This study seeks to explore the characteristics of cyber-organised crime (OC), and focuses on the criminal activities of cyber-OC groups, their modus operandi, the organisational structures, the ‘profiles’ of the involved offenders, and the characteristics of criminal investigation into these cases. For this purpose we will focus on the following research questions:1.Is organised crime involved in cybercrime? What kind of cybercrime do organised crime groups commit?2.How do organised crime groups use the Internet to commit ‘traditional crimes’?3.Does the Internet provide windows of opportunity for the development of new business ideas and for the identification and approaching of new targets?4.Does the Internet lead to structural changes in organised crime?5.Is cybercrime organised? How, why and when?6.How does the criminal investigation of (organised) cybercrime work in practice and which best practices and challenges can be identified?
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Crime script analysis as a methodology to analyse criminal processes is underdeveloped. This is apparent from the various approaches in which scholars apply crime scripting and present their cybercrime scripts. The plethora of scripting methods raise significant concerns about the reliability and validity of these scripting studies. In this methodological paper, we demonstrate how object-oriented modelling (OOM) could address some of the currently identified methodological issues, thereby refining crime script analysis. More specifically, we suggest to visualise crime scripts using static and dynamic modelling with the Unified Modelling Language (UML) to harmonise cybercrime scripts without compromising their depth. Static models visualise objects in a system or process, their attributes and their relationships. Dynamic models visualise actions and interactions during a process. Creating these models in addition to the typical textual narrative could aid analysts to more systematically consider, organise and relate key aspects of crime scripts. In turn, this approach might, amongst others, facilitate alternative ways of identifying intervention measures, theorising about offender decision-making, and an improved shared understanding of the crime phenomenon analysed. We illustrate the application of these models with a phishing script.
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The Annual Conference on the Human Factor in Cybercrime is a small and specialised scientific event that aims to bring together scholars from around the world to present their research advances to a select audience. Its dynamic and linear format favours group discussions since all contributions are heard by all the attendants. This, together with its tailored social scheme, promotes interaction between members, which—in turn—leads to new collaborations. However, it has not yet been analysed whether the design of the conference actually encourages varied participation and fosters collaborative networks among its participants. The purpose of this chapter is to assess participation in the 2018 and 2019 editions to determine whether this is the case. Using descriptive analyses, here we show how participation in the conference has varied and examine the composition of the collaboration networks among the participants. The results show an increased and more diverse participation in the 2019 meeting along with a greater presence of stakeholders. Furthermore, the findings reveal that members of previously established organisations play an important role in cohering the network. Yet few connections exist between academia and practice. A further analysis of the strengths and weaknesses identified in the two editions of the conference serves to elaborate a series of recommendations for future editions.
