With out a doubt, the most rapidly growing segment of criminal activity is the use of the internet to hunt down and attack victims. And while the type of crimes committed seems endless, the basic violations include identity theft, fraud, sex crimes and stalking / harassment.
Probably the scariest aspect of internet crimes is the fact that they can often be perpetrated without the victim even knowing that they’ve happened. This most often occurs when your bank and credit card accounts are hacked in to. By the time you realize there’s a problem, the damage has already been done. It can also be difficult to track where the perpetrator was doing the dirty work from.
Using the internet to purchase items is a convenient way to get product to your home with a minimal time investment. It’s also a great resource for locating “hard to find” items. But, please be careful when giving your personal information, especially banking and credit card details, to an internet based company. While most are law abiding and reputable, there is a small portion that only wants your information so they can exploit it.
Sex crimes over the internet have reached epidemic proportions. The sharing of Child Pornography is a huge, secretive industry, that many people feel is a “victimless” crime. Remember though, each time a picture or video file is shared, the child in the image once again becomes a victim. Pedophiles have also tapped in to internet chat rooms to talk with, groom and eventually try and contact their next victim.
E-mail has provided a venue for perpetrators to send harassing and / or threatening letters. Victims don’t often take this type of threat seriously, thinking that “it’s just a letter on a computer” or, “I’ll just turn the computer off and it’ll be over”. Making contact with a victim in this manner is electronic stalking and there are State and Federal laws that prohibit the activity. Nationwide studies show that 35% of e-mail threats end in some type of violence toward the victim.
As always, if you feel that you’ve had an internet crime committed against you, contact law enforcement immediately. Please be sure to save any correspondence and other related paperwork that will assist the investigators in locating the person responsible.
