The effect of emerging technologies on crime in the workplace

M.Comm.Soon after the introduction of the automobile in the early 201 h century, the number of crimes doubled. The projection for the future is that the computer might produce an impact for law and law enforcement greater than that created by the invention of the motor car. Experts agree that computer crime will be the single greatest crime generator of the 21st century (Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, 1999: 1 ). Although the advances in technology have an impact on all walks of life, this short dissertation will focus on the effects thereof on crime in the workplace. Electronic commerce touches all major aspects of economic life and presents a series of complex issues. It involves the integration of many elements of technology, infrastructure, business operation and public policy. All these elements need to operate together as smoothly as possible to yield the maximum benefits to the public (South Africa, 2000), and all other stakeholders. Today very few business organisations and government departments have business information systems that are not computer based. More and more organisations connect to the Internet to conduct their business and/or to provide a variety of services. Computer-based crimes have now become a part of the general problem of white-collar crime. The problem of fraud, or white-collar crime, is serious. Statistics have shown that corporate losses due to fraud and embezzlement exceed total losses due to bribery, burglary and shoplifting by a wide margin (Bodnar & Hopwood 1998:218). The introduction of networks, and specifically the Internet, has exacerbated this problem. Pincott (2001 :76) found that fraud costs firms an estimated GBP 40 million a day and is a factor in 30 per cent of all insolvencies. As the complexity and global pervasiveness of fraud escalates, a new survey concludes that managements are failing both to implement preventive measures and to address the issue once an offence has occurred (Anon., 2000:11}. There is a lack of common understanding of computer-related crimes and more research into the field is required