![handle is hein.journals/crmlsc62 and id is 1 raw text is: Crime Law Soc Change (2014) 62:1-20
DOI 10.1007/s10611-014-9520-z
Crime from the keyboard: organised cybercrime,
co-offending, initiation and knowledge transmission
Alice Hutchings
Published online: 10 June 2014
O Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014
Abstract This paper examines a predominantly Australian sample of computer crime
offenders involved in fraud and/or unauthorised access. This paper focuses on the
extent to which offenders are involved in organised crime, the nature of the relationship
between co-offending, initiation and knowledge transmission, and how the online
environment facilitates organised crime and co-offending. This qualitative analysis
draws from interviews with self-identified offenders, law enforcement officers who
investigate these offenses, and court documents, providing a unique understanding of
organised crime involving computer systems.
Introduction
Due to the hidden nature ofthe population who engage in offending involving computer
systems, it is often unclear to what extent such activities are attributable to organised
crime syndicates, sole operators, or other groups [1]. Felson [2] states that criminolo-
gists, along with the mainstream media, tend to overstate the extent that commonplace
crimes are organised. However, research evidence indicates that computer crime of-
fenders do work and collaborate together to some extent [3, 4], both on- and offline [5].
Jordan and Taylor [6] suggest that the hacker community is characterised by a fluid,
informal and loosely structured membership, with a high turnover.
The computer crimes that are considered in this paper are those that compromise
data and financial security. These offences affect the public greatly, including the direct
cost of victimisation, emotional harm, and associated costs, such as banks passing on
losses through higher fees. Many computer crimes are not reported to authorities [7],
and of the small percentage of computer crimes that are reported, less than 20 per cent
are likely to result in criminal charges [8]. Whilst under-reporting and under-
prosecution may be typical of most crime types, computer crimes are notoriously
difficult to bring to prosecution, with problems including inadequate legislation, lack
of evidence, and jurisdictional difficulties [8, 9].
A. Hutchings (E)
University of Cambridge, Computer Laboratory, William Gates Building, 15 JJ Thomson Avenue,
Cambridge CB3 0FD, UK
e-mail: ah793(acl.cam.ac.uk
4L Springer](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.journals/crmlsc62&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
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