Cyber Crime

This textbook examines the psychology of cyber crime. It aims to be useful to both undergraduate and postgraduate students from a wide variety of disciplines, including criminology, psychology and information technology. Because of the diversity of backgrounds of potential readers, this book presumes no prior knowledge of either the psychological or technological aspects of cyber crime – key concepts in both areas are defined as they arise in the chapters that follow. The chapters consider research that has been conducted in each area, but also apply psychological theories and models to each type of cyber crime. The chapters also consider many aspects of each cyber crime. They do not simply consider the offender, but also effects on the victims, suitable punishments, potential preventative measures and comparisons to similar offline offences. Most chapters stand alone, so it is possible for the reader to dip in to any point in the book. However, most readers may wish to start with Chapters 1 and 2, which provide an overview of cyber crime theory. We hope that you enjoy reading this book as much as we enjoy researching this evolving and cutting-edge topic.