Internet crime Essay Example

computer crimes require the internet and not all internet crimes involve computers. The term "cybercafe" is often used interchangeably with internet crimes to refer to any illicit activity in cyberspace. Internet crimes can be divided into two main types: 1) internet-assisted crimes where the use of the internet aids in their commission but is not necessary, and 2) internet-based crimes that solely exist and proliferate due to the existence of the Internet itself. Examples of these include online identity theft and fraud, which have become highly prevalent worldwide according to the FBI.Examples of these types of offenses include hacking and phishing activities. Hacking is the act of bypassing online security measures to gain unauthorized access, often with intentions of stealing or altering information or showcasing computer skills. Phishing involves manipulating code or files to redirect users from legitimate websites to unauthorized clones, usually for the purpose of stealing personal information. Certain crimes can fall into both categories, such as internet-assisted stalking where an individual harasses someone offline and online. Both forms are legally considered the same in law enforcement, but criminologists debate distinguishing between them. Understanding the difference is important for tailoring prevention efforts towards each form. Internet crime traces back several decades ago when interlinked computer networks were developed for military and educational purposes.During the late sass, the Internet and World Wide Web became publicly accessible, leading to a significant increase in files, networks, and Websites. By 2009, there were approximately 200 million Websites and over 1.5 billion Internet users. However, due to the weak security measures of early information network systems and their ambiguous nature, determining the occurrence of the first internet crime

is challenging. Therefore, studying case studies is necessary to explore the history of internet crime; however, discussing all major cases within a brief discussion format is not feasible.

Nevertheless, some incidents in the late sass offer insight into early Internet crime trends. For instance, Kevin Nitpick gained notoriety as a teenage boy for hacking into a phone company's digital network using a modem. Despite limited internet access at that time,Nitpick was able to remotely infiltrate the network and engage in various illegal activities such as making free calls and eavesdropping on conversations. While this may not fit the traditional definition of an Internet crime,it established Nitpick as one of history's most renowned hackers due to his involvement in unlawful online behavior.

Throughout the latter part of the 20th century,the focus on combating Internet-related crimes primarily revolved around prosecuting hackersDuring the early sass period, law enforcement authorities recognized that hackers were not the only ones using the Internet for criminal activities. FBI agents investigating missing and abducted children discovered an online child pornography ring where pedophiles exploited the Internet to exchange explicit images of minors and engage in illicit communications through early chat rooms with underage individuals for sexual solicitation. To address this issue, the FBI launched The Innocent Images National Initiative in 1995. As part of this initiative, undercover FBI agents assumed false identities on various platforms like Websites, blogs, and chat rooms to catch individuals involved in child predation activities. Their efforts resulted in nearly 7,000 offenders within the United States being captured and convicted.

Meanwhile, email programs existed before the Internet but gained popularity during the mid to late sass era with programs like Microsoft Outlook

being developed and companies like America Online offering free email accounts. This led to a significant increase in email users, reaching around 100 million by 2000. However, along with this surge came a rise in unsolicited emails sent to a large number of recipients known as email spam.During the early sass, a scam known as the Nigerian solicitation scam or 419 scam gained infamy. These scams involve fraudulent emails that appear to be from Nigerian royalty or businessmen seeking assistance in moving large sums of money out of the country. Victims are enticed into providing bank account information or paying fees with promises of receiving a portion of these funds. Unfortunately, victims end up losing money without receiving anything in return. In 2002, reported victims lost a median amount of $5,575 due to these scams, according to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (ICC).

In January 1999, there was a notable case in California involving Gary Talented who resorted to impersonating a woman he had been rejected by online. He posted ads and messages on various websites and bulletin boards pretending to be her and describing rape fantasies she supposedly had. He even shared her address and provided instructions on how to disable her home alarm system. As a result, six men visited her home believing they were fulfilling her alleged fantasies. The situation worsened when Talented falsely claimed that the woman's negative responses were part of her fantasy. Consequently, Talented was arrested and sentenced to six years in California state prison for stalking and soliciting rape using the internet as his platformIn October 2006, a new type of crime called accessibility emerged involving ongoing harassment and

torment through electronic communication devices like the internet. This crime primarily targeted teenagers who could be victims or perpetrators. While it had been discussed prior to October 2006, Megan Meier's incident captured the attention of the American public. In that same year, Megan Meier, a 13-year-old girl, developed an online friendship on Namespace with someone she believed was a teenage boy named Josh. Initially, their messages were friendly and flirtatious. However, the situation took a drastic turn when Josh and a group of teenagers started posting extremely derogatory comments about Megan. These relentless insults tragically led Megan to take her own life. Later investigations revealed that "Josh" was not a real person but an account created by Lori Drew, who interestingly happened to be both Megan's friend's mother and coworker. Drew had taken this extreme action in order to uncover what Megan was saying about her daughter after an altercation between the two girls. Despite Megan's parents demanding legal consequences for Drew's actions, their state did not have specific laws addressing this behavior.
Eventually, Drew was found guilty of three misdemeanor charges related to computer fraud under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. The conviction was later overturned due to the vague language in the statute. However, this case has sparked significant interest in accessibility from researchers, reporters, and lawmakers.

In response, several states have amended their harassment laws to include online harassment as an offense punishable under existing statutes on harassment. It is important to note that there is no universally agreed-upon classification for internet crimes. Nevertheless, they can generally be grouped into four categories: online assault, online raiding activities (such as hacking), online theft (including

identity theft), and online intrusion (unauthorized access or invasion of privacy). Various specific types of Internet crime fall under these different categories.

While the prevalence of these crimes is not well-documented and changes daily, available information suggests that they are increasing in terms of victims, offenders, and cost. Overall, there are four categories of Internet crime each with its own common types. For instance, online assault involves acts of violence through the Internet that elicit emotional responses from victims such as threats or unwanted sexual advances. Examples within this category include accessibility which refers to minors using internet-capable devices to repeatedly harass other minors;Cabinetmaking, which involves repeated unwanted contact, harassment sexual advances or threats using communication technologies, and online sexual exploitation of children can occur through both online and offline communication devices. These harmful activities aim to harm the victim's identity or damage their computer data or equipment. Email bombs are often used as a means to target victims. Different emotional responses such as fear or annoyance may be experienced by victims due to various state statutes regarding the legal determination of cabinetmaking.

Child predators exploit children sexually online, using the internet to establish relationships with them and often transitioning these connections into physical encounters. The internet has become a fertile ground for offenders to connect with vulnerable children through chat rooms, message boards, and social networking sites.

On the other hand, online fraud refers to deceptive practices or breaches of trust on the internet for financial gain. Common types of online fraud include auction fraud, lottery/inheritance scams, Nigerian letter schemes, and phishing (where scammers impersonate legitimate businesses to obtain sensitive information like bank account details and passwords).

Auction

fraud occurs when products advertised on internet auction platforms like eBay are misrepresented or not delivered after payment has been made.Lottery scams are perpetrated by individuals who contact victims via email, falsely claiming that they have won large sums of money. These scams typically involve victims having to pay fees multiple times in order to receive their supposed prize. Nigerian schemes, also known as 419 scams under Section 419 of the Nigerian Criminal Code, work by convincing victims to send money with the promise of a share from a large sum held in an overseas bank account. To deceive their targets, scammers employ various deceptive tactics and create elaborate stories filled with sadness and emotional appeals. Their main objective is to persuade victims into sending money or sharing sensitive personal information such as bank account numbers.

These scammers often pose as trusted organizations like banks, credit card companies, or online retailers in order to trick victims into disclosing confidential details like passwords or banking information. They may even go as far as sending fake emails that appear legitimate and directing the victim to fraudulent websites. The ultimate goal behind these schemes is to steal the victim's personal information and exploit it for financial gain through methods such as selling the information, withdrawing funds from their bank accounts, or obtaining loans using their name.

This type of cybercrime encompasses activities such as identity theft and piracy where an individual's personal information is misused without consent or knowledge for fraudulent purposes. Consequently, offenders frequently manage to obtain personal data including bank account and credit card numbers which can then be utilized for unauthorized purchases made under the victim's identity.Online

piracy involves the theft or sharing of intellectual property on the Internet, such as music, videos (movies and TV shows), and computer programs like video games and Microsoft Office. Peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing sites exacerbate this problem by facilitating the distribution of illegally copied materials.

On the other hand, online intrusion refers to using the Internet to invade, harm, or infect someone else's online space, computer programs, or computer systems. Examples of online intrusion include hacking attempts aimed at bypassing security measures on websites, networks, or computer systems to steal personal information or showcase advanced computer skills. Viruses and worms are specifically designed to spread throughout computer networks causing disruptions and reducing system efficiency. Viruses attach themselves to other programs like email in order to unknowingly spread while communicating online; worms function independently.

The increase in internet crime presents a unique challenge for law enforcement and the judicial system. Police departments at various levels have established specialized cybercafe units composed of law enforcement officers and computer experts who aim to educate the public about internet crime, detect online offenders, and conduct investigations. Many of these units maintain their own websites as a means to reach a wider audience.According to a study conducted in 2009, around one-third of states did not have websites in 2007. The impact of internet crime has had a significant effect on both law enforcement and the general public. This indicates that it is highly likely for every major city police department to establish a cybercafe unit in the future. To effectively combat internet criminals, the government's judicial and legislative branches are working together by creating new laws or amending existing ones that specifically address

internet crime. One example of legislation that addresses a unique form of crime specific to computer systems and the Internet is hacking. The drafting process for hacking laws required originality since there was no legal precedent to reference. In contrast, existing laws for crimes like stalking and harassment were modified to include the use of electronic communication devices. All U.S. states and the District of Columbia have established laws against various forms of Internet crime, and federal statutes also prohibit online activities. By 2010, laws targeting different types of Internet crime had been put into effect, including hacking, password cracking, intellectual property theft, identity theft, inappropriate communication with minors, and online child pornography.New legislation is continually being passed in response to the growing number and variety of online criminal activities, although not all U.S. states have laws against every type of Internet crime. The efforts of law enforcement in preventing and controlling both traditional and Internet crimes highlight the distinct differences between the two realms. Convictions in criminal cases heavily rely on valid and reliable evidence, with physical evidence playing a significant role in proving or disproving innocence. However, traditional street crimes face challenges when it comes to preserving evidence as it can be easily contaminated or destroyed. Substances like bleach can eliminate DNA traces or blood, fingerprints can be erased, and weapons can be tampered with. Research has shown that eyewitness testimony is unreliable and prone to modification due to factors such as time, stress, and fear.

In contrast, manipulating evidence in the virtual realm is more complex. While it is often said that "once something is put on the Internet, it can never be

removed," only certain expert users possess the ability to delete specific items from the Internet. The average individual generally lacks this capability because information is stored in multiple locations across the network, making complete erasure practically impossible. Even if someone deletes a picture or post from their social networking site, it still remains on that site's servers.In addition, IT staff members have the ability to retrieve deleted emails, uncover hidden files, and frequently recover corrupted documents. While this may be disheartening for many people, it is extremely valuable for law enforcement investigations and gathering evidence. The digital footprints left behind by cybercriminals can be utilized by police authorities to construct strong cases against them. However, the general public often underestimates the severity of internet crime in comparison to traditional street crime due to a lack of understanding regarding its dangers. This disregard makes individuals more susceptible to becoming victims because they may not realize they have been targeted until after the crime has taken place. This vulnerability is particularly concerning for certain groups such as children who may not consistently take precautions against these crimes. Some police departments are implementing cybercafe units as a strategy to prevent and manage internet crime; however, this poses challenges as it necessitates significant organizational changes for law enforcement agencies that are new to this field.