Negative Online Reviews, A New Extortion Tactic
The phenomenon of racketeering has also extended to the virtual world, with organized criminal groups orchestrating avalanches of negative reviews against merchants who refuse to pay the protection money.
This is what was told by Raphael Vitale, head of the new Fai (Italian Anti-Racket Federation) centre in Chiaiano, a peripheral neighborhood of Naples. The structure was inaugurated in the presence of the prosecutor Nicola Gratteri, the prefect Michele di Bari and the police commissioner Maurizio Agricola.
The Fai center in Chiaiano aims to be a point of reference not only for the traders of the neighborhood, but also for those of the surrounding areas, such as Scampia, Piscinola, Miano and Marianella.
“From today,” explains Vitale, who has suffered extortion in the past, “we are finally organized to fight rackets. We do so even in a context in which, in addition to traditional threats, cyber attacks also occur.
Today there are real bombardments of negative reviews on social networks if, for example, a restaurateur, a bartender or a shopkeeper refuses to pay a monthly sum, which can be even modest like 100 or 200 euros.
It's a'cyber extortion to which we often give in, since they ask for even small sums to avoid negative reviews en masse. But it is a dangerous phenomenon, a new frontier of crime. We also act as a point of reference for these people: at a time when many still give up on defending their dignity, agreeing to pay the Camorra to feel safer, we are at the side of those who want to free themselves from submission”.
Il Quaestor Agricola confirms the alarm regarding this phenomenon: "The number of complaints for usury and extortion is objectively low compared to the reality of the racket. Networking is essential in this moment of help and growth."
Agricola also underlines how “extortion, usury and drug trafficking are the main sources of income for the Camorra, which then reinvests this capital. Therefore, fighting rackets means depriving the Camorra of the humus and the necessary money.
I know that reporting is difficult, due to the isolation in which traders and entrepreneurs often find themselves. This is why associations are crucial, because they accompany them and do not leave them alone”.
Luigi Ferrucci, national president of Fai, explains: “The anti-racketeering association is made up of individuals who have denounced racketeering and who are now dedicated to helping their colleagues do the same.
In Chiaiano, this association is named after Francesco Tammaro, who in 1985 was killed by the Camorra right after reporting. This tragic episode highlights the crucial difference between reporting alone and doing so within an anti-racket network, where in 35 years no one has been killed”.
Article published on March 14, 2024 - 20pm
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