GUARDIANS UPON HIGH: AN APPLICATION OF ROUTINE ACTIVITIES THEORY TO ONLINE IDENTITY THEFT IN EUROPE AT THE COUNTRY AND INDIVIDUAL LEVEL
Online fraud is the most prevalent acquisitive crime in Europe. This study applies routine activities theory to a subset of online fraud, online identity theft, by exploring countrylevel mechanisms, in addition to individual determinants via a multi level analysis of Eurobarometer survey data. This paper adds to the theory of cybercrime and policy debates by: i) showing that country physical guardianship (e.g. cyber security strategy) moderates the effects of individual physical guardianship; ii) introducing a typology of online capable guardianship: physical passive, active personal and avoidance personal guardianship; iii) showing that online identity theft is associated with personal and physical guardianship; and iv) identifying public Internet access and online auction selling as highly risky routine activities. The paper concludes by emphasising the importance of studying country level effects on online identity theft victimisation.