CYBER-VICTIMOLOGY OF EXTORTION IN THE DIGITAL SPACE

Abstract

This article discusses the issue of extortion on the Internet. It is defined as a requirement of the transfer of assets, the commission of any actions under the threat of causing damage, presented in a virtual environment. During the analysis of domestic and foreign literature, the author examines the current state of the problem, studies the prevalence and specificity of such acts; in addition, the identity of the victim of extortion is studied. Its victimological characteristics are de-scribed, such as criminal excitability (attractiveness to extortionists), vulnerability (inability to provide effective resistance), high rates of Internet activity, information conjugacy (connection with information used for blackmail). The author suggests his own classification of victims of offenses of this category. It includes: 1) content victims affected by the information behavior they implement; 2) functional victims who have lost control over important technical processes and wants to restore it; 3) victims of personal security who have suffered from blackmail by malicious actions and violence in real life. It is concluded that victims of digital extortion are the second most common type of victims after Inter-net fraud and that they are characterized by a high level of double victimization (and from the criminal, and from society).

Keywords: cyber-victimhood, cyber-victimology, internet victim, victims of digital crimes, cyber-victim, subject of cyber-victimization, digital criminology, victim in the internet environment, cyber-victimization, factors of cyber-victimization, criminology of the digital world.