Cyber-Dependent Crime Versus Traditional Crime: Empirical Evidence for Clusters of Offenses and Related Motives

It is unknown to what extent cyber-dependent offenders are distinctly different from other offenders and to what extent they have different motives. This is addressed in this study by examining to what extent cyber-dependent offenders can be distinguished from traditional offenders and by identifying clusters of cyber-dependent and traditional offenses. In addition, it is explored which motives for offending the offenders provide and to what extent a specific cluster of crimes distinguishes itself from the other clusters by specific motives. The analyses are based on a survey among a Dutch high-risk sample of adult cyber-dependent offenders (N = 268) and traditional offenders (N = 270). The principal component analysis identified seven clusters of crimes, four clusters that include only cyber-dependent crime and three clusters that only include traditional crimes. This indicates that cyber-dependent offenders can be distinguished from traditional offenders. In addition, cyber-dependent crimes can be distinguished from traditional crimes by almost all motives. The cyber-dependent crimes are mostly committed out of intrinsic motives, i.e., committing the crime is in itself rewarding. Financial motives are almost absent for cyber-dependent crime. Differences between cyber-dependent crime clusters are mainly found in extrinsic motives, i.e., the extent to which the external consequences of committing a crime is rewarding. The results are discussed in light of the existing cybercrime literature.