Global Scans · Crime · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: Crime is morphing away from traditional methods to more sophisticated technological approaches. A decline of traditional hierarchical criminal groups and networks will be accompanied by the expansion of a virtual criminal underground made up of individual criminal entrepreneurs. At the same time, forward-looking agencies are equipping themselves with smart technologies to outfox the criminals. Keep up to date with crime changes below.

• [New] The target of reducing fatalities and serious injuries by 50% by 2030 is still the right target, but it will not be achieved without a much stronger push from institutions, police, infrastructure managers, municipalities and society as a whole. European Western Balkans
• [New] Threat actors could potentially exploit the disclosed personal information to conduct identity theft, account takeover attacks, financial fraud, social engineering campaigns, SIM-swapping attacks, and other forms of cyber-enabled crime. CYFIRMA
• [New] In the United States, that risk falls disproportionately on poorer Black residents in high-crime urban areas. Crime Prevention Research Center
• [New] Australia's violent crime rate (including robbery, sexual incidents, assaults, and threats) was 104% higher than in the United States. Crime Prevention Research Center
• [New] Infosys will integrate X-Sight's key solutions for anti-money laundering and fraud to provide DNB with a holistic view of customer risk visibility and improve detection of complex and evolving financial crime patterns. Dwealth.news
• [New] The limited protection offered by Africa Corps to the Malian junta is a reality check for the other Alliance of Sahel States members, Niger and Burkina Faso, which face a similarly complex terrorist threat landscape and have likewise traded in Western partnerships for Russian aid in recent years. The Soufan Center
• [New] The fraud detection & prevention segment is expected to grow at a significant CAGR in the coming years, driven by rising cyber threats, identity theft, and financial crime across various countries. Precedence Research
• [New] As global demand for gold and critical minerals continues to grow, illegal extraction and trafficking are increasingly linked to organized crime, illicit financial flows, corruption, environmental harm, and broader governance vulnerabilities. United Nations Western Europe
• [New] Vulnerability exploitation as an initial access vector surged 34% globally as well, reflecting how quickly criminal crews now weaponize newly disclosed CVEs. Swif.ai
• [New] A global revival of securitization will unfortunately reinforce 'tough on crime / tough on drugs' posturing by governments, which will continue to have devastating consequences for health and human rights. IDPC
• [New] Without RFE/RL's continued service, the U.S. government will lose valuable insight and reporting in areas where terrorist threats are emanating. Cronkite News
• [New] Next week's Federal Budget will provide $74 million over two years to set up a dedicated national center with the role of detecting and disrupting the evolving threat of online violent extremism and terrorism. Region Canberra
• [New] Treasury's initiative reinforces that cyber-risk and AML/CFT risk are increasingly intertwined - particularly for digital-asset platforms that face both technical and financial-crime threats. Money Laundering Watch
• [New] While representing domestic violence litigants, students have an opportunity to gain exposure to criminal practice by collaborating with the US Attorney's Office in related prosecutions of accused batterers. GW Law
• Even relatively small criminal gangs will target Samsung's code repositories (possibly for ransomware or resale). Risk Intelligence Service
• Mexico Security Concerns: In Mexico, the biggest risk very likely remains ubiquitous cartel-related crime. ZeroFOX
• Growing volatility in the organized crime ecosystem will likely fuel an increase in violence throughout the rest of Trump's term, potentially undermining any short-term improvements achieved through hardline approaches. Acled
• While CCE is likely to become an increasingly important route to youth crime and violence, almost nothing is known about which interventions might be effective. PubMed Central (PMC)
• 2026's World Cup - taking place across the United States, Canada and Mexico - is likely to be subject to a number of acts of cyber terrorism, while the use of drones could fuel domestic, physical terrorism. City AM
• The United States faces an increasingly complex and unpredictable terrorism landscape. Center for Strategic and International Studies

Last updated: 20 June 2026