NESTA Crime Online - University of Brighton Repository

conceal this. Third, the device contains a memory stick, which records all this
information for fraudsters to recover and start using these stolen cards. 144 There is a low
level of technical knowledge necessary to operate the cloning kits. According to a fraud
investigation director of a large bank, Romanian gangs seem to monopolise this
activity. 145 The information is used to generate fake cards and withdraw money from
ATMs or make purchases. To turn these cards into cash, criminal gangs generally
develop a network of ‘runners’, who extract money from cash points for a commission.
Other forms of exploitation do not require any technical skills. Many buyers of stolen
data also use the services of experienced individuals who will convert the stolen goods,
such as bank account credentials, into online currency accounts or money transfers. 146
These people are called cashiers. Drop services provide criminals who have purchased
items online with stolen credit cards with a convenient and reliable address to which
they can mail stolen goods. In exchange for these services, cashiers and drop services
charge a fee, which is usually a percentage of the cash involved in the transaction. 147
2.1.2 Linkages between cybercriminals
Cybercriminals link mostly over Internet Relay Chats and illicit web forums,
which serve as meeting points and marketplaces for fraudsters.
Value chain analysis also highlights the relevance of understanding dynamic linkages
between the activities along the chain. Links between productive activities go beyond
particular sectors and firms. By concentrating on the nature of the connection among all
actors, value chain analysis allows us to uncover the flow of economic, organisational
and coercive activities between producers within different sectors on a global scale. 148
In the cybercrime value chain we could consider two types of link. First are those within
each criminal organisation and between hackers and cybercriminal networks. There has
144 192.com Business Services, (2008), The Fraudster’s Modus Operandi. London, p.8.
145 Interview with the Director of a fraud investigation unit of a leading financial institution, 26 th November
2008.
146 Symantec, (2008), “Symantec Report on the Underground Economy”, July 07–June 08.
147 Jaikumar Vijayan, 20 th October 2007, 'A Hacker's Holiday Shopping List, Computerworld.
148 Kaplinsky R, and Morris M., (2001), A Handbook for Value Chain Research. International Development
Research Centre: Ottawa.
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