The rapid shift towards online learning portals and digital platforms in Nigeria has thrown higher school students right into the path of social media fraud. This study measures if digital literacy and cybersecurity awareness predict social media scam victimization among tertiary students in Anambra State, Nigeria. Using a quantitative cross-sectional survey design, primary data were gathered via structured questionnaires from 399 undergraduate students across six public campuses within the state. The statistical findings indicate that both digital literacy and safety awareness act as major behavioral factors linked to student vulnerability, while heavy daily money struggles serve as a serious situational risk trigger. Specifically, simple linear regression shows that higher cybersecurity awareness directly lowers how vulnerable students feel to online tricks. An independent-samples t-test showed that students who had not experienced social media scams had significantly higher mean digital literacy scores than those who had experienced victimization. Finally, a chi-square test showed a significant association between financial pressure and social media scam victimization. Framed within Routine Activity Theory, these results establish that a user’s personal tech skills function as an active digital shield within virtual spaces. This study shows that university heads and policymakers must stop using passive warning posters and quickly build practical, skill-based digital literacy modules within existing GST computer courses to protect students from local web predators.

Keywords: Digital literacy, cybersecurity awareness, social media scams, victimization, tertiary students, Anambra State, Routine Activity Theory.