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

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Abstract

Which opportunities due to digitization are exploited by criminals? And how do criminals gather the required ICT-expertise to take advantage of these opportunities? This exploratory study provides insight into criminals seeking ICT-expertise by analyzing five Dutch cases. This paper shows that criminals seeking ICT-expertise take advantage of companies and employees in the ICT-sector that act in a gray area. It is noteworthy that the initial contact of criminals seeking ICT-expertise is often immediately directed to criminal collaboration. In these cases, ‘capacity’ is more important than ‘contact’. Furthermore, this paper discusses the role of forums for criminals seeking ICT-expertise. Criminals take advantage of the transfer of knowledge on forums and the existence of crimeware-as-a-service. Finally, this study falsifies the statement that there is a clear division between traditional offender groups taking advantage of the possibilities arising from ICT, and crime groups operating exclusively online. In practice, there are many connections between online and offline activities.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Law, VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1105 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Nadine Bijlenga & Edward R. Kleemans

Authors
  1. Nadine Bijlenga
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  2. Edward R. Kleemans
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nadine Bijlenga.

Additional information

In collaboration with Team High Tech Crime (THTC) of the Dutch police.

Appendix 1

Appendix 1

List of topics

  1. 1.

    General information

    • Total number of suspects

    • Structure of the group

    • Continuity of activities within offender group

    • Names, dates of birth, and other characteristics of main suspects

    • Qualities of the group members

  2. 2.

    Main suspects

    • Profession

    • Criminal record

    • Particulars (work history, specialization, language, etc.)

    • Role within offender group

    • Motives

    • (Technical) level of expertise

    • Benefits of cooperation

    • Costs and risks of cooperation

  3. 3.

    First encounter

    • Who takes the initiative?

    • Mechanism to get involved (existing social contacts, work, sidelines and leisure activities, negative life events, deliberate recruitment, etc.)

    • How and when did cooperation start?

  4. 4.

    Advantages and disadvantages traditional offender group

    • Benefits of cooperation

    • Costs and risks of cooperation

  5. 5.

    Advantages and disadvantages ICT-specialists

    • Benefits of cooperation

    • Costs and risks of cooperation

  6. 6.

    Evaluation

    • New insights

    • Possibilities to falsify previous findings of research?

    • Possibilities to verify previous findings of research?

    • Possibilities to specify previous findings of research?

  7. 7.

    Implications for policy

    • Why were criminal activities easy to carry out?

    • Why were criminal activities difficult to carry out?

    • Possibilities to increase the perceived exertion

    • Possibilities to increase the perceived risk

    • Possibilities to decrease the perceived profits

    • Possibilities to remove excuses

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Bijlenga, N., Kleemans, E.R. Criminals seeking ICT-expertise: an exploratory study of Dutch cases. Eur J Crim Policy Res 24, 253–268 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10610-017-9356-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10610-017-9356-z

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