Samenvatting

In this study we have examined the intention to seek help after victimization of WhatsApp-fraud, as well as the incident and personal characteristics that potentially assert an influence on this. The intention to seek help at the police, the bank, Victim Support Netherlands and friends and family was studied through the use of a questionnaire with vignettes. The incident characteristics that were measured in the vignettes consisted of the incurred financial damage and the person whom the perpetrator pretended to be. The personal characteristics include the respondents’ age, gender, educational level, relationship status, employment status, and previous online fraud victimization. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine the associations of the different types of help-seeking intention with the incident and personal characteristics. The results show the intention to seek help from the police and the bank to be the highest amongst the respondents. The logistic regression analyses further showed that a higher amount of incurred financial damages leads to a higher intention to seek help after victimization of WhatsApp-fraud. The person whom the perpetrator pretended to be and the personal characteristics did not predict the respondents’ intention to seek help well.