Cybercrime Victimization Among Young Adult Males Aged 18--20: A Post-Pandemic Analysis of Converging Risk Factors

Abstract

Cybercrime victimization among young adult males aged 18--20 has become an increasingly urgent public safety concern in the post-pandemic digital environment. From 2022 to 2024, individuals aged 20--29 submitted 191,787 complaints to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), reporting combined losses of more than $1.28 billion. Although this population represents a substantial share of cybercrime victims, the 18--20 male sub-cohort remains insufficiently examined as a distinct demographic group within cybercrime victimization research. This study presents an original risk factor analysis and theoretical synthesis, representing the first integration of criminological, neurological, and behavioral evidence for this specific demographic sub-cohort. Drawing on FBI IC3 and FTC Consumer Sentinel Network data from 2022--2024 alongside European cybersecurity threat intelligence from ENISA, the study develops a unified risk profile centered on three intersecting vulnerability factors: a guardianship gap created by the transition into unsupervised digital independence, heightened behavioral exposure to online risk, and reduced impulse regulation associated with ongoing prefrontal cortex development. The findings show a 49.7% increase in reported losses among the 20--29 age group between 2023 and 2024 and identify financial sextortion, phishing, task scams, in-game currency fraud, and dark web grooming as major attack typologies exploiting this risk convergence. The study offers implications for targeted cybersecurity awareness campaigns, digital literacy education, and policy interventions designed for this high-risk demographic.