A criminal marketplace
The business models of serious and organised crime groups are constantly evolving in response to the changing environment. One of the most significant recent developments in these models has been the growth of ‘crime as a service’ – a criminal business model that allows offenders to outsource criminal activities, purchase expertise and distance themselves from the crimes they direct.
Traditionally, serious and organised crime groups were responsible for multiple or all stages of the criminal operations they were involved in. Today, crime as a service is being used by individuals and groups – they are hiring hackers, drivers, shooters and money launderers online. Getting specialist and/or vulnerable offenders to do this work enables crime groups to direct activities remotely, including from offshore, and protects them from scrutiny. This business model often exploits vulnerable individuals, including young people, with activities ranging from hacking and money laundering to extortion, arson and/or individual acts of violence. This model enables criminals to purchase capabilities they don't have themselves, as well as enable serious and organised crime groups to be more flexible, scalable and difficult to detect.
Technology as an enabler
Our intelligence shows serious and organised crime groups often use technical means to connect the people willing to commit offences with those who are willing to pay for them. Criminal networks operate online, using both established apps and building their own secure platforms. Encrypted messaging platforms and online marketplaces allow criminals to communicate, recruit and coordinate activities while concurrently concealing their identities from each other and from intelligence and law enforcement agencies. These secure platforms can be used to target vulnerable people, advertise criminal tasking and organise criminal activities without those involved ever having to meet face to face.
Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission Deputy CEO Intelligence Adam Meyer explains:
"We are absolutely seeing it become far more central to the broader organised crime business model, with crime as a service becoming more significant, more serious and indeed, more violent."
Three youths were arrested for the deliberate arson attack of a tobacco store in Queensland.
Investigations indicate that they were opportunistically recruited by adult strangers who approached them on the street. The youths were offered a payment of $2,000 to carry out the arson, believed to be part of the escalating ‘Tobacco Wars’.
Communication between the parties occurred both face-to-face and via Snapchat. The adults provided all necessary tools and instructions to facilitate the attack.
Despite the initial offer, the youths ultimately received only $190 for their involvement.
Recruiting the next generation
One of the most concerning aspects of this trend is the recruitment of young people to carry out criminal activity. We continue to see serious and organised crime groups targeting minors because they are often easier to influence, accessible online and viewed as expendable. These young people are being recruited to steal cars, traffic drugs, commit arson and/or undertake other acts of violence on behalf of criminal networks. They are often only exposed to a small part of the criminal act itself and often do not have any exposure to the wider criminal enterprise for whom they are operating.
"They'll understand the specific act that they've been asked to undertake. But in many cases, they're unlikely to have any knowledge of the bigger picture and what that might lead to."
A growing impact on communities
The consequences of crime as a service are being felt in all communities across Australia. This outsourcing of crime to others by organised criminal networks is becoming more visible, with public acts of violence, arson attacks and intimidation affecting businesses, families and communities. Serious and organised crime groups are increasingly willing to get others to do their dirty work, having no regard for the harm they cause from afar.
Staying ahead of the threat
"We're in a technology arms race with organised crime."
Understanding how these criminal business models operate is an important part of building awareness and resilience. By recognising how organised crime groups exploit technology and recruit vulnerable people to undertake their criminal activity, we can better understand the challenges facing Australia and the importance of a coordinated response to make our communities safer and more hostile to criminal exploitation.
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