A Dimension-Based Evaluation of Online Scam Awareness among College Students in Dindigul

Abstract

The present study assessed the level of online scam awareness among 250 college students in Dindigul, selected through stratified sampling, using a validated scale covering five dimensions: Capturing Knowledge, Risk Perception, Privacy Concerns, Social Behaviours and Defensive Actions. Overall awareness was found to be above the average level. Students scored above the theoretical average in Capturing Knowledge and Risk Perception, but their scores in Privacy Concerns, Social Behaviours and Defensive Actions remained below average. In other words, students are able to recognise scams and judge the risks, yet this knowledge is not reflected in their actual online habits. Among the demographic variables studied, gender alone produced a significant difference in all five dimensions and in total, with female students showing greater awareness than male students. A few partial differences were also observed with respect to residence, daily internet usage time and attendance of cyber-safety training, while nativity, stream of study, type of institution, number of friends, mobile phone usage and internet access made no significant difference. The first hypothesis, that awareness is above the average level, was accepted; the second hypothesis of demographic neutrality was minimally accepted, since nine out of ten variables showed no significant difference overall. The study suggests that awareness programmes for college students should move beyond information-giving and concentrate on building privacy-protective and defensive online behaviour through continuous, practice-based training.