41 research outputs found
Cybercriminal networks and operational dynamics of business email compromise (BEC) scammers: insights from the âBlack Axeâ Confraternity
I explored the relationship between the âBlack Axeâ Confraternity and cybercrime, with a particular emphasis on the structural dynamics of the Business Email Compromise (BEC) schemes. I investigated whether a conventional hierarchical system governs the membership and remuneration for BEC roles as perpetrators by interviewing an accused âleaderâ of the âBlack Axeâ affiliated cybercriminal incarcerated in a prominent Western nation. I supplemented the analysis of interview data with insights from tapped phone records monitored by a law enforcement entity. I merged Actor-network theory and Social Network theory as analytical frameworks and thematically analyzed data to produce six overarching themes: (1) The fluidity of Structure and Adaptive Roles in BEC, (2) Challenges in Visualizing Criminal Networks, (3) Globalization and Transnational Dimensions, (4) Social and Cultural Influences, (5) Internal Cybersecurity Threats and Money Laundering, and (6) Remuneration and Influences of Cryptocurrency, casting a brighter light on the topic. Unlike traditional organized crime, BEC scammers have adopted a nonhierarchical model that is flexible and fluid. I found no evidence of a rigid hierarchy dictating positions and remuneration for BEC roles. Instead, I observed that cybercriminals involved in BEC activities functioned horizontally, promoting fluidity, maneuverability, collaboration, and specialization across various facets of their illicit pursuits. I also highlighted the cross-border links BEC offenders have with other criminal actors facilitated by Black Axe organizational machinery. My research adds value to the existing body of knowledge, utilizing a unique dataset comprising direct testimonies of a high-profile BEC offender affiliated with the âhardâtoâaccess,â Black Axe gang
Betrayals in Academia and a Black Demon from Ephesus
The poem is about my PhD experience. The title and parts of the themes are derived from an incident in the Bible (Acts 19:13-20). In order to provide a deeper meaning to my story, I have deployed a biblical allusion which connects with the story of the sons of Sceva, who made unsuccessful attempts to exorcise a man from Ephesus. They failed primarily because they operated not in the spirit but in the flesh
âSome Animals Are More Equal Than Othersâ: The Hierarchy of Citizenship in Austria
While this article aims to explore the connections between citizenship and âraceâ, it is the first study to use fictional tools as a sociological resource in exemplifying the deviation between citizenship in principle and practice in an Austrian context. The study involves interviews with 73 Austrians from three ethnic/racial groups, which were subjected to a directed approach to qualitative content analysis and coded based on sentences from George Orwellâs fictional book, âAnimal Farmâ. By using fiction as a conceptual and analytical device, this article goes beyond the orthodox particulars of citizenship to expose the compressed entitlements of some racial/ethnic minorities. In particular, data analysis revealed two related and intertwined central themes: (a) âall animals are not equal or comradesâ; and (b) âsome animals are more equal than othersâ. All âanimalsâ may be equal in principle, whereas, in practice, their âraceâ serves as a critical source of social (dis)advantage in the âanimal kingdomâ. Thus, since citizenship is a precondition for possessing certain rights that non-citizens are not granted, I argue that citizenship cannot only be judged by whom it, in theory, excludes (i.e., non-citizens), but also by how it treats the included (i.e., citizens) on the basis of their âraceâ. I conclude that skin colour is a specific aspect of the hierarchy of citizenship in Austria, which reinforces that âsome animals are more equal than othersâ
Demonstrating the therapeutic values of poetry in doctoral research: autoethnographic steps from the enchanted forest to a PhD by publication path
We rarely acknowledge the achievements of doctoral candidates who fought with all they had but still lost the battle and dropped out â we know so little about what becomes of them. This reflective article is about the betrayals of PhD supervisors in one institution, the trauma and stigma of withdrawing from that institution, writing poetry as a coping mechanism and the triumph in completing a Thesis by Publication (TBP) in another institution. Thus, I build on Lesley Saundersâs idea about using poetry to operate on âa personal capacityâ in educational research. Accordingly, I present an original autoethnographic poem and other poetic artefacts as well as reflections to sharpen the sociological eye of my story. In it, I merge two different segments of experiences in poetry â trauma and triumph â to draw an image of my doctoral journey, in the moment and in retrospection. By doing so, I illuminate the struggles involved in becoming an independent researcher. I also encourage practitioners to conceive that their negative experiences in doing educational research can be transformed into an achievement depending on the stand they take when faced with it. Certainly, poor academic performance can be closely associated with abandoning doctoral studies, but that is not always the case. Therefore, it is my hope that this autoethnographic work may instill hope in doctoral candidates who are still in the struggle to find a voice
Birds of a feather flock together: The Nigerian cyber fraudsters (yahoo boys) and hip hop artists.
This study sets out to examine the ways Nigerian cyber-fraudsters (Yahoo-Boys) are represented in hip-hop music. The empirical basis of this article is lyrics from 18 hip-hop artists, which were subjected to a directed approach to qualitative content analysis and coded based on the moral disengagement mechanisms proposed by Bandura (1999). While results revealed that the ethics of Yahoo-Boys, as expressed by musicians, embody a range of moral disengagement mechanisms, they also shed light on the motives for the Nigerian cybercriminals' actions. Further analysis revealed additional findings: âglamorization/de-glamorization of cyber-fraudâ and âsex-roles-and-culturesâ. Having operated within the constraint of what is currently available (a small sample size), this article has drawn attention to the notion that Yahoo-Boys and some musicians may be âbirds of a feather.â Secondly, it has exposed a âhunter-and-antelope-relationshipâ between Yahoo-Boys and their victims. Thirdly, it has also highlighted that some ethos of law-abiding citizens is central to Yahoo-Boysâ moral enterprise. Yahoo-Boys, therefore, represent reflections of society. Arguably, given that Yahoo-Boys and singers are connected, and the oratory messages of singers may attract more followers than questioners, this study illuminates the cultural dimensions of cyber-fraud that emanate from Nigeria. In particular, insights from this study suggest that cyber-fraud researchers might look beyond traditional data sources (e.g., cyber-fraud statistics) for the empirical traces of âculture in actionâ that render fraudulently practices acceptable career paths for some Nigerian youths
Establishing the particularities of cybercrime in Nigeria: theoretical and qualitative treatments
This thesis, which is based on six peer-reviewed publications, is a theoretical and qualitative treatment of the ways in which social and contextual factors serve as a resource for understanding the particularities of âcybercrimeâ that emanates from Nigeria. The thesis illuminates how closer attention to Nigerian society aids the understanding of Nigerian cybercriminals (known as Yahoo Boys), their actions and what constitutes âcybercrimeâ in a Nigerian context. âCybercrimeâ is used in everyday parlance as a simple acronym for all forms of crimes on the internet, whereas âcybercrimeâ in a Nigerian context is rooted in socioeconomics and determined by it. In particular, the defrauding of victims for monetary benefit is the most significant theme that emerged from the analysis of Yahoo Boys. While all six publications are situated at the intersections of multiple fields of study, they all share a common endorsement of the constructionist/interpretivist position. The six published works comprise: [a] three conceptual publications; and [b] three empirical publications. The conceptual publications deconstruct the meanings of multiple taken-for-granted concepts in cybercrime scholarship and develop more robust conceptual lenses, namely: (1) âDigital Spiritualizationâ; (2) âThe Tripartite Cybercrime Framework â TCFâ; and (3) âThe Synergy between Feminist Criminology and the TCFâ. These new conceptual lenses represent the candidateâs contribution to developing theory in the field. Alongside this, the empirical section includes three sets of qualitative data, which include: (1) interviews with seventeen Nigerian parents; (2) lyrics from eighteen Nigerian musicians; and (3) interviews with forty Nigerian law enforcement officers. These diverse sources of qualitative data provide a more fully-developed understanding of âcybercrimeâ in the Nigerian context (and elsewhere). All six-published works, while individually contributing to knowledge, collectively shed clearer light on the centrality of cultural context in the explanation of âcybercrimeâ
Social media users compare internet fraudsters to Nigerian politicians
Public opinion on social media has been defending the actions of internet fraudsters by comparing them to those of Nigerian politicians, drawing attention to efforts to root out the fraudsters while ignoring the behaviour of those in power, Suleman Lazarus writes
What Nigerian hip-hop lyrics have to say about the countryâs Yahoo Boys
The article is based on lyrics from 2007 to 2017 involving 18 hip-hop artists. All the songs I studied were by male singers apart from one entitled, âMaga no need pay,â which involved seven multiple artists. In all the songs, the glamorization of cybercrime and cybercriminals was one of the most significant themes. The implications are discussed
Laments of an Immigrant Ashore
The poem gives a voice to many refugees who died crossing borders and many more asylum seekers who will lose their lives crossing international borders
Advantageous comparison: using twitter responses to understand similarities between cybercriminals (âYahoo boysâ) and politicians (âYahoo menâ)
This article is about the manifestations of similarities between two seemingly distinct groups: cybercriminals and politicians. Which linguistic strategies do Twitter users use to express their opinions on cybercriminals and politicians? The study undertakes a qualitative analysis of âengagedâ tweets of a Nigerian law enforcement agency. We analyzed and coded over 100,000 âengagedâ tweets based on a component of mechanisms of moral disengagement (i.e., advantageous comparison), a linguistic device. The results reveal how respondents defend the actions of online fraudsters (âthe powerless groupâ) by strategically comparing them to the wrongful acts of corrupt politicians (âthe powerful groupâ). Similarly, the results show how respondents positioned this linguistic strategy to compare âthe powerless groupâ (online fraudsters) and âthe powerful groupâ (politicians) in society. Indeed, tweet responses suggest that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) generally looks downwards for culprits (i.e., online fraudsters) while ignoring fraudulent politicians. We conclude that the process by which some actions are interpreted as a crime compared to others is a moral enterprise