Computer Crime or Cybercrime is the use of a computer as an instrument to further illegal ends, such as committing fraud, trafficking in child pornography, intellectual property, stealing identities, or violating privacy. Cybercrime has grown since the birth of the internet and as computers became important to e-commerce, entertainment, and government. Unless proven in the court, a defendant accused of cybercrime can temporarily avail of bail. He can ask for help from a bail bond company.
Since the internet has first developed in the US, most of the first victims of Cybercrime were Americans. Just like the internet, computer crimes just keep on evolving as new technology arises and creates new criminal opportunities and new types of crime. Sometimes, cybercrime is an extension of existing criminal behavior with some illegal activities. For example, stealing of identity and intellectual property, committing fraud, traffic in child pornography even exist before the age of the internet. However, during the internet age, these crimes were upgraded and criminals found a new channel or space where they can do their illegal activities.
Most Cybercrime attacks are direct to individuals, corporations, and governments. You may not see the crime physically but it does take place in the virtual world and it is oftentimes unethical. What makes it harder is that in the digital age, it is essential to have our virtual identities uploaded in databases owned by the government and corporations. If our system is fragile and not solid, it can be easily used in cybercrimes. And since the crime is done virtually it is also complicated to determine the exact location of a crime. What if a citizen of a certain country where child pornography is banned accessed the child pornography site in the other country where child pornography is not banned. Well, this can be solved through cyberspace networks wherein developers can trace the IP address of a certain user. In this sense, we might need more Cybersecurity people to protect our virtual identities.
There are also types of Cybercrime and we’ll discuss seven of them. Let’s take a look at them one by one.
1. Identity theft and Invasion of Privacy
Though theft might be the most common crime, it does take place also in cyberspace, and in cyberspace, it is more serious and can cause too much damage. In the US, individuals do not have an official identity card but they do have a Social security number that has long served as their identification card. Access to an individual’s social security numbers can give an opportunity to gather all the documents related to a certain individual’s citizenship and worse, to steal his/her identity. Even credit card details can be stolen too and can be used by criminals.
2. Internet Fraud
Internet fraud or scams are also plenty in cyberspace. It includes fake products, fake service, and worse, you already paid money for a fraudulent act or item. It also includes phishing where the most common example is sending you an email that he is a Prince from a town in Africa and he said you have won a lottery any bait that makes you think it is legit. Then the sender will ask for details so that they will be able to “transfer the money” to you. And once you fall into their modus, your personal details can be used to their crime.
3. ATM Fraud
Computers like automated teller machines (ATMs) can also be used in Cybercrime. In order to withdraw from the machine, a person needs his/her personal pin but criminals nowadays did find ways to intercept both the data on the card’s magnetic strip as well as the user’s pin which resulted in information being used to create fake cards and are used to withdraw funds from the unsuspecting individual’s account.
4. Wire Fraud
Up to the current state, wire fraud remained a worldwide problem. It is an illegal act to transfer money from one account to other accounts without the knowledge of the owner of the money. It can be interbank or inter-country. The biggest wire fraud known in history was in 1994 when a huge sum of money from Citibank was wired from Argentina and Indonesia to Amsterdam, San Francisco, Germany, and Finland. The exact reason how the criminal got the details from the bank remained disclosed.
5. File Sharing
File sharing involves more than one party. Because it is now easy to send and receive files through the internet, it is sometimes taken advantage of by some criminals. File sharing caused a drastic change in the trend of the music industry. For example, instead of buying a CD at the store and paying at the counter, criminals just ask for a copy of the song. No need to pay, they just open the internet and download for free.
6. Forgery
Since everything can be checked from the tips of your fingers, criminals sometimes use the work of other people to commit forgery. They can search for signatures or sometimes they “unknowingly” commit forgery because of the internet. For example, the intention was to get “inspiration” design from the internet for artwork but it ends up looking almost the same as the inspiration. It can be subject to forgery if the rightful owner reports. If the defender finds himself not guilty, he can avail bail bond service in the meantime to get him out of the mess.
7. Hacking
Of the Cybercrimes, hacking is among the most difficult to assess because the victims often prefer not to report the crimes. It is because they fear public scrutiny and embarrassment. On the other hand, for companies – it can result in millions of dollars in losses and if the government is the victim, it can cause a national threat.
If you are on the other side of the table and find yourself defending against the cybercrime you did not commit, keep calm and do not be afraid. Do not hesitate to call a bail bond service. Lucky Lucero’s is a dedicated bail bond company doing whatever possible to get you out of jail. Get a quote now.