• E4J University Module Series: Cybercrime

• Module 13: Cyber Organized Crime

• Introduction and learning outcomes

• Key issues

• • Cyber organized crime: What is it?
  • Conceptualizing organized crime and defining the actors involved
  • Criminal groups engaging in cyber organized crime
  • Cyber organized crime activities
  • Preventing and countering cyber organized crime
  • Conclusion
  • References

• Exercises and case studies

• Possible class structure

• Core reading

• Advanced reading

• Student assessment

• Additional teaching tools

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• First published in June 2019
  
• Regional Perspective: Eastern and Southern Africa - added in April 2020

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  This module is a resource for lecturers  

Student assessment

In addition to the exercises, other assessment tools used in this Module are review questions and homework assignments. 

Review questions

The questions can also be used to promote class discussions during the lecture.

• What is cyber organized crime? How do criminal groups engage in cyber organized crime?
• What are the structures and characteristics of organized criminal groups that engage in cyber organized crime?
• What are some examples of cyber organized crime activity?
• What are the ways in which cyber organized crime is committed?
• What measures can be used to counter cyber organized crime?

Homework Assignment

Students can be assigned one or more of the following assignments to be completed before class as a written homework assignment (one to three pages long) and/or be part of the class discussion:

Homework # 1 - Online Dark Markets and Criminal Enterprises

Ross William Ulbricht (discussed in this Module) was the administrator of Silk Road, a notorious drug bazaar only accessible via ToR. Instruct students to review and write a summary on the following case and answer the questions underneath: United States v. Ross William Ulbricht (2016), On Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York Brief for the United States of America (Case 15-1815).

• Why was Silk Road considered a criminal enterprise?
• What other online dark markets were considered a criminal enterprise? Why?

Homework # 2 - National Laws on Cyber Organized Crime

Choose a cyber organized crime. Conduct research on the laws in your country. What, if any, laws are used to prosecute your selected cyber organized crime? What are the limits of these laws in prosecuting this cyber organized crime?

Homework # 3 - Technological Solutions

Several technological solutions have been deployed to counter cyber organized crime.

Conduct research on technological solutions to counter cyber organized crime. Identify one solution not covered in this Module and core readings.

Answer the following questions:

• What technological solution did you find?
• What cyber organized crime was it designed to identify?
• Where was it deployed? By whom?
• What are the pros and cons of using this technological solution? 

Homework # 4 - Education Campaigns

Education campaigns covering cyber organized crime have been deployed worldwide.

Conduct research on an education campaign in your country that seeks to counter cyber organized crime.

• What education campaign did you find?
• What form of cyber organized crime does it target?

Next: Additional teaching tools

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