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Global Crimes Analysis

Global Crimes Analysis

February 19, 2017

BCC/395 - Contemporary Issues and Futures in Cybercrimes

John Kane

Joel Rodriguez
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Global Crimes Analysis

Global Crimes: Disparate Resources and Forces

With the development of technology, many persons throughout the world have transpired

and conspired to commit organized crime, cybercrime and human trafficking. Dependent upon

region, the laws enacted the resources available for law and order, forensics, prosecution, and/or

international collaboration and cooperation, prosecution rates differ (“Comparing,” 2012). After

all, lesser developed nations challenged with the tasks of economic security and the health and

welfare of the people often suffer from limited law enforcement and/or limited technologies to

identify, track and/or pursue many persons engaged in any of the aforementioned crimes

(Megias, 2011). Aided by technological development, internet communications and other

communication technologies, the reaches of these criminals have increased as have the extent of

their crimes (Richardson, 2008; Grainger, 2010).

Accordingly, the United Nations has fostered international cooperation agreements;

hosted conferences devoted to these issues and encouraged collaborative agreements among

nations and within regions. The European Union serves as one example; so does Interpol.

Nevertheless, any and/or all of these crimes can and do threaten the sovereignty of nations, their

legitimacy and the health and welfare of persons throughout the world. Therefore, the United

Nations has vehemently contended that concomitant action is necessary (Megias, 2011;

“Comparing,” 2012).
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Global Crimes Analysis

Transnational Crime and Dual Criminality

While cases like the 2011 Operation Phish Phry required joint operations between the

United States and Egypt to identify individuals involved in the phishing scheme targeting bank

customers, other cases such as those like the Love Bug computer virus inspired other actions

(Megias, 2011). Whereas, the phishing operation utilized authentic looking bank websites and

appropriate disclaimers as gateways for users, both the Love Bug virus and the phishing

operation used social engineering as the vehicle (Megias, 2011). Traveling through emails sent

from persons most respondents knew, the Love bug virus inspired considerable damage. Emails

also directed many unsuspecting users to the bank “phishy” bank webpages where personal

information was abstracted. Both ensued billions of dollars of losses.

The phishing operation was developed by persons in the U.S. and targeted U.S. bank

users (Megias, 2011). However, the bank transfers were actually performed by persons in Egypt.

Even though the Los Angeles Division of the FBI press release does not disclose what happened

to the persons in Egypt involved in the crime, the press release does disclose the penalties for

those in the U.S. It also highlights the cooperation between law enforcement agencies in Egypt

and the U.S. Since both of these nations have worked together in business as well, this

cooperation is not unlikely. Among nations that are not allies, however, cooperation is less

likely.
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Global Crimes Analysis

Because of this, perhaps, the European Union has worked toward mitigating these

difficulties (“Comparing,” 2012). It has strived toward harmonizing laws, where applicable

and/or fostering cooperation when transnational crime involves other European Union members.

This partially eliminates problems arising from the lack of dual criminality. After all, a person

who commits a crime against one nation such as bank fraud through the internet may not be

extradited to the nation in which the bank exists if the person did so in a nation that lacks a

parallel law. This was the case with the “Love bug” virus. In fact, the high school graduate in the

Philippines responsible for the cybercrime could not be extradited because of the dual criminality

principle (Megias, 2011).

The Philippines lacked a law pertaining to such crimes. Although this has since changed,

it demonstrates how laws emerge and how nations develop cooperative agreements and/or

treaties and conventions (Megias, 2011). Almost all of them are behind reality. That is to say,

they are reactionary in nature rather than preventative.

Disparate Resources, Forces and Focus

Still other problems plague the international community relative to law enforcement,

crime trends and the resources devoted to such crimes. After all, each criminal justice system, its

statutory codes and classifications reflect its socio-historical influences and its cultural ones. In

many cases, the focus of these efforts also reflects regional interaction with neighboring nation-

states, ethnic and cultural groups (“Comparing,” 2012). The following Shaw et.al. (2003) charts

demonstrate these aspects.

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Global Crimes Analysis

(Shaw et.al, 2003)

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Global Crimes Analysis

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Global Crimes Analysis

(Shaw et.al, 2003)

When one considers these elements and the proportions spent on law enforcement, courts,

and prosecution, the aforementioned contentions about socio-historical, political and cultural

aspects become clear. While all these agencies are charged with law and order and societal to

protection, the types of crimes that challenge these societies, the proportionality of them and the

presence or absence of other criminal actors and influences most certainly inform how these

sectors are arranged and the amount of resources directed toward them. In particularly volatile

regions, joint operations serve the national interests of the host and foreign nations and the

international ones.

For example, joint security operations in Georgia in the Middle East delimit drug

smuggling and terrorism, In the Caucasus region, situated among nation states recognized after

World War I and after the fall of the Soviet Union, statehood, national security, economic

viability and the construction of national identities have proven especially difficult (Nichol, 208)

t. Nevertheless, the U.S. provides additional security to Georgia and works jointly on many

police activities.

This type of arrangement is not always possible. It necessitates significant investments

from the foreign forces. It requires trust and most nations would not or could not engage in joint

operations to this degree. Such operations demonstrate weaknesses, especially when they are so

evident within mainstream society. This is why cooperative agreements, treaties, Interpol

operatives and investigations and information sharing are critical to national and international

security.
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Global Crimes Analysis

Conclusion

Despite the investments in international security, international treaties and cooperative

criminal justice agreements, criminal activities including human trafficking, conspiracies to

commit murder, cybercrimes, organized crime and large-scale drug trafficking persists. Each

holds the potential to destabilize nations, prove the ruling parties illegitimate and endanger

numerous innocent people. As demonstrated in the “Love bug” virus case and the phishing

operation previously detailed, even cybercrime can prove detrimental to persons in some

geographically distant location. The damages to the businesses, to those whose identities were

stolen, etc. are exponential. In fact, Richardson (2008) contends the average cost to businesses

per attack is $350, 000 (p. 2). Despite prosecution of the offenders in the U.S. most of those

damages are not recovered. This, too, delimits the capacity of law enforcement to perform their

duties.

For all of these reasons, information sharing among agencies is important. As shown by

the agreement the EU nations have, such agreements can prove fruitful. They can lessen the

resources committed toward law enforcement, forensics, prosecution, etc. They can prevent

crimes from escalating and/or yielding even greater damages. More importantly, such

agreements and activities can extend the capabilities of the home law enforcement and thereby

increase its ability to serve and protect and do so effectively and efficiently.
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Global Crimes Analysis

References

Comparing criminal justice systems (2012 February). National Audit Office: House of

Commons. Retrieved from

http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/1012/criminal_justice_systems.aspx

Goodchild, J. (2009). Social engineering: Anatomy of a hack. NetworkWorld. Retrieved from

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/020409-social-engineering-anatomy-of-a.html

Granger, S. (2010). Social engineering fundamentals, part I: Hacker tactics. Symantec. Retrieved

from http://www.symantec.com/connect/articles/social-engineering-fundamentals

-part-i-hacker-tactics

Lead defendant in international computer hacking ring sentenced in two cases to 13 years’ in

federal prison. Los Angeles, CA: Federal Bureau of Investigations. Retrieved from

http://www.fbi.gov/losangeles/press-releases/2011/lead-defendant-in-international-

computer-hacking-ring-sentenced-in-two-cases-to-13-years-in-federal-prison

Megias, A. (2011). How cybercrime affects cybercrime prosecution. Information policy.

Retrieved from http://www.i-policy.org/2011/02/how-cyber-jurisdiction-affects-

cybercrime-prosecution.html

Nichol, J. (2008 March 7). Georgia [Republic] and NATO enlargement: Issues and implications.

CRS Report for Congress.

Richardson, R. (2008). CSI Computer crime & security survey. Retrieved from

http://i.cmpnet.com/v2.gocsi.com/pdf/CSIsurvey2008.pdf

Shaw, M., van Dijk, J. & Rhomberg, W. (2003). Determining trends in global crime and justice:
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An overview of results from United Nations surveys of crime trends and operations of

criminal justice systems. Retrieved from

http://www.unodc.org/pdf/crime/forum/forum3_Art2.pdf