Routine activities and fraud re-victimization among older adults: Do types of routine activities matter?

Abstract

Previous studies have established a link between prior victimization and subsequent victimization, although research in the context of fraud victimization, particularly among older adults, remains limited. To address this research gap, this study examines data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, a national survey of older Chinese adults, to explore the occurrence of re-victimization in fraud and the influence of routine activities on re-victimization. The findings of this study are threefold. First, a higher number of previous fraud victimizations significantly increases the likelihood of experiencing subsequent fraud exposure and loss. Second, the diversity and frequency of routine activities have a significant impact on fraud exposure and mitigate the effect of prior victimization on subsequent fraud loss. Third, both leisure and non-leisure routine activities contribute positively to fraud exposure, but the moderating effect is observed only in the case of leisure activities, instead of non-leisure activities. This research underscores the importance of considering the relationship between previous victimization and subsequent victimization in the context of fraud, specifically among older adults. These findings contribute to the understanding of re-victimization dynamics and offer insights for developing targeted prevention strategies to reduce fraud victimization among older adults.