Joyrides to assault: 'Crimefluencer’ networks coercing youth into breaking law

You have probably never heard the term “crimefluencer”.
These are members of decentralised online crime networks who take crime content and amplify it to build notoriety and status in their online communities.

They also recruit content creators to film themselves or others committing crimes, with the vision shared across social media, forums, or messaging apps.
Late last year, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) set up a taskforce to “identify, disrupt and dismantle those online ecosystems that target Australians”.

So, what exactly is happening, how bad is the problem, and what are some possible solutions?

A decentralised online crime network is not a single organised crime group, but a loose collection of people and small online communities who are connected through shared interests and platforms.

They don’t have clear leaders or formal membership. Instead, people and sub-groups interact across social media such as TikTok, forums, and messaging apps like Snapchat, often anonymously.

The AFP states members of these networks are “typically young males from English-speaking countries with common beliefs on violent extremism, nihilism, Nazism, satanism and sadism”.

These networks have been responsible for numerous online crimes, including the production of violent extremist material and the exploitation of young people, predominantly young girls. Known as “post and boast” activities, crimes range from joyriding through to serious physical assaults.
The AFP states victims are often “coerced online into performing explicit and violent acts on themselves, siblings, others or their pets”.

The crimefluencers then take this content and remix or amplify it to gain attention, followers, or status online.

States and territories are beginning to recognise the dangers. Laws have been established in Western Australia where crimefluencers could face up to three years in prison for glorifying violent acts, and Queensland has laid charges against more than 200 people under similar laws.

Crimefluencers recruit content creators through gaming platforms such as Roblox as well as messaging apps such as Discord and Telegram. They hunt for targets – often a young, vulnerable child or teenager, or those with mental health conditions – whom they encourage to create content for them to distribute.

The more depraved, the more they have to gain in their online communities. Violence is a form of currency.

Unlike traditional true crime creators – who analyse or retell events after the fact – crimefluencers are participants in the crime cycle itself. They do not just document harm, they incentivise, reward and sometimes orchestrate it.

Young people are particularly susceptible to these dynamics as they are more likely to prioritise social validation over long-term consequences especially in environments where harm is normalised, reinforced and rewarded.

To disrupt crimefluencer reward-seeking and coercive dynamics, immediate multi-level interventions are required. Platforms must downrank harmful content and hide engagement metrics to remove rewards. Enhanced user protection is needed, including one-click account lockdowns and silent help options for vulnerable youth. Deglamourising these activities through peer-led campaigns focussing on victim impact is vital. Additionally, advanced pattern recognition should identify coercive behaviours. Finally, authorities must target amplifiers and organisers, not just the young people often pressured into these criminal networks.


The Conversation