Table 2.
Measures.
| Constructs | Item No. | Measurement | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perceived severity | PS1 | I think COVID-19 scams are a severe problem. | Partially adapted from Witte (1996) & Martens et al. (2019) |
| PS2 | I think COVID-19 scams are having a severe impact. | ||
| PS3 | If I fall for a COVID-19 scam, the consequences would be severe. | ||
| PS4 | If I fall for a COVID-19 scam, my property loss would be significant. | ||
| PS5 | If I fall for a COVID-19 scam, I would be frustrated. | ||
| Perceived vulnerability | PV1 | If I do not pay attention, it is easy to fall for COVID-19 scams. | Anderson and Agarwal (2010); Martens et al. (2019) |
| PV2 | If I do not pay attention, I may become a victim of COVID-19 scams. | ||
| PV3 | If I do not pay attention, the possibility of falling for COVID-19 scams is high. | ||
| Self-efficacy | EFF1 | Taking the necessary security measures against COVID-19 scams is easy for me. | Anderson and Agarwal (2010); Martens et al. (2019) |
| EFF2 | I feel comfortable taking the necessary security measures against COVID-19 scams. | ||
| EFF3 | I can take the necessary security measures against COVID-19 scams without much effort. | ||
| Response efficacy | RE1 | Security measures against COVID-19 scams are valuable for protection. | Witte (1996) |
| RE2 | Security measures against COVID-19 scams work for protection. | ||
| RE3 | Security measures against COVID-19 scams are effective for protection. | ||
| RE4 | If I follow the security measures, my chance of falling for COVID-19 scams is reduced. | ||
| GSM participation | PAR1 | I always read the articles posted by the GSM. | Zhang et al. (2018); Guo et al. (2020) |
| PAR2 | I always share the articles posted by the GSM. | ||
| PAR3 | I always recommend the articles posted by the GSM to my friends. | ||
| Information security behavior towards COVID-19 scams | ISB1 | I predict I will think before clicking the COVID-19 related links from unknown sources. | Partially adapted from Witte (1996) & Martens et al. (2019) |
| ISB2 | I predict I will think before donating to COVID-19 related online funds from unknown sources. | ||
| ISB3 | I predict I will think before purchasing medical supplies from unknown online parties. |