www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007/06/04/tech-mcafeeonlin -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 6/5/2007
Last Visited: 6/6/2007
And just as social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook are popular with teenagers, professional computer criminals are exploiting technology-savvy teens through underground online social networks to maximize profits, said Danielle Fournier, general manager of McAfee Canada.
"The age and demographics are interesting," Fournier said."A few years ago it was all fun for them," she said of the teenagers.
...
The professionalization of online crime is directly contributing to that recruitment, Fournier said, noting the economic and legal advantages criminals see in children.
"If you offer a younger person the same amount [of money for a job] as an older person, you can get three times as much work out of them, she said.
'They are now recruiting more and more children for criminal acts.'â€" Danielle Fournier, McAfee Canada GM on internet crime
The children often have a legal leg up on adult counterparts since they may be immune to or protected from severe criminal prosecution if they get caught.
Security researchers have previously observed a rise in online crime in the summer months, which correlates with the period during which many schools break for vacation and students are looking for work.
"School's out for summer â€" how'd you like to make an easy 10 grand?"Fournier mimicked the sales pitch professional online criminals give technologically adept teens."We are finding more and more interest [in these activities] in the younger generation."