Violence, Conflicts and Weapons in the World of Financial–Economic Cybercrime

Abstract The digitization of society has facilitated cafeteria-style offending behaviours among financially motivated offenders: offenders exploit technological possibilities to enhance already existing crime scripts. This raises questions about the presence of offline crime elements in the commission of online crimes. Specifically, the current study explores how physical violence and threats are embedded in the realm of financial–economic cybercrime through an examination of 15 finalized Dutch police investigations. It appeared that violence, threats and firearms are indeed linked to cybercrime offending in various ways. They serve as tools to recruit new members and secure cooperation from co-offenders, but also as a reaction to conflicts within and between criminal networks, sometimes resulting in assault, explosions and shootouts.