Cybercrime is illegal activity using the internet, networks, or computer systems, including identity theft, blackmail, and stealing corporate information. Many countries have implemented laws to minimize cybercrime, including spam. Obtaining statistics is difficult, but law enforcement agencies work to identify electronic crime.
Cybercrimes are generally defined as any type of illegal activity that makes use of the Internet, a private or public network, or an internal computer system. While many forms of cybercrime revolve around the appropriation of proprietary information for unauthorized use, other examples focus more on an invasion of privacy. As a growing problem around the world, many countries are starting to implement laws and other regulatory mechanisms in an effort to minimize the incidence of cybercrime.
Sometimes referred to as electronic crime, one of the most prolific examples involves the use of a computer connection and specially developed software to steal identities, credit card numbers or other data that the criminal can use for his own benefit. Using illegally obtained data, the criminal can open accounts, charge for a variety of goods and services, and then leave the accounts. This leaves the victim in the position of facing huge debts that he did not generate.
Blackmail is a long-standing illegal act that has been given a new twist in the modern era. The blackmailer may threaten to release embarrassing or other harmful information via the Internet or a private network if the victim does not comply with the criminal’s demands. A cybercrime of this type can go as far as the victim transferring funds to an untraceable bank account using some type of online payment program, thus taking full advantage of modern technology to commit the crime.
Cybercrime can also involve illegal access to corporate information. Just as with individuals, criminals can steal financial information and make purchases using the data. The criminal can also draw funds from corporate reserves, transferring the stolen funds through a variety of accounts and making it virtually impossible to locate stolen assets. In other cases, it’s not money or credit information that the criminal is after; obtaining proprietary information about customers and selling it to competitors is another example of this type of high-tech criminal activity.
In many countries around the world, nations have passed packages of cybercrime laws that make sending out spam a criminal act. Spam is loosely defined as unsolicited emails that are sent to thousands or even millions of email accounts at once. Some countries have specific conditions in place that must be applied for spam not to be considered a cybercrime, such as providing a means for the recipient to opt-out of receiving further email requests from the sender. As the problem grows, more and more politicians are promoting the idea of some sort of national or international cybercrime act that specifically addresses the use of spam and limits or eliminates the practice altogether.
Obtaining authoritative statistics on cybercrime is not as easy as it sounds. As with many criminal acts, some e-crime incidents go unreported. This makes it difficult to compile any type of cybercrime report that tells the whole story for any given period of time. However, many law enforcement agencies around the world work together in an effort to provide as complete a picture as possible. In the United States, the FBI’s cybercrime record seeks to identify all examples of electronic crime, including actions that may involve terrorist activity and crimes such as fraud, identity theft, or embezzlement.
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