Basil Jarrett | What’s really driving our murder rate?

A FEW weeks ago, veteran pollster Don Anderson asked this very same question of a sample of Jamaican respondents. I was quite surprised to learn that this was his very first such poll, given that for as long as I can remember, this question has beguiled, bedevilled and bewildered us. Anderson asked his 1,015 respondents what they thought were the main causes of Jamaica’s high murder rate, and found that just a single percentage point separated top-ranked poverty (24 per cent) and corruption (23 per cent) as the two leading culprits. Bringing up the rear were indiscipline (eight per cent), politicians (seven per cent), family structure (seven per cent), gangs (six per cent), unemployment, corrupt police and an unfair justice system (four per cent each), weak laws (two per cent) and domestic violence (two per cent).

That survey report, as you could imagine, generated heated and lengthy debate. I have my own personal feelings on what’s driving crime and violence, but I’m going to take the coward’s way out and say crime is driven by all of the above, with no single factor being more dominant than the other. In other words, the whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts. Yes, I know. A cowardly cop-out.

Despite my wishy-washy, middle-of-the-road position, however, there is one factor that, though it did not directly make Anderson’s survey results, deserves our attention – scamming.

Or more specifically, lottery scamming, a destructive phenomenon that has plagued us for years. Lottery scamming has evolved from a small niche crime committed by a small niche of individuals, into a complex criminal enterprise with far-reaching implications for the nation’s security. I don’t think we fully appreciate the profound impact that this illicit activity is having on our murder rate, and by extension, society.

IN THE BEGINNING

Lottery scamming traces its roots back to the early 2000s when individuals with a penchant for exploiting technology began capitalising on the rise of the Internet, the ease of obtaining personal identifying information, and the relative naivety of unsuspecting victims. Scammers, often originating from marginalised communities, notably in St James, created relatively rudimentary scams involving simple phone calls and email messages telling their victims that they had won a lottery or some sort of sweepstakes. These messages requested personal information or upfront payments to release the supposed winnings.

As technology and practice advanced, so did the sophistication of these scams. Today, scams are as creative as they are convincing, as perpetrators continually refine their tactics to stay ahead of law enforcement and an increasingly more alert public. For instance, there has been a shift from ‘Magic Jack’ calls to email to social media as the preferred conduit, and romance fraud, employment scams and investment fraud have been added to the repertoire of scamming scenarios. Scammers have also infiltrated various sectors such as information technology and customer service, and there is evidence, too, of collaboration between scammers and insiders in financial institutions. This evolving enterprise is a constant cat-and-mouse game between scammers and law enforcement, fuelled by rapidly changing technology.

IMPACT

The financial impact of lottery scamming is staggering. According to some estimates, the economic losses incurred by victims worldwide, particularly in North America and Europe, are estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars annually. This significant drain on global financial resources not only affects individual victims but also has broader implications for international economic stability, not to mention our own financial and economic integrity.

And then there is the violence. The illicit gains generated by scammers often find their way into the hands of organised criminal groups, escalating crime rates and leading to violent conflicts as these gangs vie for control of the lucrative scamming operations and the tools of the trade. The wealth amassed through lottery scams becomes an attractive target for existing criminal organisations who fight to establish dominance and control over the illicit industry. This naturally leads to contention among rival gangs, with territorial disputes and violent clashes leading to murder and mayhem.

And since you can’t fight a war without weapons, there is a need to acquire guns, ammunition and other resources that empower criminal organisations. This weaponisation of illicit wealth jeopardises the safety and security of communities often caught in the crossfire of these gang conflicts. Intimidation, extortion, threats and shootings have now become the hallmarks of this once-niche crime, as the competition for control of scamming operations, lead sheets, guns and ammunition contributes directly to our elevated homicide rates. And since the best predictor of a murder is a murder, reprisal killings further exacerbate the madness. Since the start of the year, over 65 people have been murdered, and while I cannot say with any certainty how many of those are gang/lottery scamming related, I think I could hazard an educated guess given that 30 per cent of them are from western Jamaica.

WHAT IS LAW ENFORCEMENT DOING?

By now, all of our law enforcement bodies are alive to the gravity of the lottery scamming epidemic, and are somehow involved in combating it. Law enforcement agencies, including the Major Organized Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency, the Counter Terrorism & Organized Crime Investigations Branch, and the Anti-Lottery Scam Taskforce have prioritised lottery scamming by bringing together skilled investigators, intelligence analysts, and legal experts to coordinate and integrate their efforts. Legislative measures have also been adopted to provide law enforcement with the tools needed to investigate, prosecute, and convict scammers and target scamming.

There has also been greater international collaboration given the transnational nature of the crime, with Jamaican law enforcement entities collaborating with international partners in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Information sharing, joint investigations, and extradition requests are common elements of this partnership, as demonstrated by recent high-profile arrests and extradition orders.

Our law enforcement agencies have also begun to work more closely with financial institutions to track and freeze assets that are suspected of being lottery scamming related and technology is being leveraged more greatly as cybercrime units strengthen and retool to stay ahead of scammers.

CITIZEN EMPOWERMENT

With law enforcement seemingly doing their part, the big question now is what can citizens do to protect themselves? In that regard, vigilance and education still remain the most critical elements of any public resistance effort. Understanding the warning signs of lottery scams such as unsolicited messages claiming windfalls, suspicious requests for personal information, or demands for upfront payments, is crucial. Similarly, reporting any suspicious activity to law enforcement or the relevant authorities is paramount in aiding investigations into scamming networks. I believe, too, that there is a need to invest more heavily in public awareness campaigns as lottery scamming and other similar acts of fraud are increasingly difficult to spot. Through this combination of robust law enforcement strategies, international collaboration, and public engagement, I am hopeful that we can reduce the incidence and impact of lottery scamming on our communities. Get these right and I believe that we will start to see those homicide numbers fall.

Major Basil Jarrett is a communications strategist and CEO of Artemis Consulting, a communications consulting firm specialising in crisis communications and reputation management. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Threads @IamBasilJarrett and linkedin.com/in/basiljarrett. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com