A novel understanding of fraudsters

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to add to the understanding of the human personality of fraudsters. This paper will explore their human personality by reviewing three characters from realist novels that have fraudsters as their leading characters. This pa[er will also contribute to literature that intersects between the humanities and criminology. Design/methodology/approach This paper reviews three fraudster characters from realist novels to explore their human personality, which includes qualitative phenomena resistant to positivist research. Findings Literature character review that adds to understanding of the qualitative nature of the personality of fraudsters. This qualitative nature of the human personality has been neglected in fraud research and the findings contribute to expanding understanding of the qualitative nature of fraud and fraudsters. Research limitations/implications This paper is limited to a literature review from three characters from realist novels. Practical implications By expanding understanding of the human personality of fraudsters literary insights can contribute to fraud identification and prevention. Originality/value This paper reviews the human personality of three characters from novels to expand understanding of fraudsters, and thus contributes to the intersection of research between the humanities and criminology and fraud research.