Fraud Among Young Adults: A Scoping Review of Victimization and Perpetration

Abstract

This scoping review synthesized evidence on fraud victimization, perpetration, and prevention among young adults aged 18–25. Eighteen studies were included, predominantly quantitative and from China and the United States. Fraud types were inconsistently defined and rarely the primary research focus. Factors associated with vulnerability and engagement spanned individual, social, situational, technological, organizational, and structural levels. Victimization and perpetration were largely examined separately, with insufficient evidence of shared causal mechanisms or transitions between roles. Prevention and safeguarding approaches were rarely evaluated. A provisional integrative framework organizes the evidence and highlights priorities for clearer conceptualization, age-specific research, causal investigation, and intervention evaluation.