Understanding cybercrime: A phenomenological study.

摘要

Research done over the last 15 years has promoted the need for a concise, common definition of cybercrime. Hardesty and Ball (NW3C, 1996) contended that once a universal definition was agreed upon, common procedures for investigation could be established. Cybercrime training is also essential in the investigation of this type of crime. This qualitative phenomenological study examined the perceptions of law enforcement officials in North Central West Virginia regarding cybercrime. Thematic analysis showed that the respondents shared a common definition of cybercrime, but this definition could be different from other states. For 70% of the respondents, there was no cybercrime training. According to the respondents in this study, neither the definition, nor lack of training hindered cybercrime investigation. The study revealed, however, there were other relevant issues that could hinder cybercrime investigation. A discussion of these findings illustrated how the results of this study could be significant for leadership.