Cyber Stalking

The act of stalking can be described as a constant unwanted pursuit of another individual. Cyber stalking is the same action, but with the use of a computer. Cyber stalking is considered to be a serious cybercrime. Many times, someone commits cyber stalking when he or she becomes fixated on one particular victim. Other times, the stalker can commit cyberstalking by stalking more than one victim at a time.

The stalker can use various ways on the Internet to contribute to his or her obsessive behavior. This includes: constantly trying to chat with someone who has expressed non-interest, sending unwanted materials (i.e. photos, e-mails, etc.), and anything that contains a harassing or threatening message or an action performed on the Internet that could bring harm to the stalker’s victim.

Unfortunately, because of the convenience and accessibility of the Internet, it becomes much easier to locate victims by collecting the victim’s phone number, address, and other various pieces of personal information, thus helping to enable cyberstalking. In the early 1990s, after the rise of Internet use, five women were murdered in the State of California as a direct result of cyberstalking. After this frightening chain of events, public awareness of cyberstalking had to be increased, including the serious repercussions that a victim could suffer.

Due to the increase of cyberstalking, penalties can range anywhere from a restraining order, to years of jail time depending on the State, the specific charges and the severity of the actions committed by the stalker.

So what can one do to avoid cyberstalking? When using the Internet, to avoid cyber stalking do not post anything that you would not wish anyone to see or that may be deemed as “suggestive”. This includes: photos, chats, or even user names. This will avoid attracting attention from any unwanted pursuers. If you are chatting with someone who starts to become aggressive or says anything that may make you uncomfortable, you should exit the program immediately and report them to your Internet service provider.

One of the perks of online chatting is that the conversation is documented and it is easier to monitor a particular user and thereby pinpoint cases of cyberstalking. There are also “safe sites” that encourage a no-harassment policy. These particular sites may be safer to browse and will probably take strong action against harassment claims.

How Are Computer Used in Network Fraud

With the frequent use of computers and the Internet, Internet fraud is a common problem that is becoming more and more rampant. Committing an act of fraud usually involves deceiving a third party for personal gain. Proceeding from that understanding, Internet fraud would mean deceiving, or perhaps stealing, by using the Internet as a tool. Contact a fraud lawyer to acquire legal advice and assistance.

A common occurrence of Internet fraud takes place when an outside party hacks into the victim's account and obtains personal information (i.e. credit card numbers, social security information, phone number, etc.). Many times, they will then use that information to pose as the victim in order to commit offenses or to purchase items and charge them to the victim's account. In order to do this, some perpetrators may use malware (malicious software) as a way to obtain another person's personal information from the Internet.

Other perpetrators will actually physically sit at a computer in order to gather the victim's personal data. In order to prevent falling victim to this kind of fraud, make sure to always log off of private accounts and be wary of using personal information over the Internet.

However, stealing information is not the only form of Internet fraud. Sending false e-mail information to frighten or make others feel threatened also falls into the category of Internet fraud. Many feel that this may just be a harmless prank, but this is also considered a Federal offense according to laws of cybercrimes in the United States.

Depending on the circumstance, cyberbullying under an alias can be considered a form of Internet fraud. The best thing to do if one were to fall victim to such a crime would be to immediately report the hostile e-mails or messages to the Internet service provider.

Another scenario that falls into the category of Internet fraud is that of online money schemes/scams. Many times they are advertised as services or jobs that ask for a small fee, but they end up taking large amounts of the victim’s money. Ways to avoid this kind of Internet fraud would include heavily researching companies that advertise on the Internet, avoid paying upfront fees (especially for your employment), and stay away from anything that deals with taking money orders.

How are Computer Used in Networks Identity Theft

Everyday people use the computer without being aware of how easily they can fall victim to online identity theft. Many times, the criminal can be someone close to the victim who is waiting to divulge the victim's personal information and use it for financial profit.

One method that some thieves may use is the method of "shoulder surfing". Shoulder surfing is when someone literally, and most of the time casually and discretely, watches over your shoulder as you punch personal information into the computer (i.e. credit card information, social security number, etc.). The criminal will then use this information, posing as the victim, to his or her advantage.

Another form of online identity theft is using malware (malicious software) in order to illegally obtain a third party’s personal information, which can also be used to the criminal's advantage. Some criminals will also commit identity theft by physically using a computer that was previously occupied by the victim to see if they can search out their personal data themselves.

However, there are steps that can be taken to help lessen the chance of online identity theft occurring. To avoid becoming a potential victim of online identity theft, you may try making sure to log off of sites that contain private information, so that you will have to log on to receive access. Sometimes the most common mistake is forgetting to log out of an e-mail account or an online bank account, where others can review all of your personal information, including finances. When you realize your identity has been stolen contact an identity theft lawyer to acquire legal advice and assistance.

Sometimes, trying to have a password that isn't too obvious can help. Instead of using your birthday or a fact that maybe many people know about you, try using an obscure reference to something many people may not be aware you even enjoy, or perhaps just a random assortment of letters and/or numbers.

Online identity theft is not a victimless crime. It is a Federal offense and can be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. "The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act", or "FACTA", works to help prevent online identity theft and to help exercise consumers' rights.

Utilizing Computer Networks For Information Warfare

Information warfare is a strategic tactic that involves using data in a potentially harmful way. Many criminals commit information warfare as a means to: spread slander, disperse propaganda, vandalize web pages, cause network interference (otherwise known as a “denial of services attack” or “DoS Attack”) either physically or by installing a virus, in order to exploit an individual or a particular situation, or just using someone’s personal information in an unethical manner.

Many times, information warfare is put into action using televisions and radios as a tool to disseminate information and jam frequencies in order to complete information warfare.

Information warfare is directly connected to a type of computer crime known as cyber warfare. Cyber warfare has the same intention as information warfare due to the fact that it involves the spreading of classified information or distorting the truth in order to achieve political, social, economic gain, or as a way to perpetrate destructive behavior. However, cyber warfare is more directly connected with computer and/or Internet usage.

Many times, cyber warfare is brought on when someone, or a group of people, hack into a computer’s system or there is a breach in security within the network. Criminal hackers will hack into an account to gather secured information in order to take part in information warfare via a computer’s network or Internet (cyber warfare). The action may be against a person or company against whom the perpetrators may have a personal vendetta, or it might be implemented for political, social, or financial gain.

Cyber warfare can result in cases being brought to court. A great deal of these computer crimes even involve high ranking military officials or politicians. Recent reports conclude that over one hundred countries have considered using the Internet as a way to wage cyber warfare against their enemies. Many cyber warfare cases were reported during the summer of 2009. The attacks were initially considered to be coming from North Korea, but further investigation revealed that the attacks were actually carried out by someone from the United Kingdom.