Types of Cyber Crimes

While the Internet has brought many positive resources for educational purposes, business use and even entertainment for personal home use, it also brings some pretty negative effects as well. Some offenders find ways to use the Internet to bring them satisfaction while putting their victims' lives at risk. Find out some of the common Internet crimes that are popular among online offenders.

Identity Theft

Identity theft can happen online when another person takes a person's Social Security number and/ or other personal information and uses it to pretend to be somebody else. Some ways that these individuals try to steal personal information are sending out "phishing" emails (emails that look like they are from a person's bank, place of business or legitimate organization), and ask for credit card information, Social Security numbers, and other identifying information. Most banks and credit card companies will never ask for such information via email. Beware of these popular tactics.

Credit Card Fraud

According to a Gartner survey of 100 retailers, credit card fraud is the No. 1 problem in e-commerce. Ninety-three percent of purchases that are made online use credit cards as a form of payment. Credit card fraud happens when others use someone else's credit card to make purchases online. Credit card numbers can be stolen with false online forms or emails. Some red flags of a purchase made with a stolen credit card include the shipping address being different from the billing address, requesting leaving orders at the door, and ordering expensive items or many items of the same product.

Cyber-Stalking

Cyber-stalking is when another individual harasses their victim by any means online such as constant emails and messaging. After several attempts at online pursuit, they will often attempt offline stalking as well. Most stalkers know who their victims are in real life. Often these involve ex-spouses, disgruntled co-workers or bosses, or perhaps someone who they may have gone on a few dates with. If you feel you have been a victim of cyber-stalking, contact your local police to file a complaint.

Software Piracy

With the growing popularity of computer-sharing programs such as Bear-Share, torrents and LimeWire, piracy is becoming a growing problem. People can download or "share" programs instead of purchasing them or getting a license for them. Any time a friend copies software, downloads software from a sharing website or program, or a business doesn't report the numbers of computers using software, it is a form of software piracy. Being convicted of software piracy often involves jail time and large fines.

Pornography

The Internet has introduced a growing number of pornography sites that sadly include children. Pornography is a growing crime among Internet users. According to Internet Filter Review, there are 4.2 million pornographic websites. Thirty-four percent of computer users have received unwanted pornographic material on the Internet. Eighty-nine percent of youth in Internet chat rooms have received sexual solicitations. The punishment for child pornography is different in each state. Some states only require that offenders be jailed for one year, while others can impose a 15-year term.

Resources

• Credit Card Fraud on the Internet
• Cyber Stalking
• Traits of a Typical Cyber Stalker
• Definition of Software Piracy
• Internet Pornography Statistics