Protection racket

A scheme in which threats of harm are used to extract recurring payments for supposed protection. The threat may come from the collector or from a danger the collector claims to control.

Extortion: The unlawful obtaining of money, property, or action through threats or coercion. A protection racket is a recurring form of extortion built around threatened harm.
Black Hand (extortion): A name used for organized extortion schemes, especially those associated with Italian immigrant communities in the United States. The term became closely associated with threats demanding payments from Italian American victims.
American Mafia: The network of Italian American organized-crime groups that developed in the United States. Its groups used protection payments to finance operations and enforce control over businesses.
Racketeering: The operation of an organized scheme of illegal activity, often for financial gain. Protection payments can form one activity within a broader racketeering enterprise.
Private security: Security services provided by nongovernmental organizations or individuals for clients. Legitimate security is purchased by consent, unlike protection imposed through threats.
Coercion: The use of force or threats to compel someone to act against their will. Threats make the payment appear compulsory rather than a voluntary purchase.
Mafia: A secretive criminal organization structured around kinship, loyalty, and illicit activity. Mafia groups have historically financed themselves through protection payments.
Sicilian Mafia: A network of criminal organizations originating in Sicily, often called Cosa Nostra. Its protection racket practices helped shape the concept's best-known historical examples.
Organized crime: Coordinated criminal activity conducted by groups for profit or power. Protection rackets are a common method through which organized groups raise revenue.
Corruption: The abuse of entrusted power for private benefit. When officials protect or participate in rackets, victims lose access to impartial enforcement.

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