Internet Crime

If you think the world is not a safe place anymore and try to seek solace in the virtual world of Internet, you will be disappointed to find out that the Internet is not devoid of crime, debauchery and exploitation. The Internet is not a safe place with the increasing number of virtual criminals that lurk behind the virtual walls awaiting their victims to log on to the net and fall prey to their malicious tactics and easy baits. Here is all the information that you would need to know about Internet crime...

What exactly is Internet crime?

Internet crime is a recently escalating form of crime that started with the rise of the Internet era. Any criminal activity, which is carried out on the Internet or by means of the Internet, is generally termed as Internet crime.

What are the various threats in the cyberspace that I should be aware of ?

There are various ways in which criminal minds can use the power of Internet to abuse and cheat people. Here is a list of some of the most dangerous criminal activities over the Internet:

1. Hacking: The process where someone attempts to exploit the security settings of a computer system is known as hacking. The hackers can hack into several websites or personal accounts and threaten the security on the Internet.

2. Phishing: This is a process where the culprit poses as an official entity and tries to acquire important financial or personal details like credit card number, social security number, home address or telephone number.

3. Internet extortion: Threatening emails exploiting people and blackmailing them on the internet to pay money or other favors is another identity theft, child pornography, password trafficking, spamming, virtual stalking, fake auctions and other internet scams are some of the threatening criminal activities that exist on the Internet.

4. Pornography: Abuse of children for generation of pornographic content over the web is one of the most disgusting cyber crimes. Also misusing personal photographs of people to generate forged pornographic content is also a malicious activity in the Internet crime world.

5. Cyber-terrorism: When people try and break into national and international security system to access undisclosed matters of national and international importance, this accounts to cyber terrorism.

Where should I report an Internet crime?

The Internet Crime Complaint Center, which is a joint initiative of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National White Collar Crime Center, aims to serve as a medium to receive, develop, and refer criminal complaints in Internet crime. The Internet Crime Complaint Center also provides the cyber victims an easy-to-use reporting mechanism. Other organizations that could be of help are Department of Homeland Security's National Infrastructure Coordinating Center, U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team, National Association of Attorney General's Computer Crime Point of Contact List.

Are there any laws to protect the citizens against Internet crime?

Yes there are several laws that safeguard the interests of the Internet users and have severe penalties for cyber criminals. Here is a list of some important laws:

• The Counterfeit Access Device and Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1984
• The Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986
• The National Information Infrastructure Protection Act of 1996
• The No-Electronic Theft Act of 1997
• The Communications Decency Act of 1996
• The Child Online Protection Act of 1998
• The Protection of Children from Sexual Predators Act of 1998
• The Patriot Act of 2001

What are the ways to protect myself from Internet crime?

Safe and anonymous Internet browsing is the key to stay away from cyber crime. One should avoid giving away personal details like credit card number, social security number, home address, telephone number, and account passwords on the Internet. Financial transactions should be carried out over the Internet only when you are assured about the credibility of the website. Online shopping from suspicious websites should be avoided.

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