BAE Systems Detica commissioned a report, Organized Crime In The Digital Age, by the John Grieve Centre for Policing and Security at London Metropolitan University to look in detail at the structure of organized digital crime groups, how they are using information and communications technology to perpetrate their crimes, and how these new threats can be tackled. As the report indicate, digital crime is evolving, fast. As the real and online worlds converge, both the frequency and the variety of offenses are increasing. Serious offenses can now be committed with minimal physical resources. The spectrum of activity and players is broad, bewildering, and constantly changing: from hack attacks on banks, through online gambling rings and black markets, to old-fashioned, real-world violence for control of hi-tech digital tools.
Key Findings:
- Evidence suggests we are entering a fourth great era of organized crime, as online and offline worlds converge.
- 80 per cent of digital crime may now originate in some form of organized activity.
- Digital crime is not only the preserve of tech-savvy youths – nearly half (43%) of organized digital crime group members are over 35 years of age, whereas only one third (29%) are under 25.
- Half of groups comprise six individuals or more, with one quarter comprising 11 or more.
- 25 percent of active groups have operated for less than six months.
- Offline groups are increasingly using digital tools in ways that further ‘traditional’ criminal behavior
As the report indicates, that technology is being used by criminals in an ever increasing fashion. A large portion of digital crime volume is associated with groups that display various levels of collective coordination, purpose, and capacity.
