Responding to cybercrime: results of a comparison between community members and police personnel

Cross, Cassandra; Holt, Thomas J.; Powell, Anastasia; Wilson, M.

doi:10.52922/ti78207

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 20 publications

(27 reference statements)

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“…Australian officers and analysts identified a brain-drain of qualified staff moving to the private sector, suggesting how to attract and keep talent lay in providing additional professional development education, given the short shelf life of effective techniques and the rapidly evolving nature of offending (Harkin et al , 2018). A study of police, cybersecurity experts and civilian perspectives on digital crime in Australia revealed that the readiness of law enforcement to address and investigate digital criminal activity was related to their level of exposure to previous cybercrime cases as well as their knowledge or awareness of the types of digital activity (Cross and Holt, 2021). Limited resources and concern over increasing moral panic or cyber hysteria were offered to explain reluctance among surveyed Canadian officers to engage with youth perpetrators of digital harms such as cyberbullying (Broll and Huey, 2015).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digital displacement of youth offending: addressing the issue

McCord

Birch²,

Bizo³

2022

JFP

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Purpose Global evidence suggests a potential displacement of youth offending from the physical to the digital landscape, requiring revision of existing detection and intervention methods. This study aims to explore pathways from harmful to illegal online activity perpetrated by young people, legislation and police perspectives, current detection methods and interventions. Design/methodology/approach This perspective paper examines issues observed within a larger systematic literature review on digital youth offending. Findings A trajectory from acceptable to harmful and subsequently illegal behaviour was identified, with a particular pathway from unethical video game activity to digitally dependent offending. Legislation and police perspectives vary by jurisdiction, with a common theme that increased officer education is key to the level of preparedness to investigate cases. Machine learning and automatic prevention show promise as detection and disruption processes, with education recommended for young people as a deterrent and redirection of skills to positive outcomes. Research limitations/implications Recommendations for further research include a broad survey of school students to include all identified areas of digital offending, which could drive the development of targeted education by law enforcement and partner agencies for young people. Practical implications The shift in youth offending requires the justice and educational systems to adjust how they respond to youth crime. Policy and practise shifts can include further exploration of investigative hacking, education for law enforcement and educational prevention and redirection programmes aimed at youth. Originality/value The digital displacement of youth offending is a progressively emerging concept. This paper examines the current state of response from educational and law enforcement agencies and discusses the next steps based on what is currently known.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digital displacement of youth offending: addressing the issue

McCord

Birch²,

Bizo³

2022

JFP

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“…Indeed, although victim blame has been established as a consistent experience for online fraud victims, there is little research on why this may be the case. The dominant perspective in the sparse extant literature on victim blame in online fraud adopts Nils Christie's (1986) "ideal victim" thesis (Mazurek, 2019;Sorell and Whitty, 2019;Cross et al, 2019;Cross et al, 2021;Notte et al, 2021). Christie (1986) argued that to be considered a "real" victimand thus deserving of unequivocal victim statusan individual must be weak (sick, old or very young); be carrying out a "respectable project" at the time of victimisation; and be victimised at a place they cannot be blamed for being in.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Scholars agree that the blame experienced by victims of online fraud [and related offences such as art fraud (Nelson and Nelson, 2013;Mazurek, 2019)] can likewise be understood through Christie's (1986) lens (Nelson and Nelson, 2013;Mazurek, 2019;Cross et al, 2019;Sorell and Whitty, 2019;Notte et al, 2021;Cross et al, 2021). According to these scholars, victims of online fraud are not, as a group, deemed especially weak or vulnerable, and cannot be considered to be carrying out a respectable project (because they are often attempting to "get rich quick" for example) or to be in an environment (the internet) that they cannot be blamed for being in.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why do fraud victims get blamed? Lerner’s Belief in a Just World and its application to victims of online fraud

Nataraj-Hansen

Richards

2022

JFC

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Purpose Victims of online fraud face a high level of blame from their families, friends, professionals, the broader community and often from themselves. Victims are commonly perceived as stupid, gullible and undeserving of justice. The reasons for this are under-researched, and there are currently no satisfactory explanations of why victim-blaming occurs so frequently in cases of online fraud. This paper aims to propose a potential theoretical explanation for the high level of blame experienced by online fraud victims. Design/methodology/approach Lerner’s Belief in a Just World (BJW) theory is posited as a helpful theoretical explanation for the high level of blame directed towards victims of online fraud. Findings This paper argues that Lerner’s BJW theory is a helpful framework for understanding the blame faced by victims of online fraud because it posits that behavioural responsibility (a trait commonly ascribed to online fraud victims) is central to perceived blameworthiness; and that compensation for a crime determines the level of blame directed towards victims. As victims of online fraud are exceptionally unlikely to receive any type of compensation (whether monetary or otherwise), BJW may help explain the blame directed towards victims. Originality/value Prior scholarship predominantly understands the blame faced by online fraud victims through the lens of Nils Christie’s (1986) “ideal victim” thesis. This paper presents an advance over this existing understanding by illustrating how BJW provides a more detailed explanation for victim blame in online fraud.

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Assessing the seriousness of cybercrime: The case of computer misuse crime in the United Kingdom and the victims’ perspective

Button

Shepherd

Blackbourn

et al. 2022

Criminology & Criminal Justice

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The reform of the Crime Survey of England and Wales (a national victim survey) has exposed a very high number of individuals who fall victim to computer misuse cybercrimes such as hacking, computer viruses and ransomware. These crimes receive very little attention from the criminal justice system and very few are brought to justice, partly because of the nature of them (global crimes), but also because of a lack of capability among the police. This paper draws on official statistics, an empirical survey and interview research with computer misuse victims. The paper juxtaposes the low priority and lack of resources given to this crime by political and police leaders against many victims’ perceptions and experiences of the crime as equivalent if not more serious than physical counterparts such as burglary, where there is greater interest. The increasing prominence of the virtual world in human life and the impacts of these crimes call for a reappraisal of the official assessment of seriousness in order to raise the priority and increase the capacity of criminal justice towards such offences.

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Responding to cybercrime: results of a comparison between community members and police personnel

Cited by 3 publications

References 20 publications

Digital displacement of youth offending: addressing the issue

Digital displacement of youth offending: addressing the issue

Why do fraud victims get blamed? Lerner’s Belief in a Just World and its application to victims of online fraud

Assessing the seriousness of cybercrime: The case of computer misuse crime in the United Kingdom and the victims’ perspective

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