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How do Ivorian Cyberfraudsters Manage Their Criminal Proceeds?

Cristina Cretu-Adatte ; Renaud Zbinden ; Luca Brunoni ; Hazel Bunning ; Josselin Wilfred Azi ; Olivier Beaudet-Labrecque (2024) — European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research

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DOI: 10.1007/s10610-024-09597-7 (opens in a new tab)

Country:   Côte d’Ivoire
Tags:   Cash Transfers, Criminal Networks, Cyberfraud, Ivorian Cybercrime, Money Laundering, Money Mules, Romance Scams, Sextortion
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Synopsis

            
The article aims to provide a first overview of how Ivorian cyberfraudsters manage illicit proceeds, focusing on money laundering linked to romance scams and sextortion in Côte d’Ivoire. Using semi-structured interviews, the researchers gathered perspectives from cyberfraudsters and a range of institutional actors involved in cybercrime and money laundering prosecution. The study’s objective is to identify the strategies and mechanisms used to manage and launder criminal proceeds and to assess how well the existing legal framework deters such activity. The findings describe a multi-layered, networked system in which core scammers, known as brouteurs, coordinate with middlemen, corrupt public officials, money mules, and other enablers to receive and move funds. Proceeds are often received in cash through channels such as money transfer agents and banks, buralistes, and accomplices, then spent quickly to minimize traceability. Techniques highlighted include smurfing (dividing amounts into smaller transfers), creating fake documents for bank accounts, and leveraging corrupt intermediaries to facilitate transfers. Some proceeds are used to invest in businesses or assets, while others are circulated within communities. The study also notes that cryptocurrencies are currently less central, but could grow as regulation evolves. Limitations acknowledged by the authors include the small number of interviews, potential biases from interviewing primarily brouteurs, and the absence of perspectives from some money-laundering actors. The authors call for broader, multi-method research and enhanced international cooperation to more effectively address cybercrime, money laundering, and corruption in the region.

          

        
                  

            
Identified Gaps

            
The paper identifies a lack of research on how Ivorian cyberfraudsters manage criminal proceeds. It also notes uncertainty about how readily accomplices are recruited, their motivations or coercive pressures, and fraudsters’ dependence on them. Available evidence on the operational roles of professional middlemen, corrupt officials, and money mules is indirect because these actors were not interviewed.

          

        
                  

            
Methods

            
Fieldwork in Côte d’Ivoire used semi-structured interviews with cyberfraudsters and institutional actors involved in cybercrime and money-laundering responses. Participants were recruited through key informants using purposive and snowball sampling; interviews included incarcerated and non-detained scammers. Data were handwritten, anonymized, and analyzed through qualitative content analysis followed by thematic analysis of receiving, spending, investing, concealing proceeds, and involved actors.

          

        
                  

            
Limitations

            
The small number of interviews limits definitive conclusions. Secretive criminal activity made reliable contact and cooperation difficult, while the sensitivity of money discussions and interview settings may have caused reluctance, nonresponse, or early termination. The team’s first visit required adaptation to the local context and delayed fieldwork. Crucially, interviews involved brouteurs but not buralistes, complicit officials, or money mules, so information about laundering actors was inferred from fraudsters’ accounts and may be biased.

          

        
                  

            
Future Work

            
Use methods beyond semi-structured qualitative interviews to assess cybercrime and victimization prevalence, map spatial patterns in West Africa, compare counter-strategies across countries, and analyze scam, laundering, and actor-network scripts. Research should directly examine buralistes, complicit officials, and money mules; clarify their recruitment, motivations, coercion, and cyberfraudsters’ dependence on them. The authors also call for empirical investigation of the links among cybercrime, money laundering, and corruption.

          

              

    
    

        
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