Controversy Surrounding Internet Fraud

Cybercrime has experienced significant progress during recent years, as its advance is directly proportional with the advance of technology. In spite of the fact that the authorities devise new and better strategies to fight cybercrime, the fact that the number of people online is constantly increasing means that cybercrimes occur even more frequently. Dishonest people who seek opportunities have discovered how the internet stands as a perfect environment for them to commit crimes by taking as little risks as possible. Computer fraud generates a series of benefits for the person committing it, as he or she can either profit financially from the enterprise or can simply alter files in order for his or her image to be positively affected. Identity theft is a major form of cybercrime and it is essential for society to acknowledge the gravity of the matter in order to be able to effectively fight against criminals using it.

* Person is liable if he accesses a computer online, without authority, to obtain classified, private, or protected information.

new advances in the electronic technologies during the past decades have administered a new wealth of criminal activity. Software like Computer viruses, malware, software privacy, spam and etc. Technologically savvy artist replicate websites, so when a person's online activities occurs in a virtual world it can be compromised.Many times Cyber intrusions rely on human interaction and it often involves tricking people into breaking security procedures.

The Internet crimes can often overlap between fraud and other crimes. Because of these overlapping crimes it is important the there is communication and cooperation between our own agencies and international agencies.

“Many legal issues are related to e-commerce. When buyers and sellers do not know each other and cannot even see each other (they may even be in different countries), there is a chance of fraud and other crimes over the Internet. During the first few years of EC, the public witnessed many of these, ranging from the creation of a virtual bank that disappeared along with the investors’ deposits, to manipulation of stock prices on the Internet” (Turban et al., 2010).

The internet has brought upon a new revolution of global interconnection where contacting someone on the other side of the world is just a click away, but with this international phenomenon comes an increased susceptibility with unfamiliar technology. Internet crime is compiled of all non-physical crime with the aid of a computer. Although broad in definition internet crimes are largely composed of acts such as cyber fraud, ‘phishing’ (username and password hacking), cyber stalking and hacking. Internet crime does not pose an overwhelming issue in society in terms of its

Just in the last decade, there has been a 29% increase in crimes committed against residents and a 22% increase for business losses due to online crimes (Meyer). Another large issue with technology is that they monitor an individualś every move, for example, a phone company, AT&T, was monitoring their customers phones to be able to “use your individual Web browsing information, like the search terms you enter and the Web pages you visit, to tailor ads and offers to your interests” (Silverman 282). Although the increase in such crimes can potentially cause many issues and obstacles for an individual, they do not physically harm anyone. Such crimes as internet fraud and any other crime that can be committed online, are all fixable and can be prevented. There are security systems that can help protect against frauds and prevent any more from occurring, which makes this issue much less crucial to stop. It is also possible to contact police and bankers to stop this from occurring and they can help you regain all of your losses. The government also has the NSA, the National Security Agency, to monitor all internet movements, which helps stop many of these issues. New technology has helped prevent an immense amount of street crimes, that without the internet, would have only continued to rise, while millions of people would have continued to be murdered.

The creation go of the Internet has helped spawn new forms of criminals and crimes, and has always helped make older criminal schemes easier to execute, identity theft, child pornography, copyright violations, hacking and you could go on and on. In a 2003 survey conducted by the CSI with the participation of the San Francisco Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Computer Intrusion Squad, of the 530 respondents made up of U.S. corporations, government agencies, financial institutions, medical institutions and universities, 56% reported unauthorized use of their computer systems (2003 CSI/FBI Computer Crime and Security Survey).

At the beginning of the second millennium, an era of information society, based on the increasing use of computers, computer technology, information technology, making available "everything to everyone, everywhere and always" very urgent problem of improving the legislation in the fight against various kinds of offenses in this area, and first of all crimes. Currently, computer crime, has acquired an international dimension, is already receiving an adequate assessment of the international community, in particular, is reflected in a special Convention on Cybercrime, signed in 2001 in Budapest, representatives of 30 countries, members of the Council of Europe. The scale of a virtual crime using the internet in the US can be seen from the following

The clear majority of communication and commerce conducted via the Internet is for lawful purposes, nevertheless, the Internet is increasingly utilized to foster fraudulent schemes. Moreover, such fraudulent scheme

Johannes Xingan Li of Tallin University indicts about the progression of computers and cyber crime history. The conception of this evaluation is that cyber crime and hackers have existed since the invention of computers. “The faster the speed of information processing is, the broader the network connection covers, the more users are engaged in the information industry, and the more dependent on information modern society becomes, the higher the risks and the more serious the threats people will have to face. Naturally, the number and gravity of cyber crime will also increase.” With this being said, no laws combating cyber crimes existed until they became more prominent. This source serves as a back bone explicating how the law is lacking in online crimes progressively since the beginning. To understand the progression of these crimes, you must understand how it all started. The author makes valid historical connections and gives detail to how cyber crimes are growing. He makes a point that there will be no end to online crimes but we can lead up to an “equilibrium” of laws regarding cyber crimes and the actual crime

Limitation of human contact due to technology has had a negative effect because it makes crimes easier to be committed and technology can mislead people. Not long ago, the "Craigslist Killer" was a criminal who committed homicides by having people buy his merchandise online; eventually, once the buyer showed up, he would kill them. The use of technology to communicate has made it easier to commit crimes like these because you are able to hide until the very moment you meet, and as seen, that moment could end up dangerous, even fatal. Obviously, this does not happen too much anymore due to safety features and "Internet safety rules" that we learned in elementary school, but other crimes are still being done today such as selling an item not

Fraud. Embezzlement. Money Laundering. Financial underreporting. Financial over reporting. Accounting malpractice. Costing the global business close to tens of billions of dollars is financial fraud. These accounting crimes are best described as incentives or conflicts of interest issues. [8] While on the one hand softer trade and economic policies are bridging the gaps between world economies, stricter laws and regulations are coming into existence to curb the increase in financial misdealing between companies across borders, on the other. With the proliferation of internet into daily lives, it has become easier for individuals to use technology in criminal ways for personal benefits. Considering these developments and the genius

The agencies employed by governments to police the web in order to protect the vulnerable have seen an increase in child pornography and online fraud. The speed at which information can be distributed and the number of people that can be reached attracts those that are intent on causing harm. The term “cybercrime” is becoming more widely used. The financial gains that can be made and the anonymity the internet can provide, make the virtual world of cyberspace a haven for criminals. Although the internet has huge benefits for information gathering and social networking, in the wrong hands it can cause harm to the vulnerable and criminals are able to vanish into the underground with the use of false identities that are hard to track online.

The word ‘racketeering’ commonly brings up the image of Al Capone and John Gotti. The mafia seemingly coined this phrase in their dealings with illegal organized crimes. The emergence of new technologies and the internet, racketeering has become synonymous with the phrase cybercrime. Cybercrime refers to “crimes in which the perpetrator uses their distinct skills with computer technology” to commit unlawful acts via cyberspace (Holt, Bossler and Spellar, 2105, p. 9). Racketeering is defined as the “act of offering of a dishonest service [a "racket"] to solve a problem that wouldn 't otherwise exist without the enterprise offering the service” (Investopedia, 2010). Combine the two and there is potential to have catastrophic consequences for both the victim and perpetrator. The case of David Camez is one in which $50 million dollars’ worth of financial fraud was committed using the internet. Combined with racketeering efforts, his case made headlines due to its influence on how the Justice Department now looks at racketeering acts.