ABSTRACT

Cybercrime has become an integral part of the transnational threat landscape and conjures up pressing images of nefarious and increasingly complex online activity. The tension between the law enforcement perspective on the one hand, and the assertions within oft-accessed and cited literature on cybercrime on the other, may appear to be a little odd given the accepted use of technology by criminals generally. There are undoubtedly criminal elements (known colloquially as 'super-empowered criminals') operating in the online environment as obtainers and disseminators of identity and identity-related information. Given the assertions made concerning organised cybercrime, however, the capacity for, and desire of, traditional organised crime groups to engage in cybercrime should be evaluated. The catalyst behind the debate concerning traditional organised crime online, or online crime that is organised, is the nature and quality of evidence adduced in support of either and/or both camps.