Characteristics and situational aspects of seafood fraud: a comparative crime script analysis

Sophie Lawrence*, Saskia van Ruth, Christopher Elliott, Wim Huisman

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Seafood fraud is a global concern. High-value products with a diversity of species, production methods and fishery origins provide a business environment that is both conducive to criminality and financially lucrative. However, there is scarce empirical evidence on the nature of seafood fraud. This study aims to increase the understanding of deceptive practices in the seafood industry, the crime commission process and to identify possible intervention points. Ten case studies that had resulted in successful prosecutions were analysed using performed crime scripts to understand the actors, resources, processes, fraud techniques, conditions and the payment, sale and distribution of illicit products through legitimate supply chains. The crime scripts for each fraud were created using open-source intelligence, including media sources, publicly available court filings and company records. Similar to other white-collar offences, fraud opportunity was facilitated by leveraging existing resources, relationships and industry reputation to enable and conceal fraudulent practices. In all cases, fraud was perpetrated by senior management, undermining internal control mechanisms. Other fraud enablers included the availability and pricing of substitute products, lack of end-to-end traceability and the inability of supply chain actors, including consumers, to detect fraud. Also notable was the extent of employee involvement, so this paper considers impediments to external disclosure, particularly for migrant workers. The study enriches the food fraud literature by using crime script analysis to understand preparation, execution, and opportunity structures of seafood fraud. By emphasising the nature of fraudulent activities in specific markets, rather than solely focusing on perpetrators, it offers a more comprehensive approach to understanding environmental and situational influences. These insights, scarce in the current literature, are vital for shaping effective intervention strategies.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)433-462
Number of pages30
JournalCrime, Law and Social Change
Volume82
Issue number2
Early online date26 Mar 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.

Keywords

  • Crime script analysis
  • Food crime
  • Seafood fraud
  • Seafood mislabelling
  • Situational crime prevention

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