HomeNewsBriefJamaica Homicide Spike Fuelled by Lottery Scam
BRIEF

Jamaica Homicide Spike Fuelled by Lottery Scam

CARIBBEAN / 8 JAN 2016 BY INSIGHT CRIME EN

Jamaica's homicide rate reached an alarming five-year high in 2015, with the uptick believed to have been driven by violent rivalries between lottery scam rings.

Jamaica's Police Constabulary stated that there were at least 1,192 killings in 2015, with most related to gang violence, reported The Associated Press (AP). This was a nearly 20 percent increase on 2014, which saw a total of 1,005 killings, the lowest since 2003.

With a population of around 2.7 million, the homicide rate reached 45 per 100,000 in 2015, maintaining Jamaica's grim record as one of the most violent countries in the world. National Security Minister Peter Bunting, who has set an ambitious goal of reducing annual murders to 320 by 2017, said that officials "will not be deterred or daunted by this setback."

The country's crime statistics, however, do contain some hopeful signs: while murders increased last year, there was a decline in other crimes, including rape, aggravated assault, robberies and larcenies, reported the AP.

InSight Crime Analysis

Authorities have attributed Jamaica's dramatic increase in homicides in 2015 to clashes between rival lottery scam rings on the Caribbean island nation. Lottery scamming is a form of advance fee fraud that involves contacting victims via phone or email with the bogus promise of a lottery win, which can be collected only after the victim has sent money in advance. 

SEE ALSO: Coverage of Jamaica

In Jamaica, rival scam rings are reportedly competing for control of money and "lead lists," which contain the contact details of thousands of potential targets, mainly in the United States. With a list of good phone numbers, it has been estimated a scammer can make over $1,000 in several days. In 2013, The Wall Street Journal reported that Jamaican scammers alone took $1 billion from US victims, who are often elderly people suffering from dementia, over the course of four years. (See The Wall Street Journal diagram below)

16-01-07-Jamaica-LotteryScam

Action to combat the problem has been tedious. So far, few Jamaican citizens have been extradited to the US on lottery fraud charges, a process that is complicated and painfully slow, much less convicted. To help reduce Jamaica's worsening homicide rate, US and Jamaican authorities will need far greater levels of effort and cooperation in cracking lottery scam rings, holding perpetrators accountable and disincentivizing this nefarious activity.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

CARIBBEAN / 4 MAY 2023

While blame directed at the US is well-founded, more complete data is needed on US firearms' dominance in the Caribbean.

CHAPITOS / 9 AUG 2022

Little clarity has followed the brazen assassination of a local police chief in northern Mexico.

CARIBBEAN / 23 MAR 2023

High-ranking officials from the former government of President Danilo Medina in the Dominican Republic continue to fall.

About InSight Crime

WORK WITH US

Open Position: Social Media and Engagement Strategist

27 MAY 2023

InSight Crime is looking for a Social Media and Engagement Strategist who will be focused on maintaining and improving InSight Crime’s reputation and interaction with its audiences through publishing activities…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Receives Great Reception

27 MAY 2023

Several of InSight Crime’s most recent articles about Venezuela have been well received by regional media. Our article on Venezuela’s colectivos expanding beyond their political role to control access to…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report Continues

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Paraguay Election Coverage Draws Attention 

5 MAY 2023

InSight Crime looked at the various anti-organized crime policies proposed by the candidates in Paraguay’s presidential election, which was won on April 30 by Santiago Peña. Our pre-election coverage was cited…