Types of Crimes Committed Because of Technology
As of 2011, the Internet Crime Complaint Center receives 25,000 complaints a month alleging illegal online activities. While many people equate cyber crime with the occasional downloading of a favorite song or movie, other acts of committed with the aid of technology -- ranging from theft to fraud to abuse -- take a monumental toll on their victims.
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Identity Theft
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Fake IDs created with stolen information are often used to defraud the government and victim. Identity theft is the unauthorized use of identifying information -- such as a Social Security, bank account, debit or credit card number -- to carry out a crime. Methods of acquiring such data include old-fashioned purse snatching, Dumpster diving for financial statements and "phishing," or pretending via email or phone to be a banking institution in need of information.
Another technique, "skimming," makes use of a special storage device that lifts the information when processing a credit or debit card through an otherwise legal transaction. The thief then might go shopping, establish phone or utility service in the victim's name, file fraudulent tax returns or apply for Social Security benefits. The Federal Trade Commission reports that about 9 million Americans each year are victims of identity theft.
Piracy
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Piracy involves the purposeful infringement of a copyrighted piece on a commercial scale. When referring to music, however, piracy includes any unauthorized copying of material. Physical music piracy refers to the creation and/or distribution of sound recordings on physical carriers without proper permission. Counterfeiting, whether of movies or music, takes it one step further, producing materials that resemble original content with the replication of artwork, logos and packaging.
Internet piracy is any act of infringement committed on the Internet, including the distribution of music and movies through peer-to-peer networks and the production of creative work that uses the copyrighted material without permission. The Institute for Policy Innovation states that illegal downloading of music alone results in an annual loss of $12.5 billion dollars to the U.S. economy and 70,000 jobs.
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Child Pornography
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Child pornography is any visual depiction of a minor, an individual modified to appear as a minor or an individual otherwise indistinguishable from a minor, engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The manufacture, receipt, possession, distribution or possession with intent to distribute child pornography is a crime. Most child pornography distribution takes place online, through peer-to-peer sites, chat rooms, newsgroups and emails. In 2008, the Internet Watch Foundation found 1,536 child pornography online domains.
Internet Scams
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Internet scams aim to financially defraud individuals. A common scheme, the Nigerian Letter or "419," begins with an individual contacting a potential victim by email, fax or letter. In the letter, the defrauder claims to be royalty, a government official or one poised to receive wealth. The individual convinces the victim to send money to an overseas bank account to pay various upfront fees with an empty promise to reimburse the money. Other online scams involve Ponzi or pyramid schemes, auction frauds where victims purchase items that are never delivered and debt elimination scams. Of the monthly complaints received by Internet Crime Complaint Center, more than 64 percent allege Internet scams or fraud.
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References
- Federal Trade Commission: About Identity Theft
- National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: What Is Child Pornography?
- Internet Crime Complaint Center: 2010 Internet Crime Report
- Federal Bureau of Investigation: Internet Fraud
- Enough is Enough: Child Pornography
- PCWorld: Movie Piracy Is the New Plague; Scarlett Pruitt; July 9, 2004
Resources
- Photo Credit Creatas Images/Creatas/Getty Images Creatas/Creatas/Getty Images
