Zuckermann on Extortion

From earlier this week:

It is, absolutely, one of the crimes that most affects the society and the well-being of the nation. Furthermore, typically it generates disproportionate violence as criminals need the publicity to make themselves credible. Violence as cruel as what we saw last Thursday in Monterrey. After what happened in Casino Royale, what business wouldn't pay?

That sentiment seems to be growing, for obvious reasons.

Incidentally, the figures for extortion are all over the map. One report I've linked to a fair amount pegs the number of complaints at 50,000 in 2008 alone. However, a new report from Excélsior says that there have been 24,000 criminal complaints over the course of the sexenio. Than there are studies like this one, which tosses telephonic extortion attempts in with the rest, that place the number of extortion attempts at well over a million annually. They all seem to be in agreement, however, that the trend is heading upward.