Unpacking The Ethics of Cyber Fraud

Before we explore the types of cybercriminals and their methods, we must first examine the ethical foundation and principles which anchor the cybersecurity and digital safety movement. After all, it should be our priority to ensure that technology that is developed aligns with our goal of bettering humanity. Cyber fraud exemplifies the potential for technology to be leveraged in a way that promotes harm within society. It presents numerous societal, moral, and economic challenges which work in contradiction to the benefit of society’s people. In this blog we will strive to bring light to the ethical issues of cyber fraud.

Utilitarianism 

Utilitarianism states that the morality of our actions can be determined by the consequences of the actions. If something maximizes good, then it can be deemed moral, and if it maximizes harm or suffering, it is immoral. Cyber fraud can easily be classified as an immoral action under the guidelines of utilitarianism, given that the harm caused by it does not outweigh the benefits received by the few. Even if the person behind the fraud is in a bad life situation, it does not justify stealing money from seniors. Seniors often need the money for housing and medical care.  

Deontology 

According to deontology, actions are objectively moral or immoral. The foundation of cyber fraud consists of several principle immoral actions such as lying, deceit, and stealing. Scamming senior citizens through cyber fraud is an immoral action because it violates these foundational rules, such as do not lie, do not steal. If we consider a situation where the fraud fails, and the scammer is unable to steal from the elderly person, it is still immoral because the action was carried out with malicious intent.  

Virtue Ethics 

Instead of outcomes or rules, virtue ethics prioritizes personal character more than anything else. Aristotle proposed that virtues lie between two extremes, often referred to as vices. For example, courage lies in the middle of cowardice and recklessness. Elder-targeted cyber fraud is by no means a life pursuit of a virtuous person! It is driven by vices such as greed and dishonesty. As a society, we must strive to live by virtues such as honesty, integrity, and compassion, and in doing so, protect our elders from harm. 

The fight against cyber fraud is an ethical and technological mission. Strengthening our technical systems is vital, but so is cultivating empathy, digital integrity, and ethical awareness. Only once we address the code, but more importantly, the ethical reasoning of people, can we eliminate cyber fraud and use technology for good.  

Check back in a few days for our next blog! It will explain tips for protecting yourself and others against cyber fraud.