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High Tech Crime

REVIEW of HIGH-TECH CRIMES in the U.S.

According to current statistics provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the types of high-tech crimes being committed in the United States range from credit card payment fraud to computer-based virus attacks, U.S. currency counterfeiting, cyber-terrorism and intellectual property theft, not to mention a whole range of other crimes related to the Internet (Thompson, 2004, p. 56). Obviously, when taken as a whole, these types of crimes have become rampant in American society and are closely linked to the rise and development of Internet use and abuse among millions of American citizens.

As pointed by Interpol, a European-based international policing organization similar to the FBI, high-tech crimes often affect all levels of society and "have the potential to destabilize national economies and to threaten global security" by providing funds to terrorist groups and other criminals "in order to finance their activities or conceal their illegally-gained profits" ("Financial and High-Tech Crimes," Internet). Undoubtedly, three of the most widespread and potentially destabilizing high-tech crimes being committed in the U.S. today are identity and intellectual property theft and credit card fraud.

As defined by the Federal Trade Commission, identity theft occurs when an individual uses another person's identifying information, such as a Social Security or a credit card number, without that person's permission in order to commit fraud and other related crimes ("About Identity Theft," Internet). It has been estimated that more than nine million Americans have their identities stolen or appropriated every year by criminals who then use the information to "rent an apartment, obtain a credit card or establish a phone number" in the name of the victim.

Unfortunately, those that have their identities stolen or appropriated by illegal means, usually through the Internet, may be forced to spend hundreds of dollars and hundreds of hours in an attempt to repair the damage done by the criminal; however, even though one's identity may be retrieved successfully, it may take years to repair the damage related to credit scores and the ability to obtain another credit card ("About Identity Theft," Internet).

There are three specific ways used by most identity thieves to steal personal information -- "Dumpster diving" or retrieving information from the trash, skimming or stealing credit/debit card numbers through special electronic storage devices and phishing in which the criminal "pretends to be a financial institution or sends spam or pop-up messages" to illegally retrieve private information ("About Identity Theft," Internet).

Intellectual property theft is based upon the criminal enforcement of intellectual property laws within the U.S. And can include the theft of another individual's copyright, trademark or patent for illegal financial gain, such as stealing a copyrighted idea to produce a product for the open market or stealing trade secrets from a competing company. Most of the time, intellectual property theft involves stealing copyrighted material in the form of a book, a magazine or journal article or material on the Internet and claiming that the material is one's own property, also known as plagiarism. This type of high-tech crime is very widespread in today's America and often shows up as major news stories in the media, especially when the copyrighted material belongs to a high-profile author.

Another high-tech crime which is closely linked to identity theft is credit card fraud which occurs when "purchases are made using another individual's credit card or credit card number with the intent to defraud" ("Credit Card Fraud," Internet). These purchases might include buying products and goods at a well-known business establishment or purchasing products from Internet sites. Some of the more common forms of credit card fraud found in the U.S. include counterfeiting or creating fraudulent credit cards, using another person's credit card without permission or by stealing it or fraudulently acquiring credit cards through the mail by using a fake name or alias, a fake address and a fake Social Security number. Also, a more subtle but just as damaging unauthorized use of a credit card number known as misappropriation continues to grow in the U.S. And usually takes place on the Internet ("Credit Card Fraud," Internet).