Technology,White-Collar Cybercrime,and White-Collar Crime: An Analysis of Utah’s White-Collar Crime Registry Data

Abstract

Few studies have considered the impact of technology on white-collar crime. This study examines the use of technology in white-collar cybercrimes and compares them to other varieties of white-collar crime using a sample of convicted offenders from Utah’s white-collar criminal registry. The results show that white-collar crimes that were not committed through computer technology were more likely to be incidents such as securities fraud while the white-collar cybercrimes were more likely to be committed by younger offenders and target small businesses and business owners. In addition, few of the white-collar cybercrimes involved the more serious types of cybercrimes (data breaches/hacking, etc.) identified by cyber criminologists. Consistent with past research, the level of technical skills needed among white-collar cybercriminals appeared minimal.

Keywords

cybercrime financial crime business crime

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Ahlfors

(2010). Many sources, one theme: Analysis of cyberbullying prevention and intervention websites. Journal of Social Sciences, 6(4), 515–522. https://doi.org/10.3844/jssp.2010.515.522

Ahmadi

Mesgarianb

Bathaeib

Haddadib

(2021). The impact of information technology on workforce management. Journal of Social, Management and Tourism Letter, 1(6), 1-8.

Boden

Borrego

(2011). Academic departments and related organizational barriers to interdisciplinary research. Higher Education in Review, 8(1), 41-64.

Brewer

Westlake

Hart

Arauza

(2021). The ethics of web crawling and web scraping in cybercrime research: Navigating issues of consent, privacy, and other potential harms associated with automated data collection. In Lavorgna

Holt

(Eds.), Researching cybercrimes (pp. 435–456). Palgrave Macmillan.

Burgess

(2018). Army contractor convicted of cyber-sabotage highlights the reality of insider threats. Clearance Jobs. https://news.clearancejobs.com/2018/09/18/army-contractor-convicted-of-cyber-sabotage-highlights-the-reality-of-insider-threats/

Choi

K. S.

Lee

C. S.

Louderback

E. R.

(2020). Historical evolutions of cybercrime: From computer crime to cybercrime. In Holt

Bossler

(Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of international cybercrime and cyberdeviance, (pp. 27–43). Palgrave Macmillan.

Clinard

M. B.

Yeager

P. C.

Clinard

R. B.

(2017). Corporate crime. Routledge.

Coleman

J. W.

(1987). Toward an integrated theory of white-collar crime. American Journal of Sociology, 93(2), 406–439. https://doi.org/10.1086/228750

Copes

Vieraitis

L. M.

(2009). Understanding identity theft: Offenders’ accounts of their lives and crimes. Criminal Justice Review, 34(3), 329–349. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734016808330589

10.

Cross

(2020). ‘Oh we can’t actually do anything about that’: The problematic nature of jurisdiction for online fraud victims. Criminology & Criminal Justice, 20(3), 358–375. https://doi.org/10.1177/1748895819835910

11.

De Groot

(2020). The history of data breaches. Data Insider. https://digitalguardian.com/blog/history-data-breaches

12.

Drew

J. M.

Drew

M. E.

(2012). Who was swimming naked when the tide went out? Introducing criminology to the finance curriculum. Journal of Business Ethics Education, 9(Special Issue), 63–76.

13.

Fabrikant

Kalb

P. E.

Bucy

P. H.

Hopson

M. D.

(2021). Health care fraud: Enforcement and compliance. Law Journal Press.

14.

Federal Bureau of Investigation . (2002). 2001 Internet fraud report. https://www.ic3.gov/Media/PDF/AnnualReport/2001_IFCCReport.pdf

15.

Federal Bureau of Investigation . (2020). Crime in the United States, 2019. https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2019/crime-in-the-u.s.-2019/topic-pages/property-crime

16.

Federal Bureau of Investigation . (2021a). Internet crime report. https://www.ic3.gov/Media/PDF/AnnualReport/2020_IC3Report.pdf

17.

Ferguson

(2019). Ex-Equifax CIO gets 4-month prison term for insider trading. Data Breach Today. https://www.databreachtoday.com/ex-equifax-cio-gets-4-month-prison-term-for-insider-trading-a-12704

18.

Ferguson

(2020). Former IT administrator sentence in insider threat case. Bank Info Security. https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/former-administrator-sentenced-in-insider-threat-case-a-14358

19.

Friedrichs

D. O.

(2009). Trusted criminals: White collar crime in contemporary society. Cengage Learning.

20.

Galvin

M. A.

(2020). Substance or semantics? The consequences of definitional ambiguity for white-collar research. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 57(3), 369–399. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022427819888012

21.

Gibbs

Gore

M. L.

McGarrell

E. F.

Rivers

III, L.

(2010). Introducing conservation criminology: Towards interdisciplinary scholarship on environmental crimes and risks. The British Journal of Criminology, 50(1), 124–144. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azp045

22.

Gottschalk

Hamerton

(2022). White-collar crime online: Deviance, organizational behavior. Palgrave Macmillan.

23.

Hamerton

(2020). White-collar cybercrime: Evaluating the redefinition of a criminological artifact. Journal of Law and Criminal Justice, 8(2), 67–79. https://doi.org/10.15640/jlcj.v8n2a6

24.

Hofkirchner

Schafranek

(2011). General system theory. In Hooker

(Ed.), Philosophy of Complex Systems (Vol. 10, pp. 177–194). https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-52076-0.50006-7

25.

Holt

T. J.

Bolden

M. S.

(2014). Technological skills of white supremacists in an online forum: A qualitative examination. International Journal of Cyber Criminology, 8(2), 79–93.

26.

Jahankhani

Al-Nemrat

Hosseinian-Far

(2014). Cybercrime classification and characteristics. In Akhgar

Staniforth

Bosco

(Eds.), Cyber crime and cyber terrorism investigator's handbook (pp. 149–164).

27.

Jansen

Junger

Montoya

Hartel

P. H.

(2013). Offenders in a digitized society. In Stol

W. P.

Jansen

(Eds.), Cybercrime and the police (pp. 45–59). (Safety & security studies). Eleven International Publishing.

28.

Jasperson

J. O.

Dearden

T. E.

Miller

R. M.

(2021). Perceptions of white-collar crime registries. Journal of Financial Crime, 29(2), 639-652. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFC-03-2021-0075.

29.

Karsten

(2017, April 21). As criminals adapt to new technology, so must international law. The Brookings Institution. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/techtank/2017/04/21/as-criminals-adapt-to-new-technology-so-must-international-law/

30.

Leahey

Barringer

S. N.

(2020). Universities’ commitment to interdisciplinary research: To what end? Research Policy, 49(2), 103910. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2019.103910

31.

Leukfeldt

E. R.

Kleemans

E. R.

Stol

W. P.

(2017). A typology of cybercriminal networks: From low-tech all-rounders to high-tech specialists. Crime, Law and Social Change, 67(1), 21–37. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10611-016-9662-2

32.

Levenson

J. S.

Grady

M. D.

Leibowitz

(2016). Grand challenges: Social justice and the need for evidence-based sex offender registry reform. Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare 43(2), 3–38.

33.

Levitt

S. D.

(2006). White-collar crime writ small: A case study of bagels, donuts, and the honor system. American Economic Review, 96(2), 290–294. https://doi.org/10.1257/000282806777212161

34.

Liggett

Lee

J. R.

Roddy

A. L.

Wallin

M. A.

(2020). The dark web as a platform for crime: An exploration of illicit drug, firearm, CSAM, and cybercrime markets. In Holt

Bossler

(Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of international cybercrime and cyberdeviance, (pp. 91–116). Palgrave Macmillan.

35.

Lituchy

T. R.

Rail

(2000). Bed and breakfasts, small inns, and the Internet: The impact of technology on the globalization of small businesses. Journal of International Marketing, 8(2), 86–97. https://doi.org/10.1509/jimk.8.2.86.19625

36.

Lohrmann

(2021). 2020 data breaches point to cybersecurity trends for 2021. Government Technology . https://www.govtech.com/blogs/lohrmann-on-cybersecurity/2020-data-breaches-point-to-cybersecurity-trends-for-2021.html

37.

Maimon

Alper

Sobesto

Cukier

(2014). Restrictive deterrent effects of a warning banner in an attacked computer system. Criminology, 52(1), 33–59. https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9125.12028

38.

Martin

(2021). Ethics and internet-based cybercrime research in Australia. In Lavorgna

Holt

(Eds.) Researching cybercrimes (pp. 401–417). Palgrave Macmillan.

39.

McGee

(2020). Insider sentenced for sabotaging PPE shipments. GovInfo Security. https://www.govinfosecurity.com/insider-sentenced-for-sabotaging-ppe-shipments-a-15244/

40.

Miller

K. S.

Gaines

L. K.

(1997). Scamming: An ethnographic study of workplace crime in the retail food industry. Criminal Justice Studies, 10(1), 3-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/1478601X.1997.9959447.

41.

Palvalin

Lönnqvist

Vuolle

(2013). Analysing the impacts of ICT on knowledge work productivity. Journal of Knowledge Management, 17(4), 545–557. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-03-2013-0113

42.

Pavlo

(2015). Collateral consequences and the piling on of the Utah white collar registry. Criminal Law Practitioner, 2(2), 1–4.

43.

Payne

B. K.

(2016b). White-collar crime: The essentials. Sage Publications.

44.

Payne

(2018). White-collar cybercrime: White-collar crime, cybercrime, or both? Criminology, Criminal Justice, Law & Society, 19(3), 16–32.

45.

Payne

(2022). White-collar crime: A systems approach (3rd ed.) Sage.

46.

Payne

May

D. C.

Hadzhidimova

(2019). America’s most wanted criminals: Comparing cybercriminals and traditional criminals. Criminal Justice Studies, 32(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/1478601X.2018.1532420

47.

Payne

B. K.

(2016a). Expanding the boundaries of criminal justice: Emphasizing the “s” in the criminal justice science s through interdisciplinary efforts. Justice Quarterly, 33(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/07418825.2015.1068837.

48.

Pontell

H. N.

(2016). Trivializing white-collar crime: Theory, definition and praxis. In Cullen

Benson

Van Slyke

(Eds.), The oxford handbook of white-collar crime. Oxford University Press.

49.

Rautmare

(2020). Former Microsoft engineer sentenced to nine years in prison. Bank Info Security. https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/former-microsoft-engineer-sentenced-to-9-years-in-prison-a-15340

50.

Robinson

(2014). Why do people commit crime? An integrated systems perspective. In Pycroft

Bartollas

(Eds.), Applying complexity theory: Whole systems approaches to criminal justice and social work, (pp. 59–78). Bristol University Press.

51.

Román

Rodríguez

Jaramillo

J. F.

(2018). Are mobile devices a blessing or a curse? Effects of mobile technology use on salesperson role stress and job satisfaction. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 33(5), 651–664. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-05-2017-0123

52.

Shover

Cullen

F. T.

(2008). Studying and teaching white‐collar crime: Populist and patrician perspectives. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 19(2), 155–174. https://doi.org/10.1080/10511250802137200

53.

Simon

D. R.

(2018). Elite deviance. Routledge.

54.

Spaic

Nolasco

C. A.

Tsai

L. C. F.

Vaughn

M. S.

(2019). Does insider trading pay? An analysis of trading and tipping activities in insider trading litigation. Journal of Financial Crime, 26(2), 647-664. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFC-07-2018-0068.

55.

Steinmetz

K. F.

(2015). Becoming a hacker: Demographic characteristics and developmental factors. Journal of Qualitative Criminal Justice & Criminology, 3(1), 1–29. https://doi.org/10.21428/88de04a1.af131ffc

56.

Tappan

P. W.

(1947). Who is the criminal? American Sociological Review, 12(1), 96-102. https://doi.org/10.2307/2086496.

57.

Tewksbury

(2005). Collateral consequences of sex offender registration. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 21(1), 67–81. https://doi.org/10.1177/1043986204271704

58.

Tysiac

(2018). Why cybercriminals are targeting CPAs. Journal of Accountancy, 225(6), 77–83.

59.

Utah Attorney General’s Office (2020). White collar crime offender registry. https://www.utfraud.com/RegistryLists/ShowList?regList=1

60.

Vestby

(2021). Cheats, threats and reflexivity: Organizational narratives on policing organized and economic crime. The British Journal of Criminology, 62(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azab054.

61.

Walker

J. T.

(2007). Advancing science and research in criminal justice/criminology: Complex systems theory and non‐linear analyses. Justice Quarterly, 24(4), 555–581. https://doi.org/10.1080/07418820701717110

62.

Wall

D.S.

(2005). The internet as a conduit for criminal activity. In Pattavina

(Ed.), Information technology and the criminal justice system (pp.77–98). Sage Publications.

63.

Wall

D. S.

(2013). Enemies within: Redefining the insider threat in organizational security policy. Security Journal, 26(2), 107-124. https://doi.org/10.1057/sj.2012.1.

64.

Williams

M. L.

Levi

Burnap

Gundur

R. V.

(2019). Under the corporate radar: Examining insider business cybercrime victimization through an application of routine activities theory. Deviant Behavior, 40(9), 1119–1131. https://doi.org/10.1080/01639625.2018.1461786

65.

Wilson

Maimon

Sobesto

Cukier

(2015). The effect of a surveillance banner in an attacked computer system: Additional evidence for the relevance of restrictive deterrence in cyberspace. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 52(6), 829–855. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022427815587761