ABSTRACT
Cybercrime has very different characteristics compared to traditional crime: it is inherently geographically dispersed, and it goes beyond the need for victims and perpetrators to be physically located in the same place when the crime happens. This chapter provides some case studies across a range of cybercriminal operations to show that, although criminals are free to adapt and add complexity to their operations, they are constrained by their need to make money. It shows that pressuring banks and credit card processors to stop processing illicit payments is an effective solution to shut down criminal operations. The chapter also shows that tracking physical people who ship stolen goods and tracking parcels containing goods bought with stolen credit cards can be effective in fighting credit card fraud. It discusses potential new financial means that cybercriminals could use to avoid these measures. An option is turning to crypto currencies such as bitcoin.
