Determinants of youths’ awareness of investment scam threats in Malaysia

The study investigates the variables related to youth awareness of the threat of investment scams in Malaysia, namely financial literacy, digital literacy, awareness campaigns, and peer influence. With the growing adoption of online investment apps and platforms, the young population has been exposed to different types of danger, such as monetary losses and scam victimization. In the present research, a quantitative research design has been adopted. A total of 162 respondents aged 18–25 years were sampled, and a data collection platform was used. SPSS version 31 was used to analyze the data. Descriptive analysis, reliability analysis, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze relationships between financial and digital literacy, awareness campaigns, peer influence, and the youth's awareness of investment scam threats. The results revealed that the most significant factor affecting the awareness of the youths of threats of investment scams was digital literacy, followed by financial literacy and awareness campaigns. The findings suggest that the more digitally and financially literate young people are, the more likely they are to be able to spot a scam investment scheme, verify information on investments on the internet, and be aware of Internet scam techniques. Awareness campaigns also positively contributed to scam awareness among youths. However, there was no significant relationship between peer influence and perception of the risks of investment scams. This research overall shows the need to strengthen digital literacy, financial literacy, and awareness programs to enhance the resilience of youths against investment fraud and encourage safer investment decision-making in the digital landscape.