RISK PERCEPTION AND KNOWLEDGE OF CYBERCRIME AND ITS PREVENTIVE STRATEGIES AMONG YOUTH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BOTSWANA

Abstract

As more people invest in the cyber world, they become prone to cybercrimes. Previous studies revealed that with technological and cyber advancement, our cyberspace has been infested with malicious acts by cyber criminals while awareness and knowledge of cybercrime and related security among cyberspace users have been relatively lacking. The purpose of this study was to investigate how much knowledge the young cyberspace users at the University of Botswana (UB) have regarding cybercrime and preventive measures and strategies to fight it. Using a convenience sampling technique, data was collected from 57 female and 43 male participants. The study established that the youth at UB are aware of cybercrime, and that this awareness ranged between poor or little knowledge on cybercrime. Findings also noted low detection of cybercrime. To effectively fight cybercrime, the article recommends routine collaboration among policy makers, law enforcers, experts in both the public and private sectors, among other stakeholders.