Frames of Fraud: A Qualitative Analysis of the Structure and Process of Victimization on the Internet

Abstract

In this paper, the structures and processes of Internet fraud are analyzed. By applying Goffman’s (1974) concept of frame analysis, we show that fraud is a type of fabrication, a strategic interaction in which one party (the deceiver) uses information that allows a different interpretation of the situation as compared to the perspective of the deceived party. The process of becoming a victim of cyber fraud has three stages, which are structurally equivalent to what anthropologists’ call rites of passage. In the first stage, the future victim is isolated from ordinary social experience and the level of precaution decreases. Within the second stage, some illusory grounds of social interaction are maintained by the offender in interacting with the victim until transactions are accomplished. In the third phase, the victim learns of his or her status as the deceived party and the illusion to which they have fallen victim becomes clear. Managing failure and realignment with intersubjectively shared social reality is necessary. With reference to the experiences taking place in these phases, we refer to them as getting hooked on, staying attuned and cooling out.