About Cyber Crime

Cyber crime is an international issue, depriving online users of billions of dollars a year. Whether using traditional techniques, employing malicious software, using the Internet as a platform for illicit sexual activity or attempting to subvert governments, cyber criminals seek to conduct their crimes in total anonymity.

Internet Fraud

Well-trained fingers are no longer simply used to pick pockets or steal merchandise, but can also be used to execute scams by pressing buttons on a keyboard or clicking buttons on a mouse. Traditional pyramid schemes have induced greedy investors to become victims of online fraud. Internet auction fraud has also accounted for significant losses for online buyers who suffer non-delivery of merchandise as well as misuse of credit-card information. Schemes that were once practiced via snail mail are now practiced via email, such as the classic Nigerian letter scam or chain-letter scams.

Malicious Software

Designed to compromise the integrity of a computer system, malware attacks are used to deny users access to information while supplying essential information to perpetrators of such attacks. Users may be denied access to vital accounts, or they may unknowingly serve as zombies to subvert the systems of fellow users. Malware attacks may also be used by hackers who seek to gain access to sensitive information such as Social Security identification numbers or bank account numbers.

Sexual Predators

Networks of sexual predators engage in the transmission of sexually explicit images and information. Predators may indicate a willingness to travel, or state an eagerness to engage in sex with a minor. Sexual predators are sometimes known to frequent chat rooms, to engage in chats that seek to gain the confidence of fellow users while gradually exhibiting an exceedingly lewd tone. Individuals who routinely transmit child pornography over the Internet are likely to become subjects of FBI investigations.

Political Agenda

Cyber crime is sometimes used to undermine the effectiveness of a nation's government. President Obama has appointed a "cyber tsar" to promote Interneet security. Governmental systems have been targeted for infiltration due to a variety of reasons, which include political insurgency as well as the desire of hackers to demonstrate their skills against some of the most tightly guarded computer systems in the world.

The Advantage of Anonymity

Perpetrators of online scams are often difficult for victims and investigators to identify. Nevertheless, forensic techniques have been effectively used to associate perpetrators with the computer systems they employ to commit their cyber crimes. Unfortunately, few victims of cyber crime have the financial wherewithal or savvy to employ the forensic techniques necessary to catch the criminals who have duped them.

References

• Computer Viruses and Other Malicious Software: A Threat to the Internet Economy; OECD, 2009 (p. 41)
• Cyber Crime: Feds Targeting Sexual Exploitation of Kids
• Fighting cybercrime with forensics

Resources

• FBI's Cyber Investigations