If anything, corruption is even more dangerous when it is used by criminal organizations, thus constituting a national threat. It violates the public trust and corrodes social capital. A small side payment for a given service may seem a minor offense, but it is not the only cost- corruption can have far-reaching externalities. Unchecked and creeping accumulation of seemingly minor infractions slowly erodes political legitimacy to the point where even uncorrupt officials and members of the public see little point in playing by rules. The major problem is thus that corruption feeds on itself, creating a widening spiral of illegal payoffs.