Perceptions of Criminology Students On Identity Theft in Social Media 4

ST.
THERESE MTC COLLEGES

CRIMINAL JUSTICE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
Iloilo City, Philippines
PERCEPTIONS OF CRIMINOLOGY STUDENTS IN IDENTITY THEFT THROUGH
SOCIAL MEDIA
A Thesis Proposal
Presented to the Faculty
St. Therese-MTC Colleges
Magdalo St., La Paz, Iloilo City
In partial fulfilment
of the requirement for
Research 1 (Methods of Research 1)
for the degree of
Bachelor of Science in Criminology
By:
Antonio, French Carl N.

Casas, Eron P.
Cordero, Paul Laurence S.
Geguera, Vince Patrick P.
Losarito, Christian Mere A.
Pastrana, Kenneth Jun
Tungala, Christian Gee G
January 2023
ST. THERESE MTC COLLEGES
CHAPTER I
Background of the Study
Filipinos spend an average of 10 hours and 2 minutes each day online, the highest in the
world, according to recent data. The Philippines also tops social media use for the fourth straight year.
Vast amounts of personal information from the Philippines, including photos of daily activities, are freely
circulating the Web. (ECCI, 2020)
In 2012, the Philippines passed Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012
(DPA) “to protect the fundamental human right to privacy of communication while ensuring free flow of
information to promote innovation and growth [and] the [State’s] inherent obligation to ensure that
personal information in information and communications systems in government and in the private sector
are secured and protected”.
Recent research reveals that identity theft affects millions of people a year, costing victims
countless hours and money in identity recovery and repair. What causes this pattern of online theft and
fraud? It’s a combination of factors: a lack of consumer knowledge regarding protecting your identity
online; growing comfort with, and trust in, social platform providers; the need for social platforms to
generate revenue; and a lack of standards or policing of these standards. Although this issue is not yet in
the mainstream consciousness, it likely will be sooner rather than later.
With the increased global use of social media, there are more opportunities than ever before to
steal identities or perpetrate fraud online. For example, status updates posted on Twitter, Facebook and
many other social media sites can be used by criminals. If you post that you’re out of town on vacation,
you’ve opened yourself up for burglary. If you mention that you’re away on business for a weekend, you
may leave your family open to assault or robbery. When it comes to stalking or stealing an identity, use of
photo- and video-sharing sites like Flickr and YouTube provide deeper insights into you, your family and
friends, your house, favorite hobbies and interests.
That being said, social networking sites have the greatest potential for abuse. While everyone
knows they should never share their social security number and driver’s license, many social networking
sites ask for, if not require, similar sensitive information that can be used against you in a variety of
malicious ways. Consumers need to be educated on the proper use of social media as it relates to
protecting privacy and security. Social networks need to also understand the impact of not addressing
security and privacy issues. If the information becomes corrupted, it not only casts doubt on the social
network, but on your real-life personality, as well. This study tries to shed light on the evolution of
Identity Theft on social media platforms; and how this rich repository of personal information has become
a breeding ground for identity thieves.
Identity theft is a widespread problem affecting approximately 8 million people each year. To
understand the crime of identity theft and thus increase the likelihood that policymakers and law
enforcement are effective in reducing this crime, more research needs to be done. This study is important
because the criminal behavior of identity theft is growing in our society and research is needed to combat
this growing trend. With this, the researchers will conduct this study to determine the perceptions of
criminology students on identity theft in social media.
Theoretical Framework
The Vedanta theory of perception is explained by the existence of a universal consciousness in
which appears the empirical distinction of subject and object, mediated by a process of knowledge.
Perception is a process of the consciousness of an object. It is one of the means of valid knowledge in the
world and consists in an inseparable relation of the perceptive consciousness with its content. The objects
that are seen in the world are considered by the common man to be existing outside his body and the
senses, and he feels that the objects are reflected, as it were, in his mind in perception. The object itself
does not enter the eye, for example, in the act of seeing, but there is a transmission of vibration from the
object, with which his consciousness comes in contact, which becomes a content of his consciousness,
and on account of which he is said to know the existence of the external object.
Conceptual Framework
Independent Variable Dependent Variable
Gender
Perception on identity theft through
Type of gadget
Electronic device usage
social media
Figure 1. Conceptual Framework on the perceptions of criminology students in identity theft through
social media
Statement of the Problem
This study aims to determine the perceptions of BSCRIM 4 students of St. Therese MTC
Colleges – Magdalo Site in identity theft through social media for academic year 2022-2023.
Specifically, this study will aim to answer the following questions:
1. What is the perception of criminology students in identity theft through social media when taken
as a whole and grouped according to (a) gender, (b) type of gadget and (c) electronic device
usage?
2. Is there a significant difference in the level of perception of criminology students of in identity
theft through social media when grouped according to (a) gender, (b) type of gadget and (c)
electronic device usage?
Hyphothesis
There is no significant difference in the level of perception of criminology students in
identity theft through social media when grouped according to (a) gender, (b) type of gadget and
(c) electronic device usage.
Definition of Terms
For clarity and better understanding of this study, the following terms are given its conceptual
and operational definition:
Identity Theft - is the crime of obtaining the personal or financial information of another person to use
their identity to commit fraud, such as making unauthorized transactions or purchases. Identity theft is
committed in many different ways and its victims are typically left with damage to their credit, finances,
and reputation. (Ali Hussain, 2022)
In this study, it refers to the problem faced by the student in social media.
Perception – it is the consciousness of particular material things present to sense. It is as a matter of fact
always a larger thing than this definition would immediately imply; because we are always aware in the
fringe, in the background of consciousness, of sense activities other than those we speak of as being
perceived, especially those connected with the internal operations of our own organism. (Angell, 1904)
In this study, it refers to the opinion of students about identity theft in social media.
Students- refers to individuals registered and recognized as learners in educational institutions like
colleges and universities for the purpose of acquiring knowledge and skills that could enhance
personal developments to prepare them for the world of work (Enokela, 2021).
In this study, it refers to the criminology students of St. Therese MTC Colleges S.Y. 2022-
2023.
Social media - is a collective term for websites and applications that focus on communication,
community-based input, interaction, content-sharing and collaboration (Lutkevich, 2020).
In this study, it refers to the means of communication used by the criminology students.
Gadget - refers to any electronic device that has a very specific function as voice recording, music
playing, surveillance, video playing, photos displaying, etc. (Shahin, 2007)
In this study, it refers to the device use by the criminology students
Significance of the study
This study will be a significant endeavor in providing the proper use of social media. It aims to
point out the identity theft through social media and its effects it poses to the personal information of
Criminology Students. Social media sites evidently have a lot of positive effects, but they also have their
share of negative impact. This study will be very beneficial to the following persons:
Students - The result of this study will give enlightenment to criminology students regarding to the
identity theft through social media. This will provide information about the effects that these social media
will bring to the criminology students. This research will also give a certain form of guidance to
STMTCC Magdalo Site Criminology Students in the identity theft through social media.
Parents - This study will give awareness to the parents regarding the identity theft through social media
to their children. With enough knowledge, parents can think of possible preventive ways if their child is
prone to identity theft.
Instructors - This study will be helpful to the teachers in informing them the issues regarding to the
identity theft through social media. In line with this, teachers, as students second parents, will know a way
on how to help the students prevent their identity to be stolen through social media.
School Administrators - This study will aid the school administrators to be aware of the effects of social
media to Criminology Students. With enough information about social media and its effects to the
criminology students, school administrators can help in solving problems of the students regarding this
topic and give advices that are appropriate to the situation of identity theft through social media to the
students of St. Therese – MTC Colleges - Magdalo Site criminology students.
Future Researchers - This study can help in further studies of future researchers regarding the
perception of the criminology students in identity theft through social media. This can serve as a reference
for further improvements to be done in their study.
Scope and Limitations
This study entitled “Perceptions of Criminology Students in Identity Theft through Social Media”
will focus on the perceptions of criminology students on identity theft in social media. This study will be
conducted at St. Therese MTC Colleges – Magdalo Site College of Criminology and will be limited to all
year levels of St. Theres MTC Colleges – Magdalo Site College of Criminology of school year 2022-2023
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Chapter II deals with the literature, readings and studies relevant to the present research. In this
chapter, different information was presented which are based on write-ups on related topics of this study.
This may give readers a clearer point of view about the research.
Identity Theft
Under the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10175), computer-related
identity theft is defined as “the intentional acquisition, use, misuse, transfer, possession, alteration or
deletion of identifying information belonging to another, whether natural or juridical, without right”.
Identity theft can be visualized from multiple aspects but they all boil down to one basic
definition as explained, which says that it is the illegal or unauthorized use of personal information
belonging to someone else for one’s own benefit. The crime of Identity theft has not only been in the
limelight up until recently, but it was a prevalent issue long before the Internet. Traditionally, it was
something known as “dumpster diving”, where the identity thieves had to physically go around snooping
in trash bins to look for personal information, such as discarded bills and documents that identified a
person (Brindha & Swetha, 2019).
Furthermore, there were a number of traditional ways ranging from very complex to utterly
simple that an identity thief could use to gain access to personal data. For example, if someone was
entering a credit card number or a calling card number in a public place; criminals often used a method
called “shoulder surfing”, where they would watch the person from a nearby place in an attempt to
capture that information. Another way is to eavesdrop on a conversation in which the person might be
giving a pin over the phone. Another method that a fraudster would use was to retrieve discarded mails
that contained applications for preapproval of credit cards. The recipients would often throw away such
mails without shredding the enclosed contents and this gave the criminals an opportunity to activate those
credit cards for their own use without the victim’s knowledge.
Thieves use technology to steal personal data from someone else's data, such as name, age,
birthday, social security number, etc. This personal information is very much available through social-
media or other accounts where personal data are stored digitally. Today, computers and smartphones
synchronized many of users’ electronic accounts such as emails, bank, social media, and other
smartphones/computer applications. This volume of information in everyone’s smartphones makes it a
very good target to many identity theft attacks (Alsaleh et al., 2017).
According to Tajpour and Zamani (2021), e-commerce users are exposed to identity theft,
which is perpetrated in many ways: through unauthorized intrusions such as phishing, spoofing, use
of a Trojan-horse, and injection attacks. Very few initiatives have been taken to introduce intensive
measures to educate people about the dangers of identity theft. By employing theoretical integration,
this research identified risk behaviors and protective behaviors that influence the likelihood of being
a victim of identity theft and proposed a new model to minimize the occurrence of identity theft for
e-commerce users.
Social Media
According to Tuten and Solomon (2015), Social media are the online means of communication,
conveyance, collaboration, and cultivation among interconnected and interdependent networks of people,
communities, and organizations enhanced by technological capabilities. Basically, it is the websites and
applications people use every day to share content with other users. According to Tuten and Solomon
(2015), social media is similar to traditional media because social media includes numerous channels.
Within each of the channels, there are specific vehicles. It has taken a long time to get to where society is
now in 2017, and now more than ever media plays a big role in everyone’s lives. With the invention of
the computers came numerous other inventions, such as the Internet and smartphones. Social media is
now becoming one of the largest means of communication and is gaining popularity rapidly. Social media
enables you to share ideas, content, information and news etc. at a much faster speed. In last few years’
social media has grown tremendously at an unexpectedly fast rate and has captured millions of users
around the world.
The use of social media is prevalent in both the general society and on college campuses. The
increasing popularity of the use of social media sites has brought to the forefront a new set of problems
and issues facing the 21st century. Today’s college generation is facing an emerging risk to reputational
harm or financial loss much more so than prior generations since social media is their main form of
communication. According to Moallem (2018), “users’ understanding of risks and how to protect
themselves from cyber-attacks is therefore fundamental in modern life”.
According to a survey conducted by the PEW Research Center, the number of adult users of
social media sites in America increased from 5% to 69% from 2005 to 2016. This increase can clearly be
mapped to the ability of these platforms to be so engaging and entertaining for all age groups. It is human
nature to be curious about what others are doing in their lives and social media sites are perfect places that
cater these needs. But like everything else around the world that provides benefits on one side, also has its
own drawbacks on the other. Similarly, social networking platforms are no different. They may be
providing ease in connectivity, but they also open doors for criminals who use it to their advantage. As
the world of social networking has been around for a quite a time now, people are now realizing that it
can do more than just what meets the eye. Coming back to the results of the survey that was conducted to
collect our primary data, it showed that the sample comprised of an uneven distribution of people from
continents such as Asia, North America, Africa, Australia, South America and Europe in the same order
with respect to percentage.
The Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2009
The Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2009 was passed as a response to the proliferation
of intimate/private photos and videos, most notably of women, without their consent. The law itself
recognizes invasion of privacy as a criminal offense. The law penalizes those who take photo or video
coverage of a person or group of persons performing sexual act or any similar activity or of capturing an
image of the private area of a person or persons without the latter’s consent, under circumstances in
which such person/s has/have a reasonable expectation of privacy. Likewise, the act of selling, copying,
reproducing, broadcasting, sharing, showing or exhibiting the photo or video coverage or recordings of
such sexual act or similar activity through VCD/DVD, internet, cellular phones and similar means or
device without the written consent of the person/s involved are punishable.
Data Privacy Act of 2012
The Data Privacy Act of 2012 is an act protecting individual personal information in information
and communications systems in the government and the private sector. It mandates the public and private
institutions to protect and preserve the integrity and confidentiality of all personal data that they might
gather including the processing of personal information and sensitive personal information. It also sets the
parameters on when and on what premise data processing of personal information can be allowed with
basic premise when a data subject has given direct consent.
The Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012

The Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 was enacted to address crimes committed in cyber space
and use of ICT. The law is divided into 31 sections split across eight chapters, criminalizing several types
of offense, including illegal access (hacking), data interference, device misuse, cybersquatting, computer-
related offenses such as computer fraud, content-related offenses such as cybersex and spam, and other
offenses. The law also reaffirms existing laws against child pornography, an offense under Republic Act
No. 9779 (the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009), and libel, an offense under Section 355 of
the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines, also criminalizing them when committed using a computer
system.
Parental Awareness on Cyber Threats using Social Media
According to (MCMC, 2017), the percentage of Internet use was 86.6% from which it was used
mostly at home (85.6%), via the mobile devices at any location (84%) and at work (58.7%). The highest
percentage of Internet use at home indicates the crucial place to control internet activities, especially
among children. The role of a family institution to monitor and supervise Internet usage is critical to
ensure that children are not exposed to cyber threats. Parental role to monitor the use of children's Internet
is very important and pressing (Wan Anita, 2016; Livingstone, 2007; Muhammad Adnan, Siti Zobidah,
Jusang & Akmar Hayati, 2017; Valcke, Bonte, de Wever & Rots, 2010). Children need support from
parents as they are still immature to evaluate the information and threats in the cyberspace (Marshall &
Jackman, 2015; Normah, Faridah, Wan Amizah, Fauziah, Chang & Maizatul Haizan, 2011).
Identity Theft Risk Quantification for Social Media users
The information era has made it di cult to protect and secure one's personal information. One such
struggle is that of identity theft, a crime that has caused great suffering to its victims. Offenders guilty of
the crime use the identities of their victims for the purpose of entertainment or fraud. Social media has
extended the capability of people to interact and share information, but without the appropriate guidelines
to protect individuals from becoming victims of identity theft. There is a lack of studies on identity theft
and its determinants. The purpose of the research is therefore to assist with the prevention of identity theft
by determining the effect that information-sharing on social media has on the risk of individuals
becoming identity theft victims. The details of reported identity theft victims were collected from the
South African Fraud Prevention Services. Data on individuals' information-sharing habits on social media
networks, like Facebook and LinkedIn, was collected via surveys that were sent to a relevant group at the
Stellenbosch University. It was found that the two variables, Age and Gender, were the greatest predictors
of identity theft victims. A prediction model was developed that serves as a tool to score individuals as
high-risk or low-risk victims according to their attributes and social media information-sharing habits.
The findings benefit research on the prevention of identity theft, by raising awareness of the potential
risks the sharing of sensitive data on social media has.the prevention of identity theft, by raising
awareness of the potential risks the sharing of sensitive data on social media has.
Internet Service Providers
Local internet providers have taken initiative to provide determination of liability of Internet Service
Providers (ISPs) in offenses including cyber trafficking, copyright infringement, and the like. Undeniably, ISPs play a
significant role as intermediaries in providing means for relaying information to internet users through their systems.
While the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 outlines the responsibilities of ISPs with respect to the conduct of
cybercrimes, certain provisions of the Act also exempt them from liabilities. As ISPs are not mere passive actors in
the industry, our government should be more progressive in rethinking these exemptions granted to these platforms.
ISPs provide access to the World Wide Web and allow subscribers or users to generate, store, and publish
content. The “Electronic Commerce Act of 2000” defines a “Service Provider” either as a provider of “on-line
services or network access or the operator of facilities therefore, including entities offering the transmission, routing,
or providing of connections for online communications, digital or otherwise, between or among points specified by a
user, of electronic documents of the user’s choosing;” or a provider of “the necessary technical means by which
electronic documents of an originator may be stored and made accessible to designated or undesignated third party.”
[1] These descriptions seem broad enough to include web hosting sites for blogs such as WordPress, user-generated
content websites like YouTube, or social networking sites such as Facebook.
Aside from this general definition, special laws also provide their own definition of service providers.
Foreign Studies
Only a few studies can be found that focus on students’ knowledge of different types of identity
theft and identity fraud, students’ knowledge of how identity theft and identity fraud is perpetrated and
the ways in which students need to protect themselves against identity theft and identity fraud.
A study that focused on students’ knowledge of identity theft and fraud was undertaken by Milne,
2003. Milne (2003) conducted an exploratory study that measured the self-reported behaviour of 61
college students and 59 non-students in the USA. The questions provided in a questionnaire were based
on identity theft preventive activities that were recommended by the Federal Trade Commission. Milne
found that 36 percent of students and 49 percent of non-students use their mother’s maiden name, their
pet’s name or their birth date, or the last four digits of their social security number, or a series of
consecutive numbers as a password. It is obvious that both cohorts failed to recognise the importance of
non-obvious passwords. In addition, 82 percent of students and 43 percent of non-students were willing to
reveal their personal identifying information to marketers without finding out how their personal
information would be used. Further, 30 percent of students and 33 per cent of non-students did not check
their billing statements for mistakes or report these immediately, and 44 per cent of students and 25 per
cent of non-students left their mail in their home mailbox for a day or two before they picked it up. Only
22 percent of students and 23 percent of non-students who owned a credit card had ordered a copy of their
credit report within the last year (Milne, 2003). The results of the study indicate that both students and
non-students need to be encouraged to use simple but effective techniques to minimise the risk of identity
theft and identity fraud.
According to Bhatnagar (2020) study entitled “Student attitudes, awareness, and perceptions of
personal privacy and cybersecurity in the use of social media: An initial study”, states that social media is
a growing platform for student interaction and communication. This research focused on understanding
student awareness of risk in the context of cyber security and privacy as it relates to social media. As
noted earlier, 93% of the students indicated that they use at least one form of social media. Surprisingly
today’s digital native has a high level of security awareness with 72.6% understanding the risk of their
profile being public and 78.5% knowing how to use the security features available by their social media
provider. Participants were asked if they had been a victim of a cybersecurity attack, breach or had
experienced a loss of privacy. Our survey also showed that students had experienced incidents of both
social and technical risk. Of the 30 respondents that had experienced social or technical risk, the majority
(90%) had experienced a technical risk. Only 6.67% had experienced a social risk. Naturally, having been
victimized the students saw a benefit of setting security features. Interestingly, there were three primary
motivations for setting security features to include: risk reduction (31.78%), privacy (30.84%), and
control (24.29%). The risk reduction motivation is the act of staying safe from a perceived harm. The
privacy motivation is the mechanism to keep their information private. According to common themes
found in comments provided for survey question ten, the control motivation implies empowerment over
their personal information and acts as a gatekeeper to keep their information safe. Although many would
argue that the advantages outweigh disadvantages, the students made three compelling arguments as to
why there is a disadvantage to setting security features. These arguments include that security settings
limit the full-functionality of the social media application (22.42%), are inconvenient (25.23%), and they
are not full-proof (8.41%). However, most students did not see a disadvantage to setting security features
(27.10%).
Moreover, in this research it was found that 80% of the students did feel that training should be
offered on the concepts of risk to the use of social media and how to use the security settings to mitigate
that risk. Our next concern was related to the timing of when that training should be offered. The research
found that almost 85% felt training should be offered during the freshman year. Most students did use the
privacy settings in social media to mark their account private. Others wanted to keep their account public
because they used their social media accounts for promoting their own small business and felt that
security was a negative if it reduced their marketing reach. Some students create fake accounts/pen names
to provide anonymity of their activity on social media to manage their social media presence. Based on
the survey results, students do understand the risk of engaging in unsafe behaviors that compromises their
privacy on social media platforms and do know what to do about it. As far as the question related to the
need for formalized instruction and its implications on digital literacy in a university setting, the authors
were biased in thinking that formalized instruction would be needed and focus on the need to increase
awareness of privacy risks in the use of social media and in the use and configuration of security settings.
In the study of Winterdyk et Thompson (2008) “Student and Non-Student Perceptions and
Awareness of Identity Theft”, it was point out that students were perhaps slightly more at risk, but were
also considered to be somewhat better informed than adult nonstudents about identity theft. It is noted that
several recent reports have recognized identity theft as a major concern to law-enforcement agencies and
the judicial system in Canada. The work acknowledges that there exists considerable descriptive
information on identity theft and identity fraud in Canada, but that there is a dearth of information about
peoples’ knowledge and awareness of identity theft and their potential risk to becoming a victim.
Background on the issue includes: amount of identity theft and its financial impact; forms and methods of
identity theft; groups at risk for identity theft; and the law and related countermeasures. Based on the
findings, some general policy implications and educational strategies are offered to better combat identity
theft in Canada, and a number of suggestions for future research are also proposed.
Local Studies
According to Labong (2019), in his research “Identity Theft Protection Strategies: A Literature
Review”, concluded that with increased online transactions and activities like online shopping, social
media interaction, and the general use of the internet as common day-to-day activities, a new global
lifestyle has emerged. Offenders, including identity thieves, have adapted to this new lifestyle by
developing innovative methods of committing crimes. Offenders are not only interested in financial gains,
but also means of hiding their identities in order to evade the law, participate in federally funded social
programs, obtain work permits, or participate in terrorist plots. The challenge in preventing such crimes is
in the high costs of researching and apprehending offenders at a time when budget cuts are commonplace.
The problems are made even more difficult because victims often do not realize they have been
victimized until months, or even years after the crimes have been committed. Recommended manner to
reduce number of victims and intensity of impact of identity theft is improved awareness everything about
cybercrimes. Other methods for decreasing identity theft include the discontinuation of social security
numbers as a means of identification and the education of businesses better to secure the personal
information of their customers. More costly prevention methods include the use of biometrics (body
measurement and monitoring) as a means of identifying the individual who is using personal information.
As new technologies emerge and become more viable options for everyone, the use of biometrics or other
similar technologies could play major roles in the reduction of identity theft. In the meantime, it is up to
every person, business (public or private), and government entity to be vigilant on protecting personal
information by decreasing its availability and accessibility.
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
This chapter included the research methodology. This chapter consists of the following: (1)
Research Design, (2) Respondents of the study, (3) Data Gathering Procedure and (4) Data Analysis
Procedure.
Research Design
This study entitled “Perception of Criminology students in Identity Theft through Social Media”
will utilize the descriptive type of research design to effectively describe and identify the perception of
students on identity theft in social media in comparison with their different demographic profiles and type
of gadget they used. Researchers will employ a survey method that will be conducted through a
questionnaire.
Respondents of the Study
In this study, the respondents are the enrolled criminology students of St. Therese MTC Colleges
– Magdalo Site, for academic year 2022-2023. Random sampling will be utilized to gather information in
all year levels. A random sample was chosen, as it is one that is easily accessible to the researcher, and
supports the time restraints of the study, as student availability is subject to semester schedule. Students
who will be present on the day of data gathering are only the respondents. Convenience sampling also
called accidental sampling is a method of non-probability sampling where researchers will choose their
sample based solely on the convenience (Simkus, 2022).
Research Instrument
This study will utilize an adopted survey questionnaire-checklist in gathering and collecting data
suitable in describing personal profile and perception of the students in identity theft through social
media. The respondents will be asked to answer the survey questionnaire consisting of two sections: 1.
Respondent’s Profile; 2. Adopted questionnaire. The respondent's profile will composed of name
(optional), gender, gadget use and electronic device usage. The adopted questionnaire consists of 20 items
and will use a 5-point Likert scale with the ratings of strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree and strongly
disagree for electronic devices self-efficacy, information security awareness and anxiety respectively.
Validity
The research adopted questionnaire will be subjected to content validity by the panel of
validators. These are validated by research experts, and the grammar and construction will be examined
and corrected by an English professor. This research is open for criticism from the expert panel for any
changes that may serve the research proposal best. The validators' suggestions will be considered in the
revision and development of the instrument, and then a pilot testing will be conducted.
Reliability
The participants for the pilot testing will comprised 10% of BSCRIM 4 students of the academic
year 2022-2023, who are not included in the actual conduct of the study. They are randomly picked for
the said activity. This population will be chosen in order to test the feasibility of the study on a smaller
scale prior to the administration of the finalized questionnaire to the larger and targeted population scale.
The Alpha Cronbach test for reliability will be used to check whether the items are reliable or acceptable.
Data Gathering Procedure
A letter will be sent to the Dean of College of Criminology to ask permission to conduct the
study. Upon approval, the researchers will schedule an orientation with the respondents to discuss their
essential roles in this study and the implication of the information that was gathered from them. After the
orientation, the researchers will distribute to the respondents the informed consent and research
instrument. Researchers will gather the questionnaires and tabulate the results. Furthermore, the
responses will be treated with utmost confidentiality.
Data Analysis Procedure
The data will be examine using descriptive and inferential statistics to evaluate the level of
satisfaction and significant differences among and between variables, as well as to test whether the null
hypothesis will be rejected or accepted. The statistical instruments to utilize are as follows:
Descriptive Statistics
This research study will employ s frequency count and percentage, as well as mean in
determining the perception of criminology students on identity theft in social media.
Inferential Data Analysis
For the inferential statistics, One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) will be used to determine
the differences in the level of satisfaction among the categories. Level of significance was set at 0.05.
QUESTIONNAIRE
PERCEPTIONS OF CRIMINOLOGY STUDENTS IN IDENTITY THEFT THROUGH SOCIAL
MEDIA
Dear Respondents,
This study gathers your perceptions in identity theft through social media. Your honest response
and participation in this study are very important. Please do not leave an item unanswered. Rest assured
that your response to this questionnaire will be kept with utmost confidentiality between the researchers
and for research purposes only.
Thank you and God bless.
Sincerely,
The Researchers
DATA PRIVACY: By voluntarily providing the data requested in this site, I agree to take part in this
Satisfaction Survey and to give permission to the data /information that I will provide.
I agree
Part I: Personal Information
Instruction: Please fill out the following.
Name (Optional):___________________________ Year Level: ________________
Gender: _____________
Instruction: Please tick/choose the gadget you are using. Put (✔) on the box.
Type of Gadget Use (You can check more than one)
Smartphone
Tablet
Laptop
Desktop/PC
Please answer according to your experience. Put (✔) on the box.
Electronic Device Usage (You can check more than one)
Social networking (facebook, messenger, etc.)
Text messaging
Searching for information
Listening to music
Watching videos
Reading content (e.g., e-books, articles, etc.)
Playing online games
News
Online Shopping
Accessing Emails
Online Banking
Part II.
Please answer according to your experience. Put (✔) on the box.
A. Electronic devices self-efficacy Strongly Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly

Agree Disagree
I am confident that I am not a victim of identity-
theft.
I feel confident that I have enough knowledge/
awareness about identity-theft.
I feel confident that I am taking necessary measures/
precautions to prevent myself from identity-theft.
I feel confident that I can understand different
types/methods/schemes of identity-theft.
I feel confident sharing my personal information.
I feel confident that I am using screen passwords to
lock my laptop, mobile phone, etc.
I feel confident in storing sensitive information on
my laptop, mobile phone, etc.

I feel confident in performing online transactions
over the internet.
B. Information security awareness Strongly Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly

Agree Disagree
I use a pop-up window blocking function/tool on my
computer/smartphone.
I currently have anti-virus software on my
computer/laptop.
I do not share my personal information with relatives/
colleagues/ neighbors/friends.
I shred confidential and sensitive information
regularly on Facebook.
I avoid internet transactions which may involve
sharing confidential information.
I monitor my electronic accounts online for banking,
medical records, etc.

I implement security (two factor authentication,
firewall, anti-virus, and encryption) to protect my
credentials and information.
Strongly Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly

C. Identity-theft anxiety level
Agree Disagree
I am concerned about becoming a victim of identity-
theft as it is related to unauthorized access, or misuse
of personal information.
I am concerned that I might be a victim of identity-
theft in the future.
I am concerned about becoming a victim of identity-
theft even after taking necessary protection to
safeguard my information.
I feel concerned about my knowledge and awareness
on identity-theft.
I feel dreadful when I have to share my personal
information in social media.
REFERENCES
Ali Hussain, (2022). What Is Identity Theft?

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/identitytheft.asp#:~:text=Identity%20theft%20is%20the
%20crime,making%20unauthorized%20transactions%20or%20purchases.
Andrew Osentoski, (2016). Examining Identity Theft Victimization Using Routine Activities Theory: An
initial study. Retrieved on January 25, 2023 from
https://d.lib.msu.edu/etd/3898/datastream/OBJ/download/Examining_Identity_Theft_Victimiz
ation_Using_Routine_Activities_Theory.pdf
Bhatnagar, (2020). Student attitudes, awareness, and perceptions of personal privacy and cybersecurity
in
the use of social media: An initial study. Retrieved on January 25, 2023 from
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1246231.pdf
Brindha & Swetha, (2019). Identity Theft (Emerging Trends in Security Issues in Information Security).
Retrieved on January 25, 2023 from https://www.ijert.org/identity-theft-emerging-trends-in-
security-issues-in-information-security
Disini, (2016). Internet Service Providers: Can they be held liable for cybercrimes? An initial study.
Retrieved on February 8, 2023 from https://elegal.ph/internet-service-providers-can-they-be-held-
liable-for-cybercrimes
Karen Brutas, (2018). Social Media and Privacy: The Philippine Experience: An initial study. Retrieved
on February 8, 2023 from https://fma.ph/resources/resources-gender-ict/social-media-and-
privacy-the-philippine-experience/
James Rowland Angell, (1904). “Perception", Chapter 6 in Psychology: An Introductory Study of the
Structure and Function of Human Conscious, Third edition, revised. New York: Henry Holt and
Company, (1906): 122-140.
Irshad and Soomro, (2018), Identity Theft and Social Media: An initial study. Retrieved on January 25,
2023 from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323185128_Identity_Theft_and_Social_Media
Kent Lewis, (2023). How Social Media Networks Facilitate Identity Theft and Fraud: An initial study.
Retrieved on February 8, 2023 from
https://www.eonetwork.org/octane-magazine/special-features/social-media-networks-facilitate-
identity-theft-fraud
Labong, (2019). Identity Theft Protection Strategies: A Literature Review. Retrieved on January 25,
2023 from https://jar.ssu.edu.ph/index.php/JAR/article/download/1/1/

McLeod, S. A. (2018). Visual perception theory. Simply Psychology. Retrieved on February 8, 2023

from
www.simplypsychology.org/perception-theories.html
MCMC (2017). Parental Awareness on Cyber Threats Using Social Media: An initial study. Retrieved on
January 25, 2023 from
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/13216/1/33515-104723-1-PB.pdf
Milne, (2000). Identity theft and university students: do they know, do they care. Retrieved on January 27,
2023 from https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JFC-05-2013-0032/full/html
Moallem, (2018). Cyber Security Awareness Among College Students: An initial study. Retrieved on
January 25, 2023 from https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=1029&context=indust_syst_eng_pub
Nia Crawford Loebig, (2015). Teens and social media use: What's the impact:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/tween-and-teen-health/in-depth/teens-and-social-
media-use/art 20474437#:~:text=Social%20media%20harms,much%20social%20media%20teens
%20use.
Tajpour & Zamani, (2021). Identity Theft and Prevention. Retrieved on January 25, 2023 from
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.1201/9781003045854-3/identity-theft-
prevention-atefeh-tajpour-mazdak-zamani?context=ubx
Tuten, T., Solomon, M., & Ladik, D. (2015). The Teaching of Social Media Marketing. In Marketing
Dynamism & Sustainability: Things Change, Things Stay the Same… Proceedings of the 2012
Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual Conference (pp. 475-475). Springer
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Winterdyk et Thompson (2008). Student and Non-Student Perceptions and Awareness of Identity Theft.
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Student_Perceptions_and_Awareness_of_Identity_Theft

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ST.

THERESE MTC COLLEGES

PERCEPTIONS OF CRIMINOLOGY STUDENTS IN IDENTITY THEFT THROUGH

Presented to the Faculty

St. Therese-MTC Colleges

Magdalo St., La Paz, Iloilo City

of the requirement for

Research 1 (Methods of Research 1)

for the degree of

Bachelor of Science in Criminology

Antonio, French Carl N.

circulating the Web. (ECCI, 2020)

are secured and protected”.

the mainstream consciousness, it likely will be sooner rather than later.

friends, your house, favorite hobbies and interests.

a breeding ground for identity thieves.

criminology students on identity theft in social media.

The Vedanta theory of perception is explained by the existence of a universal consciousness in

Independent Variable Dependent Variable

Statement of the Problem

Specifically, this study will aim to answer the following questions:

2. Is there a significant difference in the level of perception of criminology students of in identity

electronic device usage?

There is no significant difference in the level of perception of criminology students in

(c) electronic device usage.

and operational definition:

and reputation. (Ali Hussain, 2022)

community-based input, interaction, content-sharing and collaboration (Lutkevich, 2020).

playing, surveillance, video playing, photos displaying, etc. (Shahin, 2007)

In this study, it refers to the device use by the criminology students

Significance of the study

prone to identity theft.

students of St. Therese – MTC Colleges - Magdalo Site criminology students.

for further improvements to be done in their study.

Scope and Limitations

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Under the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10175), computer-related

person (Brindha & Swetha, 2019).

smartphones/computer applications. This volume of information in everyone’s smartphones makes it a

around the world.

themselves from cyber-attacks is therefore fundamental in modern life”.

with respect to percentage.

The Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2009

Data Privacy Act of 2012

basic premise when a data subject has given direct consent.

The Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012

of offense, including illegal access (hacking), data interference, device misuse, cybersquatting, computer-

Parental Awareness on Cyber Threats using Social Media

Identity Theft Risk Quantification for Social Media users

Internet Service Providers

content websites like YouTube, or social networking sites such as Facebook.

theft and identity fraud.

information by decreasing its availability and accessibility.

Respondents of the Study

sample based solely on the convenience (Simkus, 2022).

Data Gathering Procedure

responses will be treated with utmost confidentiality.

Name (Optional):___________ Year Level: