In today’s day and age, everyone uses a computer. Whether it is just for fun (surfing the internet, downloading music) or for work (using Excel, Word or the internet for sources) there are not too many people that do not understand how useful the computer can be. In fact, many people have figured out how to use the computer to commit crime anonymously, and sometimes without the victim even knowing a crime has been committed. There are many different types of internet crime. First, it is incredibly easy to hide one’s identity on the internet. Most people use “user names” as opposed to actual names, therefore anyone can choose anything for their name. Some people do this just so they can feel like they can be who ever they want to be without it coming back to their real selves. However, some people do this so they can get information on someone that otherwise would not give out information; or to gain the trust of someone so they can hurt them; plus, many other reasons. Law Enforcement can use this trick too, as can be seen on NBC’s To Catch a Predator. On this program, law enforcement pretends to be underage children in order to catch older men trying to take advantage of them. In addition to concealing identity, many people also steal others’ identity. Some may do this just to conceal their identity, but mostly it’s so they can steal credit information. Today, one of the biggest crimes, and hardest to prove, is credit card fraud. Once someone has stolen someone else’s identity, then they can obtain credit cards, driver’s license, mortgages, etc in the others name. Then, when they cannot pay for things, they simply disappear and the victim is held responsible for the money owed. The easiest way to stay on top of this is to run a credit check on one’s self every year to make sure all credit cards and loans indeed are due by them. With most banks handling charges electronically, it is very easy for criminals to launder money. Also, many people use banks that are not in their country to by-pass tax laws in their own country. “The development of informal banking institutions and parallel banking systems may permit central bank supervision to be bypassed, but can also facilitate the evasion of cash transaction reporting requirements in those nations which have them (Grabosky 17). Viruses, worms and trojans are also a common internet crime. Computer viruses are programs that can copy themselves in order to infect a computer without the knowledge of the user. These can be spread by e-mail, flash drives, floppy disks, or any other form of portable memory. Worms are similar in that the user is unaware, but the point of these is to send the virus to as many people as possible. Therefore, the worm does not attach itself to the computer, but instead to the e-mail so it can be sent out again and again. Trojans appear to be innocent to the computer user, but in fact is used to open a backdoor to the computer so others can access. They can also be used to transmit viruses or worms. Most people can protect against these by installing anti-virus software that will review information to make sure it is safe before the user can open. There are also numerous firewalls that can be installed on a computer to make sure only authorized material is transmitted. The easiest way to misuse the internet is simply to conspire to commit a criminal act. Many people use computers to share information and to communicate plans. Some of these may be simply breaking copyright laws by transferring information without the permission of the copyright owner. However, typically they are more serious crimes. Terrorists can use the internet to communicate their arrangements or to steal intelligence from companies or people that have useful information. Law enforcement has many ways to find evidence of who committed crime in order to arrest the criminal. First, one must search the victim’s computer. Despite being anonymous, criminals still leave “fingerprints” of their presence in the computers they choose to infect. Investigators can review disks and diskettes, magnetic tape storage units and media, circuit boards and components, modems, video cards and software (Clark 14-19). With computers being so sensitive, there are many precautions that must be taken in order to keep information safe on the computer. The more someone uses a computer, the easier it is to lose information off of it. Someone can hack into a computer to maliciously destroy or alter information. Also, improper handling or storage of the computer can destroy evidence. Most components of computers require a certain temperature in order to keep the computer running smoothly. A large fluctuation of climate could distort or remove information (NIJ 2). If searching the suspect’s computer(s), detailed searches of e-mail and internet service provider (ISP) addresses help with the investigation. The ISP logs files in the “router, firewalls, web servers, e-mail servers, and other connected devices” (NIJ 12). This tells investigators every step an e-mail (for example) takes from the sender to the recipient. Information obtained from the ISP start with the owner’s name and address; next, it reveals the time, date and IP address used to send; of course, it has the message of the e-mail; as well as all information about the ISP address: ISP account, e-mail address, domain name, etc (NIJ 13-14). Internet crime is no exception to the constitution. In fact, since computers are a fairly new technology, there have been numerous bills passed protecting internet privacy. The Fourth Amendment, though not intended for computers, is still the number one issue for investigating computer crime. The Fourth, which protects against illegal search and seizure, cannot be circumvented (except for extreme cases) therefore all law enforcement must proceed as normal. Indeed, a detective must have probable cause in order to obtain a search warrant before reviewing the contents of a suspect’s computer. However, if the criminal left behind “fingerprints” on the victim’s computer, this can be a little easier to obtain. Though these are just a few of the numerous crimes that are committed everyday on the internet, these are some of the more prevalent. As technology progresses, so will the criminals, in a never-ending battle of misuse. The best way to handle future crime is developing better firewalls and more technology-savvy users. Since most children are better at computers than adults, it seems that will not be the most difficult task for their generation. Resources
Clark, Franklin, and Ken Diliberto. Investigating Computer Crime. Boca Raton: CRC P, 1996.

Graboshy, P N., and Russell G. Smith. Crime in the Digital Age. New Brunswick: Transaction, 1998.

United States. National Institute of Justice. Department of Justice. Investigations Involving the Internet and Computer Networks. 5 Mar. 2007. 21 Nov. 2007 <http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS79163>.