In today’s borderless digital world, cybercrime follows individuals like a shadow. What matters most is not merely fear but rather understanding and preparedness. Fear of cybercrime has emerged as a critical issue that directly affects both the quality of life and the behavior of internet users. This study emphasizes the role of organizational and institutional trust in mitigating such fears and aims to examine the causal relationships underlying fear of cybercrime, with institutional trust serving as a mediating variable. The sample comprised 400 Thai internet users. Data was collected using a five-point Likert scale questionnaire and analyzed through descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, path analysis, and mediation analysis with statistical software. The findings revealed that the proposed path model demonstrated a good fit with the empirical data ( = 6.404, df = 5, p = .26(, = 1.281, GFI = 0.995, AGFI = 0.974, NFI = 0.992, NNFI = 0.992, CFI=0.998, RMR = 0.006, SRMR = 0.019, RMSEA=0.027). Overall, the model explained 61.50% of the variance in fear of cybercrime. Two sets of mediating factors were identified: (1) factors that reduced fear of cybercrime through organizational and institutional trust, including perceived knowledge of cybercrime (  = –0.170, p < .001), digital literacy (  = –0.116, p < .001), and awareness of cybercrime (  = –0.034, p = .022); and (2) factors that amplified fear of cybercrime through organizational and institutional trust, including social media intensity (  = 0.097, p < .001) and cybercrime victimization (  = 0.063, p < .001). These findings indicated that fear of cybercrime is not merely an individual perception but rather the outcome of an evaluative process that integrates cognition, lived experience, and behavior. The results have important implications for development administration. They call for integrated strategies that strengthen organizational and institutional trust, enhance digital literacy, and expand perceived knowledge of cybercrime, alongside systemic risk management. Such measures not only help reduce fear of cybercrime but also contribute to building social resilience and establishing a solid foundation for sustainable development.