Identification and Situational Prevention of Emerging Forms of Financial Crimes in the Metaverse
Keywords:
Emerging crime, Cybercrime, Theory of everyday activities, Situational crimeAbstract
While statistics indicate a downward trend in traditional financial crimes in most countries, the development of new technologies and the growing reliance on cyberspace are creating unprecedented opportunities for criminal activity. Crime survey data attest that the share of cyber financial crimes has reached parity with traditional crimes. The prevailing approach of academic institutions, law enforcement agencies, and governmental bodies toward this phenomenon is largely reactive and focused on crimes after their occurrence. This study, by emphasizing the necessity of identifying and applying situational prevention to emerging forms of financial crimes in the metaverse, seeks to formulate a research agenda for novel crimes. In this regard, the article examines the capacities of futures thinking as a strategic tool for the early identification of criminal opportunities and security threats in immersive environments such as the metaverse. Issues such as sophisticated online fraud schemes and forms of delinquency within metaverse environments constitute the core focus of this analysis. Finally, the article concludes by discussing the theoretical implications of this perspective and presenting practical solutions for the situational prevention of such crimes.
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