Is there a cybercriminal personality? Comparing cyber offenders and offline offenders on HEXACO personality domains and their underlying facets

Cyberspace creates opportunities for new forms of crime that may be related to specific personality characteristics of offenders. Few studies have investigated the personality characteristics of cyber offenders. We address this gap by comparing a judicial sample of 261 suspects of cyber-dependent crime, 260 suspects of offline crime, and a community sample of 512 participants on the HEXACO personality domains and their underlying facets. This provides a nuanced picture of the cybercriminal personality and could provide information for prevention and intervention programs. Results indicate that, compared to suspects of offline crime, suspected cyber offenders score significantly lower on extraversion and significantly higher on conscientiousness and openness to experience. Cyber offenders are more similar to community participants on these main personality domains. With regard to the underlying facets, suspected cyber offenders appear to be unique in their relatively high level of diligence. They are more similar to suspected offline offenders on traits that may help them perform criminal activities, such as lower levels of modesty, fearfulness, and flexibility. They are more similar to the community sample, however, on traits that may strengthen their ability or tendency to commit cyber offenses, such as higher levels of patience, perfectionism, and prudence.