Hurtful truths – lessons in crime

Criminals are likely to be best informed about fraud – it is their business and liberty at risk after all; it follows that those tasked with investigation and prevention would do well to draw on their experience. Tapping into this resource is the challenge – one taken up by Professor Martin Gill, a criminologist at the University of Leicester and director of Perpetuity Research & Consultancy International Ltd. He accesses and uses the criminals’ know-how to inform corporate risk analysis and security recommendations as he explained to Andy Holder.

Professor Gill’s approach contrasts with many others that have attempted to learn about fraud from existing records, victims or by trying to repeat the scams themselves. Back in 2003, for example, researchers at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia, profiled fraudsters using published case material, media reports and law enforcement experience. [1] In the UK, more recently, the University of Portsmouth has examined the victim perspective. [2] Similarly, Cambridge University published ‘Understanding Scam Victims’ in 2009 [3], which involved researchers practising real-world scams on the public: these were later televised in ‘The Real Hustle’, which aimed to make consumers aware of the risks; the programme was an enormous success.