Cyber fraud victimization among adolescents remains mechanistically underexplored despite growing global concern. Using self-reported data from 929 Chinese high school students, this study employs structural equation modeling informed by the general theory of crime, lifestyle–routine activity theory, and online risk-taking. Treating victimization as sequential—fraud targeting followed by financial loss—findings reveal that a deviant online lifestyle is the strongest predictor across both stages. After accounting for online risk-taking, the direct effects of low self-control on cyber fraud victimization become non-significant. Paradoxically, non-deviant online routines increase targeting exposure while reducing financial loss likelihood. These findings highlight the importance of risk-oriented mechanisms in explaining adolescent cyber fraud victimization.
Zhou et al. (2026) studied this question.