Organized crime and cybercrime

Abstract

Over the past 15 years, it has been suggested that organized crime is or might be linked to cybercrime, and the term “cyber-organized crime” has come to be used by policymakers, law enforcement officials, media outlets, and academics to refer to a variety of criminal phenomena online. However, empirical evidence is still limited and inconclusive as to whether organized crime groups have moved their activities online or new criminal actors have created organized groups in cyberspace. This chapter clarifies important definitional issues on what actually qualifies as organized crime and cybercrime, presents state-of-the-art research on the relationships between organized crime and cybercrime, and critically discusses how the “cyberorganized crime” narrative has emerged and established itself in policymaking, media, and academic narratives. By the end of the chapter, it will be clear that organized crime has a presence in cyberspace, but the equalization of online criminal networks involved in serious cybercrimes and organized crime should not be taken for granted, especially bearing in mind the recommendations of organized crime scholars that we need something more than certain forms of organizational structure to have organized crime. Any criticism about pairing cybercrime and organized crime is not to deny the seriousness of cyber-related risks. Nonetheless, critical attention and rigor in the terminology employed are needed before crystallizing the use of the “cyber-organized crime” narrative, with important consequences in terms of resource allocation and action prioritization.