Criminology towards the metaverse: Cryptocurrency scams, grey economy and the technosocial

Simon Mackenzie*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

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Abstract

Online markets in cryptocurrency represent a sprawling and eclectic alternative financial system, selling cutting edge techno-investment schemes that are complex and high risk. Crime control is almost entirely absent from this new crypto economy, and it is full of scams. This paper draws on an ethnography of crypto trading to review the main types of scam, suggesting that the grey economy of cryptocurrency trading is part of a wider evolution of society towards the technosocial, and beyond that perhaps towards the metaversal.
Original languageEnglish
Article numberazab118
Pages (from-to)1537-1552
Number of pages16
JournalBritish Journal of Criminology
Volume62
Issue number6
Early online date7 Feb 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 13 Oct 2022
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • cryptocurrency
  • cybercrime
  • financial crime
  • fraud
  • scams
  • BITCOIN
  • CRIME
  • SPACES

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