Financial Crime Tradecraft: Backstopping

Dr Douglas Allan

 

Abstract: Some frauds are difficult to commit, while others are less so, and whether it is the former or the latter, depends on one of two things. First, how adept the fraudster is at their trade, and secondly how adept their victims are at protecting their resources. If we look closely at the point where these two adversaries meet, it is possible to identify a behaviour referred to here as “backstopping”. Backstopping refers to the unique processes implemented by fraudsters to support or validate a material fact. This study separated interviews with detectives from two Australian Police Forces and a number of detailed criminal case management files into insider and outsider cases for thematic analysis. While insiders were seldom observed to backstop their frauds, for example other than by approving a fraudulent loan in the course of their duties, outsiders lacking the same advantages would devise a secondary con to support their substantiative crime. While this study identifies and describes two key forms of backstopping, its value lies in the unique description of this behaviour and in shaping future teaching and research opportunities


Biography:

Douglas has a professional background in law enforcement and public sector fraud investigations, having worked in New Zealand, Scotland, England and the EU. Douglas is an experienced educator, having taught criminology, sociology, and an array of law enforcement subjects across different universities around the world. Douglas’s research interest includes criminal tradecraft, criminogenic knowledge, and criminal planning.