November 29, 2005

More Money than Drugs

Global cybercrime turned over more money than drug trafficking last year, according to a US Treasury advisor reported in The Register

Valerie McNiven, an advisor to the US government on cybercrime, claimed that corporate espionage, child pornography, stock manipulation, phishing fraud and copyright offences cause more financial harm than the trade in illegal narcotics such as heroin and cocaine.

"Last year was the first year that proceeds from cybercrime were greater than proceeds from the sale of illegal drugs, and that was, I believe, over $105bn," McNiven told Reuters. "Cybercrime is moving at such a high speed that law enforcement cannot catch up with it."