflict, and the broader societal structures that shape them.

Tirimisiyu Yemi OLABULO holds BSc and MSc degrees in Sociology (Criminology) and is currently pursuing a PhD in Public Policy, both at the Department of Sociology, Faculty of the Social Sciences, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. His research interests encompass policy and practice evaluation, social justice, and criminology, with specific focus on application of Sociological insights to policy analysis and broader social issues.

Idenyi Goshen PETER holds a Diploma in Criminology, BSc and an MSc in Sociology, specializing in Criminology. He is a distinguished researcher and former President of the Postgraduate Students' Association in the Department of Sociology at the University of Ibadan. His research interests include Victimology, Qualitative Research, Content Analysis, and victims' experiences. Currently he is pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

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