Mark Button

• PhD
• Professor at University of Portsmouth

This article examines 100 convicted case files of cybercriminals, 80 of which concern online romance fraud. While all were prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Nigeria, many involve multiple offenses, including crypto investment fraud and hacking. The study provides critical insights into offender profiles and the criminal...

This study examines how cybercriminals exploit deceptive recruitment tactics and digital platforms to entrap and exploit victims in human trafficking within the cybercrime context. It employs Migration and Transnationalism perspectives to elucidate the intersection of human trafficking and cybercrime operations in Cambodia. Using thematic analysis...

Bribery, including its various forms such as political contributions and gift-giving in return for favourable treatment in government tenders, present a challenge for law enforcement authorities around the world. While bribery undermines the well-being of people, the rule of law, and harms market competition around the globe, the vast majority of w...

This qualitative research examines the phenomenon of online romance fraud, exploring it from contrasting perspectives. The study engaged two distinct groups of participants: (1) fraudsters actively involved in online romance scams (commonly referred to as “Sakawa Boys”) and (2) police officers with experience in investigating and policing internet...

This study used an emic approach to examine the dynamics of online romance fraud, focusing on the migration of offenders from Nigeria to Ghana. We collected data through qualitative methods, such as semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. Ghanaian police officers and Nigerian law enforcement officers were consulted for their perspec...

Cross-border fraud, including its various forms such as online retail fraud, pyramid schemes, romance fraud and pig butchering, is a major problem around the world. Despite clear evidence that cross-border fraud is growing, there is little research charting the scale of cross-border fraud and the optimal policing responses to deal with it. This pap...

The 2023 UK Government Fraud Strategy indicated that fraud poses a significant threat to the people, prosperity and security of the UK. It is by far the most common crime and now accounts for over 40% of all offences in England and Wales. Ghana, India and Nigeria have been identified as key jurisdictions of risk for fraud that targets the UK. Comm...

Raising awareness to combat scams has become a central strategy of fraud/scam prevention. Using data from a wider evaluation of a targeted campaign to improve fraud prevention and awareness for older adults predominantly over 75, this paper offers findings on the most effective means of dissemination of anti-scam communications to this group. The p...

We examine cryptocurrency fraud cases prosecuted by Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). We considered the lens of the Space Transition Theory (STT) in exploring the dynamics of these digital crimes. Our data analysis reveals common types of fraud, including cryptocurrency investment schemes. The results show an exclusive male...

Methods of domestic abuse are progressively incorporating computer misuse and other related online offences and digital tools, escalating opportunities for perpetrators to monitor, threaten and humiliate their victims. Drawing on empirical research involving media case study analysis, a technology review and interviews undertaken with 21 profession...

This study explores the experiences of attempted frauds and victimisation which use largely telephone-based means of communication on predominantly over 75s in the United Kingdom. Using a postal survey targeted at the clients of a charity working mostly with this age group, two surveys were conducted during the 18-month life of the project, securin...

Purpose A significant number of criminal and deviant acts are investigated by nonpolice actors. These include private investigators who charge fees for their services, professional services firms such as firms of accountants who also charge fees, in-house investigators employed by private organisations and in-house investigators of public sector or...

An important recent trend is the increased role of social media influencers in facilitating the trade. Influencers are regarded as trusted opinion leaders in their online communities, so their views matter to followers. Rights holders leverage this trust by offering products to influencers who can help promote them. However, some complicit influenc...

An evidence base of what works using high-quality evaluations in tackling societal problems has become the norm in many spheres, including tackling traditional crime. Yet, as we show in the example of fraud faced by organisations, high-quality evaluations are not always possible, or even necessary for tackling problems effectively. Drawing on a rev...

Purpose This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of literature on policing money laundering to evaluate the quality of evidence presented in academic and grey literature. In doing so, this paper reflects upon what strategies and mechanisms work in preventing, detecting and disrupting money laundering. Design/methodology/approach To invest...

Product counterfeiting is a large and global economic crime that causes significant economic, social and personal harms. Facilitated by the efficiency and convenience of e-commerce, finding and buying counterfeits have never been easier. Going beyond product listings on websites, counterfeiters are now using sophisticated marketing techniques to pr...

There is a debate at the highest levels of government and civil society over whether the rise in fraud is a blip exacerbated by the pandemic or a more fundamental transformation (or flip) in the structure of crime. This paper examines this debate by exploring the social factors influencing the level of fraud. It does so by conceptualising these fac...

This article is about the manifestations of similarities between two seemingly distinct groups of Nigerians: 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 'engaged' tweets of an elite law enforcement agency...

The reform of the Crime Survey of England and Wales (a national victim survey) has exposed a very high number of individuals who fall victim to computer misuse cybercrimes such as hacking, computer viruses and ransomware. These crimes receive very little attention from the criminal justice system and very few are brought to justice, partly because...

Do men and women perceive cybercrime types differently? This article draws on the distinction between socio-economic and psychosocial cybercrime proposed by Lazarus (2019) to investigate whether men and women hold different perceptions of digital crimes across these two dimensions. Informed by the synergy between feminist theory and the Tripartite...

How do tweets reflect the long-standing disparities between the northern and southern regions of Nigeria? This study presents a qualitative analysis of Twitter users' responses (n = 101,518) to the tweets of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) regarding the production and prosecution of cybercrime. The article uses postcolonial pers...

Do men and women perceive cybercrime types differently? This article draws on the distinction between socio-economic and psychosocial cybercrime proposed by Lazarus (2019) to investigate whether men and women hold different perceptions of digital crimes across these two dimensions. Informed by the synergy between feminist theory and the Tripartite...

In recent years, the Darknet has become synonymous with a wide range of potential criminal activities from the purchase of fraudulent credit cards, sale of drugs to access to child pornography. This chapter reports on a recent small-scale research on brand abuse on the Darknet. The research project emerges from a desire to begin to understand of ho...

This paper is based on a survey of 331 private investigators predominantly based or working in the UK. It offers findings on the background, roles undertaken, tools used and outcomes of their work. It divides the investigators into four main groups: private investigators (or detectives), investigators working for forensic accountants, in-house priv...

This paper provides a unique insight into the impact of computer misuse crime, such as hacking, denial of service attacks, ransomware and computer viruses/malware on individual and small and medium sized enterprises/organisation (SME/O) victims in the UK. Based upon in depth interviews with 52 (38 individual and 14 SME/O) victims it shows that thes...

The growth in size, role and authority of private security has triggered a variety of regulatory reactions. These have stimulated a growing academic debate on preferred regulatory models. This paper summarizes the key existing models of regulation. It then provides a critique of the observations of Loader and White (Regul Gov 11(2):166–184, 2017) o...

The technological changes of the last 30 years have facilitated a substantial increase in cybercrimes. The impact of these crimes on victims has not been the subject of extensive research. This paper based upon a British Home Office funded study draws upon the experience of 52 victims of computer misuse crime, which can be broadly grouped under hac...

The growth in size, role and authority of private security has triggered a variety of regulatory reactions. These have stimulated a growing academic debate on preferred regulatory models. This paper summarizes the key existing models of regulation. It then provides a critique of the observations of Loader and White (Brit J Criminol 58(6):1401–1419,...

This article explores the growth of the “new” private security industry and private policing arrangements, policing cyberspace. It argues there has been a significant change in policing which is equivalent to the “quiet revolution” associated with private policing that Shearing and Stenning observed in the 1970s and 1980s, marking the “second quiet...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of media coverage on offenders convicted of occupational fraud and corruption in the UK. It examines the extent of media coverage and provides insights into the experiences of offenders. Design/methodology/approach The study is based upon interviews with 17 convicted offenders, and on a co...

This article explores white collar criminals’ experience of imprisonment in England and Wales. Based upon interviews with 13 convicted offenders after they had completed their imprisonment, it is the first study to date of this kind in England and Wales (all others have been based in prison). It offers a unique impartial insight of prisoners’ exper...

15 April 2019, LONDON: Recruitment fraud is costing UK organisations £23.9 billion a year according to new research from national audit, tax, advisory and risk firm, Crowe UK, in conjunction with the UK’s Centre for Counter Fraud Studies. The report reveals the extent to which fraudsters are infiltrating businesses and foiling traditional recruitme...

The Cyber Security Breaches Survey is a quantitative and qualitative survey of UK businesses and charities. For this latest release, the quantitative survey was carried out in winter 2018 and the qualitative element in early 2019. It helps these organisations to understand the nature and significance of the cyber security threats they face, and wha...

Purpose This article presents findings based on the psychological profile of 17 offenders who have been convicted of occupational fraud, bribery or related offences. It provides findings on their specific psychological profiles using well established psychological techniques to gauge personality. The study is aimed to provide the foundations for f...

Understanding the UK cyber security skills labour market. Professor Mark Button and Dr Victoria Wang from ICJS carried out a rapid evidence review of 32 existing evidence sources (surveys and white papers, globally and in the UK). We include a full list of references in the separately published technical report. Ipsos MORI carried out the remaining...

(Accepted for publication) This paper explores some of the key barriers to Open Government Data (OGD) that responsible civil servants in the UK face as they try to comply with the UK-led OGD initiative. Empirically, we provide a quantitative analysis of the resources published on the government’s central OGD portal, data.gov.uk, and a unique insigh...

This report summarises research into the nature and extent of discussions on the Dark Web with the intent to attack and damage companies through fraud and cybercrime. Monetising those attacks is also often part of the plan.

This paper explores the rarely researched areas of co-offending and bribery. Based upon interviews with six persons convicted of bribery-related offences and other cases in the public domain, the paper explores how previously ‘clean’ persons are recruited to corrupt schemes. In doing so, the paper draws on Reason’s resident pathogen theory on safet...

This paper explores the rarely researched areas of co-offending and bribery. Based upon interviews with six persons convicted of bribery-related offences and other cases in the public domain, this paper explores how previously ‘clean’ persons are recruited to corrupt schemes. In doing so, this paper draws on Reason’s resident pathogen theory on saf...

Non-criminal justice.

The Cyber Security Breaches Survey is a quantitative and qualitative survey of UK businesses and, for the first time in this 2018 release, charities. The quantitative survey was carried out in winter 2017 and the qualitative survey in early 2018. It helps these organisations to understand the nature and significance of the cyber security threats th...

This article examines organizational inhibitions in relation to addressing occupational fraud. The a priori assumption would be if an organization discovers occupational fraud it would deal with it. However, this research illustrates, drawing upon 24 semi-structured interviews, two case studies and participant observation, a range of avoidant ratio...

This paper provides the first significant profile of offenders convicted of bribery in England & Wales (E&W) and Norway, based upon a sample of 75 cases from E&W and 46 from Norway, which were collected through searches of the media and other relevant sources between 2003 and 2015. The paper provides a profile of bribe payers and takers: in both E&...

There has been no clear evidence about whether organizational investment works for countering occupational fraud, and where to focus the investment if it works. In this regard, the present study explored the mediating roles of ethical culture and monitoring control in the 'organizational investment-occupational fraud' linkage. Using a sample of 392...

This paper provides one of the first comparative empirical studies of private policing in equivalent shopping malls in the UK and Korea. The paper is based upon 200 interviews with customers who visited the malls, 200 h observation and 39 interviews with security officers and other stakeholders. The paper builds upon the traditional orientations of...

Corruption of all types including occupational corruption causes immense damage to society. Though a number of guides have been published which offer prevention advice, there is very little original criminological research which connects theory to best practice. This paper demonstrates that Clarke’s situational crime prevention framework provides a...

This chapter focuses on the role of Employer Supported Policing (ESP), a pioneering initiative to put more ‘public’ policing actors on the streets by levering in ‘private’ sources of funding. The chapter draws on two case studies in the South of England to explore this scheme, the emergence of which is situated against the backdrop of a range of br...

This chapter will explore the role of morality in corruption, going down a route of examining corruption in the procurement process using a somewhat uncommonly applied axiological lens. It will establish the aspiring diction of the EU in terms of corruption as an expression of a moral high ground on how to intellectually deal with the phenomenon. P...

The resilience of some high-profile white-collar criminals in the media gaze after prison may lead some to conclude, particularly as some research also supports this notion, that this group of offenders generally manages well after conviction. Research in this area is, however, small and largely American. The authors seek to add to this small body...

Crime is undergoing a metamorphosis. The online technological revolution has created new opportunities for a wide variety of crimes which can be perpetrated on an industrial scale, and crimes traditionally committed in an offline environment are increasingly being transitioned to an online environment. This book takes a case study-based approach to...

This report details the findings from a quantitative and qualitative survey with UK businesses on cyber security. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) commissioned the survey as part of the National Cyber Security Programme, following a previous comparable study by the Department published in 2016. 1. It was carried out by Ipsos MORI,...

The European private security sector has grown from a handful of small companies at the end of the Second World War into a multibillion Euro industry with thousands of firms and millions of security staff. In Europe, the demands for security is not just expressed notionally but also officially in The European Agenda on Security stating the European...

Ipsos MORI and its partner, the Institute of Criminal Justice Studies (ICJS) at the University of Portsmouth, were commissioned by the UK Government’s National Cyber Security Programme to survey UK businesses on their approach to cyber security and the costs they have incurred from cyber security breaches. The survey and report have been endorsed b...

There is much international research on the different types of fraud committed by individuals and/or organised crime. There is, however, limited research on insurance fraud and a particular species of such fraud which has become known as ‘cash-for-crash’ fraud in the United Kingdom. In addition, there are very few published studies of fraudsters wh...

This paper examines the regulatory systems for the private security industry in the European Union (EU). Building upon other studies to compare regulatory systems it proposes a much more sophisticated approach to assess the quality of regulatory systems using 22 different criteria based on two areas: legislation and societal foundations. From this...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the ways in which contemporary organisations are imposing their own private sanctions on fraudsters. Design/methodology/approach – The research draws on primary data from interviews with counter fraud practitioners in the UK, secondary sources and case examples. Findings – Such developments hav...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide evidence on the additional costs of dealing with staff fraud, beyond the initial fraud loss, based on 45 cases of staff fraud. Design/methodology/approach – The research began with a “brainstorming” session with counter fraud professionals to map all potential costs in a staff fraud. It then utilis...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges of measuring fraud in overseas aid. Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on 21 semi-structured interviews with key persons working in the delivery of aid in both the public and voluntary sectors. It uses the UK Department for International Development as a case study t...

The advent of the Internet has expanded opportunities to commit fraud and millions regularly fall victim. Fraud victims in general have been largely neglected by researchers in comparison with other crimes. There has also been very little research on issues related to the sentencing of fraudsters. This article offers some of the first insights on w...

Fraud is one of the most costly crimes to society. There have been a number of studies documenting the low priority and resources allocated to fraud, but there has been little attempt to conceptualise the processes which lead to this. This paper develops a concept that is the antithesis to deviancy amplification, deviancy attenuation, to examine wh...