Illicit financial flows of cybercrime in West Africa

• In Event: Cybercrime Working Group - Trends in cybercrime 1

Abstract

Cyberfraud cannot take place without operations involving the receipt and expenditure of criminal proceeds, using money laundering strategies. A two-month field study conducted in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, led by the Institut de lutte contre la criminalité économique, aimed to investigate these operations in cases of cyberfrauds and is presented in this contribution. Researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with various actors from the Ivorian cybercriminal milieu, through which they explored group dynamics and roles assigned within criminal organisations, resources used for their activities, and mechanisms for transferring and spending illicit funds. The knowledge gathered describes operational methods that have rarely been investigated and can inform international institutions combating cybercrime and money laundering of cybercriminal assets to devise targeted countermeasures.

Authors

• Cristina Cretu-Adatte, Institut de lutte contre la criminalité économique, HEG-Arc, HES-SO // Haute école de Suisse occidentale

• Olivier Beaudet-Labrecque, Institut de lutte contre la criminalité économique, HEG-Arc, HES-SO // Haute école de Suisse occidentale