Recruiting money mules on instagram
A Qualitative Examination of the Online Involvement Mechanisms of Cybercrime
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2153576 |
|---|---|
| Authors | L M J Bekkers (0000-0002-3447-5245, Centre of Expertise Cyber Security, the Hague University of Applied Sciences, The Hague, The Netherlands, corresponding author), Rutger Leukfeldt (0000-0002-3051-0859, Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement), E R Leukfeldt (Centre of Expertise Cyber Security, the Hague University of Applied Sciences, The Hague, The Netherlands) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 44 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 603-619 |
| Publication date | 2023-04-03 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Deviant Behavior (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0163-9625 • E-ISSN: 1521-0456 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/01639625.2022.2073298 |
| OpenAlex | W4280624626 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 19 |
| References cited | 35 |
There are reports that criminal networks advertise on social media to recruit new members. In this paper, we will focus on money mules and examine how they become involved in cybercrime on Instagram. Money mules are used to hide the financial trail of a crime and are thus indispensable for cybercriminal networks. Yet, there is a dearth of research on this group. Based on keywords derived from the literature, 43 Dutch Instagram accounts were identified that are most likely used to recruit money mules. We analyzed the content of said accounts in order to map the recruitment techniques used by criminals online. Insights from previous literature on offline recruitment were used to provide an initial framework for the analysis. Thereafter, results were considered in the light of situational crime prevention. In this article, we will argue that while Instagram indeed offers possibilities for criminals to recruit money mules, different situational strategies can be applied to prevent this. This study underlines the relevance of social media in criminological research and encourages future studies to explore this innovative method further
Advertising · Business · Criminology · Cybercrime · Focus group · Internet privacy · Order (exchange · Political science · Public relations · Qualitative research · Relevance (law · Situational ethics · Social media · Social science · Sociology · The Internet · World Wide Web · Computer Science · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance · Cybercrime and Law Enforcement Studies · Law · Psychology · Social Psychology · Marketing
Examining Financial Trails of Online Frauds and Money Laundering Choices of Cybercriminals
The involvement mechanisms of cybercrime
Social media and organizing violent crime against persons and properties
Butcher or be butchered
Constructing a typology of Cybercrime-Related money mule offenders
From the street to the internet? Exploring hybrid offending among financially motivated cybercriminals
Recruiting co-offenders for financial cybercrime
Specialization in cybercrime and offense versatility during early adolescence and the role of criminogenic needs
The involvement process for financial-economic cyber-enabled crime
Online criminal markets on telegram
Not All Money Is the Same
A Crime Script Analysis of Pao Fen Operations and the Construction of Prevention Strategies
Exploring cybercrime and traditional crime on Telegram in the Netherlands
Have offender demographics changed since the Covid-19 pandemic? Evidence from money mules in South Korea
Violence, Conflicts and Weapons in the World of Financial–Economic Cybercrime
Exploring the factors that differentiate individual and group offenders in cyber-dependent crime
Assessing Human Trafficking and Cybercrime Intersections Through Survivor Narratives
Exploring the Influence of Sociodemographic Backgrounds on Money Mule Recruitment Types in South Korea
Money Mules and Cybercrime Involvement Mechanisms
Recruitment into organised criminal groups
Criminal Careers in Organized Crime and Social Opportunity Structure
Cybercrime on the menu? Examining cafeteria-style offending among financially motivated cybercriminals
The Empirical Status of Social Learning Theory
The Effectiveness of Correctional Rehabilitation
Drugsforsale
Cyber-Dependent Crimes
A situational crime prevention approach to cyberstalking victimization
Laundering the Profits of Ransomware
What Have We Learned from Five Decades of Neutralization Research
Cybercriminal Networks, Social Ties and Online Forums
Situational” Crime Prevention
The Hybridization of Street Offending in the Netherlands
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Techniques of Neutralization
Cybercrimes on the Streets of the Netherlands? An Exploration of the Intersection of Cybercrimes and Street Crimes
Digital Drift and the 'Sense of Injustice
An Assessment of the Current State of Cybercrime Scholarship
Transferring Subcultural Knowledge On-Line
Describing Sexual Behavior in the Era of the Internet
| Unique citing works | 19 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 6,33 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2026 (4) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 19 |