Cybercriminals (Yahoo Boys) and Society: Book Launch with Dr Suleman Lazarus
25 November 2026 | 4:00pm-5:30pm | University of Portsmouth, Room 1.23, Park Building, King Henry I Street, Portsmouth PO1 2BZ and online
The Centre for Cybercrime and Economic Crime, in collaboration with the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (SCCJ) Seminar Series, is delighted to host the launch of Cybercriminals (Yahoo Boys) and Society, the new book by Dr Suleman Lazarus, Visiting Lecturer at the Centre and one of the leading international scholars examining cybercrime and digital fraud in West Africa.
Based on more than a decade of research, the book moves beyond familiar stereotypes of "Yahoo Boys" to explore the wider social, cultural and economic environments in which online fraud emerges, operates and is contested. Drawing on ethnographic research, interviews, court records and digital investigations, Dr Lazarus examines how cybercrime becomes embedded within communities, relationships, moral narratives and systems of opportunity.
The book explores a wide range of themes, including fraud and social mobility, organised criminal networks, spiritual and cultural influences, gendered dimensions of offending, and the broader global connections linking cybercrime, inequality and justice.
Event Format (in-person and online)
The event will include:
- An introduction from session Chair Professor Mark Button
- A presentation by Dr Suleman Lazarus introducing the book and its key findings
- An audience Q&A session
- Refreshments and networking (in-person only)
- A 20% publisher discount is available for attendees using the code 26AFLY3
This event will be of interest to researchers, students, practitioners, policymakers and anyone interested in cybercrime, fraud, criminology and digital society.
About the Speaker
Dr Suleman Lazarus is a criminologist and cybercrime researcher specialising in digital fraud, organised crime, human trafficking and the social contexts of offending. He completed his PhD in Criminology and Cybercrime at the University of Portsmouth. He developed the Tripartite Cybercrime Framework, which categorises cybercrime by socioeconomic, psychosocial, and geopolitical motivations.
He is a consultant with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and an Associate Editor of ACM's Digital Threats: Research and Practice. In 2026, he was ranked 4th worldwide and 2nd in Great Britain in Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance, and 5th worldwide and 2nd in Great Britain in Cybercrime and Law Enforcement Studies, according to the Scholarly Index Top1000 Scholar rankings (2021-2025). His co-authored paper, “Fraud as a legitimate retribution for colonial injustice”, received the International Society of Economic Criminology's (ISEC) Best Paper by an Academic Award.