NESTA Crime Online - University of Brighton Repository

that employees are more concerned about getting caught by their employer than about
the law or morality of their conduct. 181
Our interviews with directors of fraud investigation units in leading financial institutions
confirm this view. However, they point out that in an economic environment in which job
stability is elusive threatens, loyalty to the employer. Hence there is always the
temptation of quick financial rewards. Thus employees are now increasingly less worried
about the employer too. One interviewee suggested that the ‘instant gratification’ of
today’s culture contributes to the readiness of employees to compromise confidential
data. And such behaviour is not limited to those in low paid jobs. 182
Another way illegally to obtain data is by mail interception. Fraudsters have a variety of
strategies for accessing post once it is delivered. These include targeting properties with
external or multiple mailboxes in a secure area, or by gaining access to the property
itself. More sophisticated fraudsters will have a range of safe addresses and will arrange
for particular items of mail to be redirected, perhaps by advising the bank of a change of
address, ordering a duplicate card, or reporting a lost card and requesting a new card
and pin number. 183,184
(b) Use of cyber capabilities to harvest data.
Credit card fraudsters are becoming much more adept at exploiting new technologies for
their criminal activities. They are keeping pace with technological developments and
even outpacing them through the adaptation and upgrading of existing software tools.
181 192.com Business Services, (2008), The Fraudster’s Modus Operandi. London.
182 These directors also highlight a greater concern with insider agents than external fraudsters. One director of
the fraud investigation unit of a leading financial institution also noted that debit card fraud is more significant
than credit card fraud. This is because debit card transactions are processed the same day, whether they are
domestic or international. So this makes it easier for “insider” debit card fraudsters to operate. Interview
conducted 26 th November 2008.
183 Interviews with directors of fraud investigation units of two leading financial institutions, 11 th and 26 th
November 2008. For details on how mail interception is carried out, see 192.com Business Services, (2008),
The Fraudster’s Modus Operandi. London.
184 According to Experian (2008) redirecting a person’s post to a different address, continues to grow in the UK
as means of perpetrating ID theft. Experian (May 2008): Victims of Fraud Dossier.
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