Crime Script Research Articles

Unveiling the Patterns of Romance Scams in South Korea

Romance scams, a prevalent form of cybercrime, have surged globally, with South Korea experiencing a rapid rise. Furthermore, perpetrators have adopted increasingly sophisticated tactics. However, South Korea's unique legal framework and the lack of comprehensive regional studies have led to insufficient preventive measures and responses. This research aims to elucidate the modus operandi of South Korean romance scams and highlight their distinguishing features. By employing crime script analysis and conducting interviews with investigators, this study delineated three pre-crime scripts and thirteen criminal event scripts. The research reveals distinctive features of these scams, including the extensive use of KakaoTalk for romantic communications, the significant influence of South Korean cultural norms on scam operations, and the increasing use of advanced technologies such as deepfakes. These findings provide a comprehensive understanding of the unique dynamics of romance scams in South Korea, thus facilitating the development of more effective preventive strategies and responses.

Unravelling the Zheyun Ye football scandal: A crime script analysis of the modus operandi to commit money laundering and tax fraud

Unravelling the Zheyun Ye football scandal: A crime script analysis of the modus operandi to commit money laundering and tax fraud

Situational crime analysis of poaching within Territorial Use Rights Fisheries (TURFs)

IntroductionIllegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing poses a significant threat to marine resource management globally. Environmental criminology plays a vital role in understanding and mitigating IUU activities by focusing on the contextual elements surrounding these crimes. This study examines the dynamics of poaching within areas managed through Territorial User Rights for Fisheries (TURFs), with a specific emphasis on the loco (Concholepas concholepas) fishery in Chile.MethodsEmploying Crime Script Analysis (CSA) as the primary methodological lens, this research meticulously deconstructs the criminal process involved in TURFs poaching operations. CSA is used to identify key elements, providing a comprehensive understanding of poachers modus operandi. Additionally, by integrating CSA with Situational Precipitators of Crime (SPC), the study identifies critical factors such as environmental conditions, socio-economic disparities, and enforcement weaknesses that shape poaching opportunities within TURFs. ResultsThe analysis reveals a complex interplay between SPC factors, underscoring their role in shaping poaching dynamics. Key findings highlight the importance of specific environmental conditions, socio-economic disparities, and enforcement weaknesses in facilitating poaching activities. The study identifies various tactics and strategies employed by poachers and the roles of different actors involved in the poaching process. DiscussionBuilding upon these findings, the study proposes a comprehensive Situational Crime Prevention (SCP) framework aimed at effectively combating TURFs poaching. The framework emphasizes the importance of striking a careful balance between restrictive and inclusive measures to mitigate potential negative consequences. The study contributes valuable insights into understanding and addressing IUU fishing, particularly within TURFs in Chile.

Different Scripts, Different Casts: A Crime Script Analysis Indicating Intimate Partner Violence is Not All the Same

Different Scripts, Different Casts: A Crime Script Analysis Indicating Intimate Partner Violence is Not All the Same

Scripting mortgage fraud for the motion picture: “Fraud and its interrelationship with the financial services sector in the UK”

This article examines how mortgage fraud is organised in the United Kingdom, what the crime-commissioning processes are for its occurrence and what exogenous conditions and influences support its existence and its capacity to reproduce. The article aims to extend understanding beyond the micro-individual-level, such as causal agency, the biographies of actors and their social relations with one another; to a level of understanding that encompasses macro-structural and facilitative factors and conditions that exist in the financial services sector. The research strategy is supported by a multiple case study design, which involves the cross-case analysis of three multi-million-pound mortgage fraud conspiracies. The study combines criminology with sociological inquiry that employs Clegg’s circuits of power theory as a conceptual framework to examine how the roles and activities of fraudsters and key professional agents are otherwise supported by the convergence of dispositional and facilitative conditions and influences in the financial services sector. It is this circuit that supports the existence of mortgage fraud and its capacity to reproduce. Crime scripting is used as a means of transposing the circuits of power framework into criminological research, as the schema is representative of the interrelationship of the causal, dispositional and facilitative powers through which the organisation of mortgage fraud is possible.

Crime script analysis of the illegal sales of spiny-tailed lizards on YouTube

AbstractThe oil derived from the spiny-tailed lizards (STLs) is illegally sold as an alternative medicinal aphrodisiac that is claimed to cure male sexual dysfunction in addition to other bodily ailments. The high demand generated from this illegal trade is rapidly depleting the species from its natural habitat. The goal of this research is to uncover the process of cyber-enabled illegal trade in STLs. To achieve this goal, this research uses data from a total of 127 videos and 4608 comments associated with these videos and the crime script analysis technique to outline and detail the steps taken to poach, prepare, and sell oil derived from spiny-tailed lizards (STL) and other protected wild animals on YouTube. The results indicate that sellers, operating primarily from Pakistan, employ a variety of techniques to attract buyers, such as preparing the oil by dissecting alive STL while being captured in the video to show the authenticity of the product. In addition to YouTube, sellers use other social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter/X, to communicate with potential buyers and to advertise their products. These products are shipped around the world using international courier services, such as DHL and TCS, with primary markets in South Asia and the Middle East. The sellers accept money transactions from Western Union, MoneyGram, and PayPal. They also seem to operate without any major restrictions from local authorities or host social media platforms. Based on these findings, this research proposed various recommendations for policy and practice.

Stolen data markets on Telegram: a crime script analysis and situational crime prevention measures

Stolen data markets on Telegram: a crime script analysis and situational crime prevention measures

대마 매매 패턴 및 공범의 개입 시기에 대한 판결문 기반 범죄 스크립트 분석

대마 매매 패턴 및 공범의 개입 시기에 대한 판결문 기반 범죄 스크립트 분석

Preventing poaching in marine protected areas: A crime script analysis to inform interventions

Ubiquitous poaching poses a persistent challenge to marine protected areas (MPAs) management. The global consensus to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030 has heightened the importance of effective MPA management. However, the law enforcement capacity for open-access common pool issues is frequently constrained. There remains an ongoing imperative to expand the knowledge on how to combat poaching. Drawing from environmental criminology approaches, this paper illustrates crime scripts of documented poaching cases in Taiwan's MPAs over the past decade to detail crime commission process and develops prevention strategies. We identify that poachers were often involved shore-based diving, shoreline handpicking and poaching by boats during clear summer evenings in easily accessible MPAs. To prevent marine poaching, suggested key interventions include managing access and exists, controlling fishing equipment, rationally deploying patrolling capacity and natural surveillance measures, creating traceable seafood supply chains, and increasing public vigilance and awareness. Environmental criminology approaches make poaching predictable and enable the precise allocation of law enforcement resources at a certain level. To further improve effectiveness of prevention strategies, we highlight the need to periodically review crime scripts and associated policies when new cases are identified. In addition, incorporating techniques from the best practices in MPA management into prevention strategies can also enhance the effectiveness of environmental criminology approaches in MPA poaching. This paper can inform the development of interventions and enhancing the management of MPAs toward global objectives.

Characteristics and situational aspects of seafood fraud: a comparative crime script analysis

Seafood fraud is a global concern. High-value products with a diversity of species, production methods and fishery origins provide a business environment that is both conducive to criminality and financially lucrative. However, there is scarce empirical evidence on the nature of seafood fraud. This study aims to increase the understanding of deceptive practices in the seafood industry, the crime commission process and to identify possible intervention points. Ten case studies that had resulted in successful prosecutions were analysed using performed crime scripts to understand the actors, resources, processes, fraud techniques, conditions and the payment, sale and distribution of illicit products through legitimate supply chains. The crime scripts for each fraud were created using open-source intelligence, including media sources, publicly available court filings and company records. Similar to other white-collar offences, fraud opportunity was facilitated by leveraging existing resources, relationships and industry reputation to enable and conceal fraudulent practices. In all cases, fraud was perpetrated by senior management, undermining internal control mechanisms. Other fraud enablers included the availability and pricing of substitute products, lack of end-to-end traceability and the inability of supply chain actors, including consumers, to detect fraud. Also notable was the extent of employee involvement, so this paper considers impediments to external disclosure, particularly for migrant workers. The study enriches the food fraud literature by using crime script analysis to understand preparation, execution, and opportunity structures of seafood fraud. By emphasising the nature of fraudulent activities in specific markets, rather than solely focusing on perpetrators, it offers a more comprehensive approach to understanding environmental and situational influences. These insights, scarce in the current literature, are vital for shaping effective intervention strategies.

Unravelling the organisation of ivorian cyberfraudsters: Criminal networks or organised crime?

This article delves into the organisation of Ivorian cyberfraudsters, known as “brouteurs”, who engage in romance scams and sextorsion, and it questions the various structures through which these fraudsters operate. The study's findings are based on data collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with cyber-fraudsters in Abidjan during a two-month field trip. The statements made by the brouteurs were analysed using thematic content analysis, which highlighted various roles and activities undertaken assumed by different individuals within these groups. A relatively clear trend emerges regarding the structure of these groups and the social connections within their organisation. It is possible to distinguish between sextorsion and romance scam groups, on one hand non-hierarchical and more fluid and opportunistic, on the other hierarchical, with defined roles and activities, engaged in other serious offenses. Both have international connections, may them be accomplices, money mules, underground bankers or corrupt public agents. While brouteurs acknowledge that "Everyone is part of a network.", these first results show different forms of organisation of cybercriminal Ivorian groups. The question which follows is whether these groups constitute cybercriminal networks or organised cybercrime. Future research in this direction, such as the development of crime scripts, can help institutions take effective measures to combat the transnationalisation of cyberfraud.

Financial Crime Scripting: an Analytical Method to Generate, Organise and Systematise Knowledge on the Financial Aspects of Profit-Driven Crime

AbstractThis article presents a further development of the existing crime scripting framework to enhance insight in the financial aspects of profit-driven crime: financial crime scripting. By drawing on the foundations of crime script analysis, financial crime scripting allows to generate, organise and systematise knowledge about the financial aspects of the crime commission processes of a variety of crime types, and accounts for linking the dots with financial crimes, such as bribery, bankruptcy fraud and money laundering. Viewing these financial crimes as supporting or succeeding offences in light of profit-driven crimes, and at the same time providing guidance to analyse these offences as profit-driven crimes in itself, opens the door for detailed analyses without losing sight of the bigger picture, i.e., the interconnectedness with other crimes. This analytical method helps crime researchers to take into account the financial aspects of crime-commission processes in crime script analyses and could help law enforcement agencies and other crime prevention partners to go beyond a proceeds-of-crime approach and put a follow-the-money approach in practice. Financial crime scripting takes full account of the financial aspects of profit-driven crime and puts relevant concepts in broader perspective, enhancing understanding with conceptual clarity. In addition to outlining the framework, the relevance for policy and practice is unravelled and avenues for future research are discussed.

The age of extremism: a crime script analysis of violent and nonviolent extremists according to age of first extremist act

Purpose The purpose of this study is to compare violent and non-violent extremists in terms of their age when they first perpetrate an extremist act, and to understand how this relates to other factors underlying extremist behaviours. While the end goal of many extremists may be functionally similar, the pathways into extremism vary, and the literature has demonstrated that a “one-size-fits-all” explanation does not exist. Motivational drivers are complex and dynamic; therefore, attempting to identify a terrorist “profile” has limited applied efficacy. Design/methodology/approach This study applied a temporal approach (“crime script analysis” or CSA) to identify, map and compare the sequential stages (or “scenes”) in the life histories of violent and non-violent extremists who have committed acts of extremism across different age groups. Crime scripts comprising mainly qualitative data for 40 male extremists (20 violent, 20 non-violent “cases”) were developed, and CSA was conducted according to the age at which they committed their first extremist offence. Findings Results demonstrated key temporal, developmental differences between the pathways of extremists who commit their first offence at different ages. One key difference was that for both the violent and non-violent extremists, those under 30 used the internet as a main means of joining networks and spreading information, whereas the over 30s made more personal, community links. Originality/value This research can aid identification of potential environmental triggers and potential increased susceptibility to triggers across certain age groups.

Understanding the organisational structure of fisheries crime in well-regulated fisheries

Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing is recognised as a global environmental, economic, and social problem, taking place in all kinds of fisheries. Preventing it is however difficult and there is a continuous need to expand the knowledge base on how the issue can be addressed. In this article we study fisheries crime from an environmental criminology approach by conducting a crime script analyses to describe the organisational structure of unreported fishing in a well-regulated fishery. The approach gives detailed insights into the different steps in the crime commission process in the Norwegian coastal cod fisheries. The crime script technique is expanded to also include an analysis of the regulatory framework designed to prevent illegal fishing activities. The main MCS mechanisms to prevent illegalities are present but the diversity in the industry makes the implementation of universal prevention mechanisms difficult. The analysis highlights the fisher-buyer dialogue and interactions prior to misreporting as a core aspect to the organisation of the violations, and difficult to regulate. When linking regulations and guardianship to different steps of the crime we discuss the identified vulnerabilities in the resource control system and present some possible intervention points and prevention mechanisms to be considered by policymakers.

Minor‐focused sextortion by adult strangers: A crime script analysis of newspaper and court cases

AbstractSummarySextortion is a form of image‐based sexual abuse in which an offender threatens to distribute sexually explicit images, videos, or information to gain victim compliance. In some sextortion incidents involving minor children, offenders are adult strangers who coerce victims into self‐producing child sexually abusive materials (CSAM). Despite the growing concern regarding minor victims of sextortion, there is a lack of empirical investigation of adult offenders who exclusively target minor children for the production of CSAM and the steps and decisions these offenders take to commit sextortion. Utilizing a sample of 130 minor‐focused sextortion cases gathered from news media and court documents, the current study employed crime script analysis and inductive qualitative methodology to investigate how adult offenders commit sextortion. The results indicated that adult offenders specifically targeting minor children move through several crime scripts: preparation, entry, instrumental actions, crime commission, and exit.Policy ImplicationsMinor‐focused sextortion perpetrated by adult offenders is executed in stages, each with accompanying preventive solutions. Investing in education that teaches youth to recognize grooming, develops safety practices online, and removes barriers to reporting should be a priority for schools and parents. Increased adoption of technology and policies that would allow social media platforms to detect CSAM, remove fraudulent accounts, and streamline reporting would also disrupt these crimes.

Crime script analysis of drug importation into Australia facilitated by the dark net

ABSTRACT A growing facilitator of drug trafficking are dark net markets, which enable transactions between sellers and buyers of illicit drugs around the world. This study aimed to develop a crime script for drug importation into Australia and identify potential crime prevention points within the crime script. To achieve this, a content analysis of 18 Australian court sentencing transcripts was conducted. The final crime script consisted of five general steps taken by offenders (preparation, access, purchasing, receiving and storage) followed by three script tracks based on the purpose of importation (selling on the dark net domestically, selling offline and personal use). This study will contribute to the current knowledge of the crime commission process of buyers on the dark net by focusing on online and offline steps, and the importation in the Australian context. Through these insights, this study will conclude by looking at potential specific and tailored crime prevention measures.

Your files have been encrypted: a crime script analysis of ransomware attacks

Your files have been encrypted: a crime script analysis of ransomware attacks

Following the (DNM) Bible? A crime script analysis of darknet drug vending

Following the (DNM) Bible? A crime script analysis of darknet drug vending

In the Name of Dark Web Justice: A Crime Script Analysis of Hacking Services and the Underground Justice System

The Dark Web serves as a key venue for peddling illegal goods and services, from stolen possessions and drugs to illicit activities. The concurrent increase in Tor network usage and the development of cryptocurrency has led to the creation of major black market sites. One of the most popular illicit services offered on the Dark Web is hacking, which includes website/social media account hacking, Denial-of-service attacks, and custom malware. At the same time, the Dark Web community has formed its own justice system leveraging the layer of anonymity that exists between underground community users and the cybercrime ecosystem. Existing studies predominantly focus on the major drug market operating on the Dark Web, firearm sales, sexual exploitation, and money laundering. To address the gaps in the current research as well as the relative nascency of an underground justice system to monitor hacking services on the Dark Web, this study attempts to broadly capture the dynamic nature of hacking services, which requires continuous research to identify new trends and develop effective responses. The study aims to examine the characteristics and the operations of the hacking service market and the underground justice system on the Dark Web via an in-depth examination of Dark Web forums with a crime script analysis vis-à-vis thematic analysis. The study defines the crime script as that which includes pretrial, mid-trial, finalization, and exit stages. This research sheds light on Dark Web justice courts’ procedures and the courts’ implications for shaping the future of the Dark Web.

Toward a Typology of Child Sex Traffickers: Using Crime Script Analysis to Inform Prevention

ABSTRACT Preventing child sex trafficking remains an urgent concern for public health and criminal justice professionals. Using crime script analysis, this study identified a typology of child sex traffickers (CSTs). Data for this study were drawn from 78 child sex trafficking cases involving 54 CSTs and 48 victims of commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) investigated by the Child Protective Investigation Unit in a predominately rural and suburban county. Using a decision tree model, we identified subtypes of child sex traffickers (CSTs) and explored patterns and variation in the victim recruitment tactics used by these subtypes during three phases of the victim recruitment crime script – find, groom, and exploit. Seven types of CSTs emerged from the cases: Peer/Acquaintance, Organized Crime, Family Abuser, Romantic Coercive Conman, “Mate Crime” Predator, Opportunistic, and Cyber traffickers. Both shared and unique tactics were identified such as social media and peer recruitment to find victims, promises, and gifts to groom victims, and threats and violence to ensnare victims. Based upon the study findings, we recommend specific prevention strategies and education themes related to the various at-risk situational scenarios and documented tactics used by CSTs at each phase of victim recruitment.