Stolen Valor? Examining the Associations Between Military Service,Data Breach Victimization,and Identity Theft Victimization

Abstract

Veterans have been identified as a group that is vulnerable to victimization. Despite this, few works have sought to determine whether their risk is consistent across subpopulations within this community, and whether they face a similarly elevated risk of data breach victimization. Using the 2018 wave of the NCVS-ITS (n = 92,642), logistic regressions suggest that veterans and military servicemembers face greater risk of data breach and identity theft victimization, but that this risk is not consistent across subpopulations within this community. Further, a positive association was observed between data breach victimization and odds of identity theft. Findings highlight the need for nuanced measures of veteran status, and are discussed in light of research and policy implications.

Keywords

cybercrime data breach identity theft veterans victimization

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