Exploring Teenage Awareness of Social Media Fraud in Malaysia

Abstract

Social media platforms have become integral to modern communication, allowing individuals to connect with loved ones and stay abreast of trends. However, recent studies have uncovered the prevalence of fraud within today's social media landscape, highlighting it as a global issue. This research aims to explore into the perceptions of Malaysian teenagers regarding social media fraud. The primary objective of this study is to explore the experiences of Malaysian teenagers in relation to social media fraud, with a focus on identifying the psychological aspects of both teenagers and fraudsters involved. Furthermore, the research seeks to develop effective strategies to reduce and prevent social media fraud among teenagers in Malaysia, while also providing practical recommendations and raising awareness among this demographic. A comprehensive quantitative online survey questionnaire was administered to 385 teenage respondents in Malaysia. The collected data was analysed using IBM SPSS Statistical Package, and an ANOVA test was employed to verify the research hypotheses. The results revealed compelling evidence supporting the hypotheses put forth in this study. Firstly, the analysis indicated that sharing personal information on social media significantly increases the likelihood of teenagers falling victim to fraud (p-value = 0.013). Furthermore, a strong correlation was established between increased social media usage and heightened risk of fraudulent activities (p-value = 0.049), underlining the statistical significance of this relationship. Lastly, the study demonstrated that social media platforms can be exploited as tools for perpetrating fraud (p-value = 0.017), solidifying this assertion with rigorous statistical support. Additionally, the majority of respondents strongly agreed that avoiding suspicious links or websites on social media could effectively reduce the incidence of fraud.