Table 1 The crime script for Internet-related criminal opportunities in wildlife trafficking
Stage | Script category | Action in which the internet has been used | Criminal opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|
Stage 0: preparatory activities antecedent to the commission of wildlife trafficking | Crime lifestyle | Discussion with other members of the criminal net-work about the existing relevant legislation (email) | Communicative and managerial |
Network lifestyle | Maintenance of contacts with other members of the criminal network (email, Skype) | Communicative and managerial | |
Lifestyle network | Formation/existence of a criminal network (email, dedicated forums) | Organizational and relational | |
Crime lifestyle network | Discussion with criminal peers in order to exchange information on new potential buyers (email) | Organizational and relational | |
Crime | Identify the location of the animal/plant/product via GPS and web mapping services (e.g. Google Maps) | Informational and technical | |
Lifestyle network | Signal species that have been recently discovered/that are more rare and valuable (dedicated websites) | Promotional | |
Stage 1: poaching, harvesting, or breeding of the animal/plant | Network lifestyle | Share information about the location of the animal/plant/product in its natural environment (dedicated blogs) | Communicative and managerial |
Crime lifestyle | Agreement to send animals/plants/products via regu-lar mail among supplier and intermediaries (emails) | Communicative and managerial | |
Crime lifestyle network | Interaction with potential buyers (auction websites, generalist commercial websites, dedicated commer-cial websites, dedicated forums, reserved area in a website) | Communicative and managerial; organizational and relational | |
Crime network | Arrange sales of the specimen to intermediaries (international auction websites) | Organizational and relational | |
Crime | Buy traps and other instruments to poach animals (commercial websites, dedicated forums) | Informational and technical | |
Stage 2: intermediate passage through local intermediaries/the domestic market | Crime lifestyle | Discussion with other members of the criminal network about how to ship animal/plant/product in small packages with deceptive labels when sending them through regular mail (email) | Communicative and managerial |
Crime | Get information on relevant legislation | Informational and technical | |
Stage 3: passage through regional intermediaries/international traders | Crime lifestyle | Discussion with other members of the criminal network about how to ship animal/plant/product in small packages with deceptive labels when sending them through regular mail (email) | Communicative and managerial |
Crime network | Agreement to exclude local intermediaries who hesitate due to fear of prosecution over illegal activities (email) | Organizational and relational | |
Crime network | Arrange sales of the specimen to intermediaries (international auction websites) | Organizational and relational | |
Crime lifestyle | Advertise availability of new animals/plants/products (dedicated forums) | Promotional | |
Stage 4: intermediate passage through local intermediaries/the domestic market | Network lifestyle | Share information about the location of the animal/plant/product in its natural environment (dedicated blogs) | Communicative and managerial |
Crime lifestyle | Discuss prices/meeting places in the physical world to complete the deal (emails) | Communicative and managerial | |
Crime lifestyle | Discussion with other members of the criminal network about how to ship animal/plant/ product in small packages with deceptive labels when sending them through regular mail (email) | Communicative and managerial | |
Crime lifestyle | Agreement among criminal peers to physically meet and exchange animals/plants/products (private messaging in dedicated commercial websites, email) | Communicative and managerial | |
Crime lifestyle | Agreement to send animals/plants/products via regular mail among supplier/intermediaries (emails) | Communicative and managerial | |
Crime | Sell animals/plants/products on auction websites (e.g. eBay) | Communicative and managerial | |
Crime lifestyle network | Interaction with potential buyers (auction websites, generalist commercial websites, dedicated commer-cial websites, dedicated forums, reserved area in a website) | Communicative and managerial; organizational and relational | |
Lifestyle network | Forward emails from suppliers who can fulfill orders from potential customers (email) | Communicative and managerial; organizational and relational | |
Lifestyle network | Inform potential clients/intermediaries on updated prices (emails) | Communicative and managerial; promotional | |
Stage 4: intermediate passage through local intermediaries/the domestic market (continued) | Crime network | Agreement to exclude local intermediaries who hesi-tate due to fear of prosecution over illegal activities (email) | Organizational and relational |
Network crime | Search for new suppliers (emails, dedicated forums) | Organizational and relational | |
Crime | Arrange sales of the animal/plant/product to final buyers (international auction websites) | Organizational and relational | |
Crime network | Put costumers directly in contact with intermediaries or suppliers (emails) | Organizational and relational | |
Crime | Use of Google translator to post announcements in different languages | Informational and technical | |
Crime | Get information on specific species (on their morphology and on how to breed them) | Informational and technical | |
Crime | Get information on relevant legislation | Informational and technical | |
Crime | Automated sell of the animal/plant/product (order form on dedicated commercial website) | Informational and technical | |
Crime | Monitor the delivery via regular mail | Informational and technical | |
Crime | Payment (prepaid cards to be recharged online) | Informational and technical | |
Crime lifestyle | Contact directly consumers reassuring them that without documents the price is significantly lower (emails, dedicated forum) | Persuasive | |
Crime lifestyle | Discuss with potential customers the absence of required documentation (emails) | Persuasive | |
Crime lifestyle | Reassure customers about the quality of the animal/plant/product (commercial website, auction website) | Persuasive | |
Crime lifestyle | Attempt to cover the criminal act by claiming that animals/plants/products have been imported in the past with CITES certificates but they have been all given to others (dedicated website) | Persuasive | |
Lifestyle network | Advertising fairs and exhibitions (dedicated websites, dedicated forums) | Promotional | |
Crime lifestyle | Advertise availability of new animals/plants/products (dedicated forums) | Promotional | |
Stage 5: distribution of the animal/plant/product | Crime lifestyle | Discuss prices/meeting places in the physical world to complete the deal (emails) | Communicative and managerial |
Crime lifestyle | Order/reserve a specific animal/plant/product (com-mercial websites, dedicated forums, email) | Communicative and managerial; organizational and relational | |
Crime | Monitor the delivery via regular mail | Informational and technical | |
Crime | Payment (prepaid cards to be recharged online) | Informational and technical | |
Crime lifestyle | Contact directly consumers reassuring them that without documents the price is significantly lower (emails, dedicated forum) | Persuasive | |
Crime lifestyle | Discuss with potential customers the absence of required documentation (emails) | Persuasive | |
Crime lifestyle | Reassure customers about the quality of the animal/plant/product (commercial website, auction website) | Persuasive | |
Stage 6: activities that are directly consequential or subsequent to the trafficking activity | Lifestyle network | Buy accessories/ share videos and pictures in cases of zooerasty where wildlife animals are involved (dedicated forums, deep web) | Informational and technical; organizational and relational |
Crime | Monitor the delivery via regular mail | Informational and technical | |
Crime Lifestyle | Attempt to cover the criminal act by claiming that animals/plants/products have been imported in the past with CITES certificates but they have been all given to others (dedicated website) | Persuasive |