Caught in the Web: Virtual Kidnapping and Digital Scams

Notes:

Dr Chang's background in law and sociology led him to specialize in criminology, particularly cybercrime, after observing its emerging relevance.
He chose to pursue his PhD in Australia due to scholarship opportunities and the chance to work with a leading cybercrime researcher.
Dr Chang discusses virtual kidnapping, a scam where victims are manipulated into isolating themselves, enabling scammers to demand ransom from their families.
He highlights the challenges of combating cybercrime, including jurisdictional issues and the need for international police collaboration.
Dr Chang emphasizes the importance of public awareness and education to prevent scams, as well as better victim support systems.
The interview also touches on the role of financial institutions in preventing scams and the potential future threats posed by technologies like AI and ChatGPT in cybercrime.

About our guests:

Dr Lennon Chang

Papers or resources mentioned in this episode:

Chang, L. Y.-C., Zhong, L.-Y., & Grabosky, P. (2020). Virtual Kidnapping: Online Scams with ‘Asian Characteristics’ During the Pandemic. In Crime and Justice in Digital Society (pp. 112-113). ResearchGate. Note: APA format typically requires publisher information, which is not provided in this excerpt.

Other:

The intro an outro was drafted using generative AI. I think it gave a different flavour.

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