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

https://www.deakin.edu.au/about-deakin/people/lennon-chang

Papers or resources mentioned in this episode:

1. 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.