Serious men, reliable drivers, hard workers and fit men. That is what criminal ‘recruiters’ are looking for in new dealers, couriers, extractors of drugs from shipping containers, home shooters or bomb planters. “Looking for […] for port Job for tonight […] payout 20K […] only serious workers!” writes a recruiter in a public Telegram group for trade and fraud. There are also people who offer themselves via Telegram. “Who has a Job for swallowing balls?”, writes one provider.
Social media are a gold mine for minors and adolescents who want to earn money illegally. In the Netherlands, about 6 percent of young people between the ages of 16 and 27 indicate that they have been approached for “chores” via social media. Relatively more often, these are men (70 percent) younger than 21 years old, although young men and women see calls equally often. This is evident from a report published on Wednesday research from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU), the Erasmus University Rotterdam and the Netherlands Study Center for Crime and Law Enforcement.
The sample consisted of more than a thousand young people. One in five young people say they have seen a call for drug or violent crimes via social media. The research shows the role social media plays in the involvement of young people in these forms of crime.
Easier to influence
For the study, scientists spoke to young people who are (have been) involved or are at risk of becoming involved in crime and youth workers. The scientists analyzed messages from public Telegram groups that function as a conduit for closed groups. With concealing slang and code – such as emoticons of snowflakes (cocaine), diamonds (crystal meth), horses (‘workhorses’ or ketamine) or knives – the vague messages lead to detailed assignments in closed groups.
Young people are the most sought after among criminal recruiters. “They seem to be less able to oversee the consequences, to be more easily influenced and to be more sensitive to the temptation of making money quickly,” says Sjoukje van Deuren, assistant professor of criminology at the VU. She is involved in the investigation.
The involvement of young people in serious and organized crime is “emphatically” on the political and policy agenda, notes criminologist Van Deuren. Reports of young people being recruited online – including via gaming platforms and streaming services – are increasingly appearing in the media. Snapchat appears to be the largest online recruitment channel with 40 percent. On Snapchat but also on TikTok, young people are mainly asked for “lighter jobs”, such as (lighter) violent crimes and drug-related jobs.
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‘Find Friends’ on Snapchat
The online calls are often vague and general at first. Later the recruiters say that experience and knowledge are not necessary. “Putting down fireworks bombs or explosives or taking out drugs are presented as fairly easy jobs. At the same time, they are jobs with an extremely high risk of being caught,” says criminologist Van Deuren. She sees that calls are often accompanied by time pressure. “There is speed behind it. It has to happen tonight, tomorrow or tomorrow evening. The messages have almost no bearing on anything that has to happen next month.”
Extractors in the port of Rotterdam.
Photo ROBIN UTRECHT/ ANP
Snapchat is an excellent fast application, where recruiters capitalize on the feeling of ephemerality and anonymity. Photos, videos and text messages disappear after a certain time. A former young recruiter who spoke to Van Deuren said he checks Snapchat every day. “Snapchat has a feature called Find Friends. It’s a list of people recommended based on public location data or contact lists.” With one click it is possible to send (un)known people from the area a friend request. “Every day he was presented with a new list of potential ’employees’ via Snapchat.”
For these types of crimes, a lot of intermediaries seem to be used: people who are paid by clients to recruit young people. “We spoke to a boy who started out as a performer of criminal jobs. He then started approaching people himself. According to him, he could earn money this way without carrying out high-risk jobs himself.” Clients determine whether they are satisfied with the implementation. Sometimes young people are paid partially or not at all. “The anonymous nature of the clients or intermediaries can make it difficult for young people to approach someone and demand their money.”
On your own initiative
Young people sometimes take the initiative themselves to approach criminals for ‘work’. This usually happens on Telegram, where phone numbers and real names can be shielded. “Experienced speed beater and GHB maker is urgently looking for work. […] Urgent!” writes a provider in a public Telegram group for Amsterdam trade. In other invitations, the providers reassure clients with “I no longer have a criminal record” or “one of the six times arrested.”
“Heavy jobs” are sometimes posted on Telegram, such as shooting or extorting people. It is not yet known what the network behind these online recruiters looks like. “Based on previous to research to organized crime, they are usually fluid networks.” The (formerly) recruited young people – who were interviewed for the research – say they do not always see themselves as part of an organized crime group. “That feeling is mainly because they carry out all kinds of jobs for different people.”
To avoid confusion, Van Deuren wants to make it clear that the recruitment of young people for crime still largely takes place on the streets, in vulnerable neighborhoods where they grow up. Van Deuren: “Given the role that the platforms play in facilitating criminal behavior, it is important to talk about the way in which their apps enable the recruitment of young people.”
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