Cyber Crime and You

Technology is a wonderful thing. Every year advances and improvements are made that help us become more efficient and steam-lined in our jobs and our lives. The computer was evolved into a tool to help us complete tasks faster and more effectively; and it has serves its purpose well. Not only has it made the working man's job easier, it has also made the criminal's job easier. Cyber crime is an ever-growing epidemic in our world today. No one is safe from threats, and anyone (from the common man to the government) can violate another with a mere click of a mouse.What is Cyber Crime?

Cyber crime is a broad category of crimes. It can be simply defined as any crime involving a computer; the computer can be the tool to commit the crime, the subject of the crime, or it can contain evidence of a crime. American citizens lose millions of dollars every year due to cyber crime. Large corporations lose even more, in turn causing their consumers to feel the blow of ever increasing prices and security regulations. Because of the faceless network provided by the internet, these perpetrators are difficult to hunt down and convict of their crimes. Another issue is jurisdiction; the victim can reside in Alabama, while the perpetrator resides in Texas, who is supposed to handle this crime?

What types of crime are happening, who is being affected, and what is being done to prevent it? Furthermore, what can I (as a consumer and an end user) do to protect myself from being violated and what should I do if I fall victim? These were the questions I asked myself, as I set out to learn about cyber crime. Perhaps the most important thing I have discovered is the wealth of knowledge and information that is out there. The vast number of resources available, along with the lack of collaboration between the sources, makes it impossible to gather completely accurate information. I have gathered significant data to relate some basic statistics over a five year span; however, my research is not conclusive.