Gangs groom kids for cyber crime

Cyber crime groups are using "KGB-style" recruitment tactics to snare whiz-kid computer students, a report from security technology company McAfee has revealed.

Internet-savvy teens as young as 14 are attracted to cyber crime for its "celebrity status" and the promise of making money without the risks associated with traditional crime, according to the report.

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Organised crime gangs, sometimes posing as legitimate employers, are using tactics which echo those employed by the KGB to recruit operatives at the height of the cold war, the McAfee report reveals.

Intrigue, the challenge and the promise of getting something for nothing all entice many young people into cyber criminality, according to McAfee.

Some are aware of their illegal actions from the start but others edge slowly toward the "murky underworld from seemingly innocent beginnings", the report added.

Dave Thomas, section chief of the FBI's cyber division, said if people read in the media about other people making a lot of money from cyber crime – and if they have the criminal intent – they may take the same path.

Many cyber criminals see the internet as a job opportunity and with low levels of employment, they can use their technical skills to feed their family, Thomas added.

McAfee's second annual report on virtual criminology included input from the FBI and European high-tech crime units.