County trajectories of pyramid scheme victimization

Community-level vulnerability to pyramid scheme fraud may be affected by place-based sources of strain and opportunity. Using national victim data from a pyramid scheme fraud case from 2000-2013, this research explores pyramid scheme adoption with group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM). GBTM is used...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Greenman, Sarah J. (Author)
Contributors: Snyder, Samantha ; Bosley, Stacie ; Chenoweth, Dalton
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2023
In: Crime, law and social change
Year: 2023, Volume: 79, Issue: 3, Pages: 291-317
Online Access: Presumably Free Access
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Summary:Community-level vulnerability to pyramid scheme fraud may be affected by place-based sources of strain and opportunity. Using national victim data from a pyramid scheme fraud case from 2000-2013, this research explores pyramid scheme adoption with group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM). GBTM is used to look for distinct trajectories of pyramid scheme join rates and to explore the effect of strain, as measured by a county’s Social Vulnerability Index and unemployment rate, and opportunity or protection, as measured by a series of social capital variables, on the group trajectories. Findings suggest that county-level strain, including the county’s Social Vulnerability Index and unemployment rate are related to pyramid scheme victimization, especially early adoption. We also find that social capital variables - which can, in theory, reduce strain or increase opportunity - have a nuanced relationship with fraud victimization. While our findings are drawn from a single pyramid scheme, they point to the potential to analyze case data to inform preventative and monitoring strategies appropriate to local-level characteristics.
Item Description:Literaturverzeichnis: Seite 314-317
ISSN:1573-0751
DOI:10.1007/s10611-022-10050-1