From 'rogue traders' to organised crime groups: doorstep fraud of older adults

Phillips, Coretta (2016) From 'rogue traders' to organised crime groups: doorstep fraud of older adults. British Journal of Criminology . ISSN 0007-0955 (In Press)

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Abstract

This paper explores fraudulent acts by offenders who target and pressurize older adults ‘on the doorstep’ to have property repairs, often misrepresenting themselves as skilled tradesmen, and overcharging for such work. It uses extensive documentary materials from 11 enforcement operations in England together with interviews with trading standards officers and financial investigators. Using Reiner’s (2000) Necessary Conditions of Crime framework illustrates the dynamics of doorstep fraud – from ‘low-value’ crimes to incidents of grooming and repeated victimization to the actions of organized crime groups often involving money laundering. The paper’s contribution is a focus on a relatively understudied but vulnerable demographic group in criminology, and in highlighting the investigation practices of non-constabulary law enforcement officers who have not been the subject of empirical study in criminology

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	https://bjc.oxfordjournals.org/
Additional Information:	© 2016 The Author
Library of Congress subject classification:	H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology
Sets:	Departments > Social Policy
Funders:	National Trading Standards Board , LSE’s Suntory and Toyota’s International Centres for Economics and Related Disciplines
Date Deposited:	19 Jan 2016 12:27
URL:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/65059/

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