Organised crime goes online: realities and challenges

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to provide an empirically based description of how the Internet is exploited by different types of organised crime groups (OCGs), ranging from Italian mafia-style groups to looser gangs. Design/methodology/approach – The article relies on a dataset collected from mid-2011 to mid-2013 and, specifically, on semi-structured interviews to law enforcement officials and acknowledged experts in Italy, the UK, the USA and The Netherlands; judicial transcripts; police records; and media news. Findings – This article provides an account of the main scope for which the Internet has been used for various criminal activities traditionally associated with the organised crime rhetoric, first and foremost, cross-border trafficking activities. This study also discusses some current legal and policy approaches to deal with OCGs operating online. Originality/value – This contribution addresses an under-investigated research field and aims to foster a reflection on the opportunity to integrate Internet crime research, and even more Internet crime investigations, into the everyday routines of criminologists, analysts and law enforcement officers.

Organised Cybercrime or Cybercrime that is Organised? An Assessment of the Conceptualisation of Financial Cybercrime as Organised Crime

“…As already stressed by Lusthaus (2013), Lavorgna (2015Lavorgna ( , 2016, Leukfeldt (2015), and Wall (2015), among others, there is not enough consistent and solid evidence to make analogies between cybercrime groups and OC.…”

“…The whole idea behind criminalising OC in a different, more serious, way is to be found in its danger, which goes beyond the risks posed by individual offenders or occasional criminal cooperation and creates actual or potential threats to the social order (Fijnaut and Paoli 2006;Carrapico 2014). In cyberspace, however, this is no longer true, as individuals or loose associations can be as dangerous as OC (Lavorgna 2015). However, similarly to OC, the cybercrimes considered in this study (I) cause harm to a concrete victim, (II) produce systemic effects with serious consequences for society as a whole, and (III) adversely affect social control because of offenders' shielding capacity [for an assessment of the harms caused by OC, see Fijnaut et al 1998;Kruisbergen et al 2012;Greenfield and Paoli 2013)].…”

“…Firstly, from a theoretical perspective, it reveals some challenges in using the OC conceptualisation in cyberspace, which urges reconsideration of the capacity of our current criminological paradigms and definitions if we are to capture emerging trends in the criminal scenario (Lavorgna 2015). The whole idea behind criminalising OC in a different, more serious, way is to be found in its danger, which goes beyond the risks posed by individual offenders or occasional criminal cooperation and creates actual or potential threats to the social order (Fijnaut and Paoli 2006;Carrapico 2014).…”

Criminals seeking ICT-expertise: an exploratory study of Dutch cases

“…Cybercrime is used as an umbrella term for both cyber-dependent and cyber-enabled crimes. Although it is clear that ICT provides new possibilities for criminals, very little is known about criminals seeking ICT-expertise (for an overview, e.g., Wall 2007;Holt and Bossler 2014;Lavorgna 2015a). Choo (2008) states that there are two types of groups taking advantage of the possibilities arising from ICT.…”

Georganiseerde misdaad in de 21ste eeuw

“…Voorbeelden van modernisering zijn matchfixing en e-fraude. Het manipuleren van sportwedstrijden en financieel bedrog bestonden al in de oudheid, maar de introductie van het online gokken en de online handel in het midden van de jaren negentig heeft wedstrijdvervalsing geglobaliseerd en fraude bij de koop en verkoop van een digitaal jasje voorzien en (Lavorgna, 2015). De delen daarvan die zich kenmerken door onwettige praktijken worden ook wel aangeduid als dark web of dark net (Omand, 2015).…”