**1. Introduction**

Cyber-attacks are growing in multiple dimensions globally. Malicious cyber activity poses a danger to public safety, national security, and economic stability. The global cyber threat continues to evolve at a rapid pace, with a rising number of people falling victims on daily bases. The development of technology creates opportunities for people, such as business and leisure activities, but also enables criminals to commit crimes [1–3]. Research conducted by Pew research center (PEW) in 2014, reveal an astonishing 40% of all adult internet users admit to experience cyber victimization of different variants [4]. Most often, cyber-attacks such as hacking, phishing, business email compromise (BEC) malware attacks, password attacks, man-inthe-middle attacks, insider threats, and crypto-jacking are the most frequently suffered by victims [5]. Cybercriminals have access to a wide variety of psychological

manipulation techniques. For instance, phishing emails are the most typical means through which hackers distribute ransomware. Fake emails are also used by hackers to deceive victims into opening dangerous attachments or clicking on hazardous links. Cybercriminals also exploit the natural desires of humans to trust others to send unsolicited electronic mails to unsuspecting victims, as though they originated from legitimate sources [6–8].

The betray of trust is very common technique used by dating fraudsters, they engage in the purposeful creation of trust with their victim, often over a period of weeks or months, with the goal of betraying them after extorting money from them. To learn later that a relationship that seems to be based on openness, closeness, and trust is really built on deceit is especially upsetting when it occurs in the context of a dating scam. In addition, the possibility that the event would become public, exposing the victim to scorn or sympathy, can generate profound emotions of shame. In the aftermath of a such crime, victims may be hesitant to confide in others who may otherwise provide practical and psychological help. For fear of being ridiculed or believing the police would do nothing, victims may not report such crimes. Interpersonal cyber-crimes constitute a breach of trust, and the emotional repercussions of "virtual betrayal" may be as devastating as those of physical betrayal. Victims have expressed feelings of sadness, anxiety, powerlessness, and rage. They may become despondent, even suicidal, and lose faith in other people [7, 9].

Green, Streeter and Pomeroy [10] reveal that the emotional effects of a crime and the selected coping technique rely on how well the chosen strategies meet the situational needs. "For example, if the situation resulting from a crime is perceived by the victim as somewhat controllable, he or she would be more apt to have positive emotional outcomes from using a problem-focused coping strategy as opposed to an avoidance-oriented strategy" [10, 11]. Holohan and Moos [11] further reveal that as the intensity of a stressful event grows, so does the significance of coping mechanisms. Against this backdrop, this chapter set out to foster coping mechanism, i.e. shock absorption mechanisms for dealing with cybercrime trauma while awaiting the protracted orthodox criminal justice outcomes in Nigerian setting, and by extension, other climes similar to Nigeria across the globe. The following research questions were put forward:

