Mafia bosses of the brutal Camorra in southern Italy are starting to flaunt their lavish lifestyles and deliver threats on social media in stark contrast from their traditional profile.
Unlike other mafia organisations in Italy that still try to keep their activities hidden, some members of the Camorra are looking for the limelight which has also angered older mafiosi in Naples and the Campania region where it operates.
Young gangsters in Naples are showing off their lavish possessions and luxury holidays.
Crescenzo Marino has over 43,000 followers on TikTok and his videos have amassed almost one million likes, reported the Daily Star.
He can be seen dressed in designer clothes with jewelled watches and cruising around Paris in a Ferrari.
But the Camorra - the oldest and largest criminal organisation in Italy - aren't just using TikTok to show off.
The mobsters have utilised the platform's short video format to send chilling messages and announce vendettas against enemies.
Recently, following the murder of a man linked to the Carillo-Perfetto clan, one TikTok user directly addressed police.
"We are giving you a week to arrest them or we will raise hell against them," it said.
Marcello Ravveduto, a modern history professor at the University of Salerno and an expert on mafia communication, told The Times : "For the first time these gangsters have found a direct way to speak up about their lives.
"The Camorra has the youngest members of Italy’s mafias and they love TikTok because it’s so quick and has less rules than other platforms.
"The Camorra has followed the Mexican Narcos, who are keen users of TikTok, while gypsy criminals in Rome are also using it.
"What is needed now is better teamwork between the police and TikTok to keep a better eye on these people."
The Camorra appear to be following other crime organisations around the world like drug cartels in Mexico who have regularly used social media in recent years to make threats to authorities and rival gangs.
An intelligence agent told Italian paper La Republicca that whereas in the past they had to try and infiltrate weddings and other family get-togethers to find information, now social media is their first port of call.
