Beyond facilitating crime with new tools to communicate and commit crime, technology advancements also give offenders increasingly sophisticated means to hide their crimes. Technological means used to thwart law enforcement include encrypted communication networks such as Sky ECC, advanced document forgery, underground payment methods, and alternative banking and trading platforms for money laundering. Low-tech means to evade law enforcement, such as vehicle theft, have taken on high-tech dimensions. For instance, OCGs use advanced tools to steal vehicles and perform sophisticated document fraud via digital technologies to give stolen vehicles new identities. 24 While law enforcement agencies and security organizations do have some sophisticated means of detection, it is hard to keep up with a highly motivated criminal organization attempting to evade detection or capture. New payment methods and alternative banking platforms have also proven rich territory for criminal actors interested in hiding their activities, as mentioned above in the context of darknet exchanges and crypto money laundering. Beyond cryptocurrencies, these methods include prepaid cards, online payments, and internet vouchers, with new technologies popping up every day. As new payment means and exchanges are introduced, these are often poorly regulated at first, as government regulatory bodies move very slowly to assess and fully understand the new offerings before attempting to adapt existing regulations or introduce new ones. International standards are poorly defined and inconsistent for the same reasons, making enforcement across borders particularly difficult if criminals move funds to a more “friendly” jurisdiction. This means criminals will be drawn to these methods either until they become mainstream or are shut down by law enforcement. All of this means it’s harder than ever for law enforcement agencies to investigate crime, and resources including technological tools are needed to stay ahead of well-funded, well-organized, nimble criminals. USE OF TECHNOLOGY TO THWART LAW ENFORCEMENT 24 https://www.europol.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/report_socta2017_1.pd Advanced document forgery Money laundering Encrypted communications Underground payment 10