Policing cross-border fraud ‘Above and below the surface’: mapping actions and developing a more effective global response

Button, Mark ; Hock, Branislav ; Suh, Joon Bae ; Koh, Chol Soo (2025) — Crime, Law and Social Change

Synopsis

Cross-border fraud represents a global challenge, spanning forms such as online retail fraud, pyramid schemes, romance fraud, and pig butchering. While there is clear evidence that these abuses are expanding across borders, there is relatively limited research detailing how extensive the problem is or identifying the most effective policing responses. This article aims to address that gap by examining what is currently known about the nature of cross-border fraud and the policing approaches that are in place today, with the aim of clarifying what works and what does not. In contrast to other cross-border crime areas where international bodies and nation-states engage through high-visibility, surface-level actions, responses to cross-border fraud have not attracted the same overt attention at the international level. Instead, policing activity tends to occur more within the private sector and operates largely below the public-facing radar, receiving less public profile. Moreover, although collaboration and coordination between public authorities and private sector actors are recognized as crucial, there are relatively few policing structures designed to bring these diverse actors together to counter cross-border fraud, revealing notable gaps in existing arrangements. To inform policy-makers, the study draws on examples of alternative governance structures that address cross-border economic crime. It uses these illustrations to map out key actions and organizational configurations that should be considered to enhance the global response to cross-border fraud. In doing so, the article seeks to outline practical structures and steps that could help bridge the public–private divide, improve coordination, and strengthen the overall policing response to this pervasive and evolving form of economic crime.

Citation style