STUDENTS’ INVOLVEMENT IN SOCIAL MEDIA FRAUD: A CASE STUDY OF LAGOS STATE UNIVERSITY

Abstract

While some studies have touched on the importance of digital literacy in preventing fraud, there has been little exploration of the specific digital skills that students need to navigate social media safely and responsibly. Hence, the focus of the study is to examine students’ Involvement in social media fraud: A case study of Lagos State University. The specific objectives were to examine the root causes of social media fraud, identify the perceived problems, and propose solutions to address the issue. The paper, therefore, points to the nature and cause of social media fraud; it highlights specific digital skills that are needed to avoid fraud and remain safe, and it argues that some contextual factors sustain social media fraud and affirm the existence of remedy and control of social media fraud. This study is framed by the theories of social learning, routine activity, and the theory of planned behaviour. Adopting Lagos State University (LASU), a prominent public university located in Lagos, Nigeria, as the study area hosting student population, a descriptive design using 200 structured questionnaires administered to student samples drawn via stratified sampling for data gathering to explain the relationship between digital literacy and social media fraud. The data obtained were edited, coded and analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The paper concludes that digital ethical education, social support, and financial incentives for scholarships are all needed to discourage the possibility of social media fraud. It recommends that accessible financial support programs, scholarships and grants, emergency financial assistance, and part-time job opportunities be provided to keep students focused on their studies and not on social media fraud.