The investigation of credit card fraud in Cyprus: reviewing police “effectiveness”

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the “effectiveness” of the Cyprus police in investigating credit card fraud. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 19 semi-structured interviews with key criminal justice personnel were undertaken to assess the current capacity of police in investigating credit card fraud. Findings – The paper discovers that a far more co-ordinated approach is needed to tackle credit card fraud in Cyprus, with a lack of specialised knowledge of fraud a major concern. Research limitations/implications – All interview schedules were sent before the interviews took place and three of the respondents provided written responses only. Originality/value – This is the first study of its kind that involved primary research interviewing 19 key personnel involved in policing credit card fraud in Cyprus.