My Blog About Cyber Laws

Broadly, illegal activity involving a computer may be called a cybercrime. With the advent of the Internet, cybercrime has exploded - not surprising with over one billion people using the Internet worldwide. There is no shortage of potential targets, and victims and perpetrators can be separated by oceans.

The anonymity of the Internet allows for low costs and leaves few traces, and cybercriminals may be either solo operators or parts of larger schemes, possibly even affiliated with organized crime. Ironically, technology makes it easy to create fraudulent online material that looks identical to the Internet marketing Web pages of legitimate entities.

The increase in Internet activity has brought more prosecution. Because of the facelessness of those committing these crimes, it is easy for law enforcement investigators to use circumstantial to prosecute the wrong people.

Unified Law Enforcement Action

The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is a joint program of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ's) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting law enforcement in its fight against "economic and high-tech crime."

The IC3 is a clearinghouse for complaints of cybercrime and related civil law violations. Complaints filed with IC3 online are reviewed by analysts for forwarding to local, state, federal or international law enforcement, or civil agencies with jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute potential cybercrimes.

Rising Rates

The IC3 released its 2009 report on cybercrime in March and the findings show an explosion of illegal online activity. For example, the number of complaints filed with IC3 in 2009 was up over 22 percent from 2008 numbers. Monetary loss connected to online fraud almost doubled to about $560 million compared with $265 million the year before.

Online criminal complaints increased substantially again last year, according to the report. The IC3 received 336,655 2009 complaints, a 22.3 percent increase from 2008. The total loss linked to online fraud in 2009 was $559.7 million, up from $265 million in 2008.

This growth has placed great pressure on law enforcement to "do something" about the problem. This usually means the police arrest more people and prosecutors prosecute more. The increased pressure on law enforcement can lead to a "rush to judgment," such that false accusations are levied at innocent people.

Common Types of Financial Cybercrimes

Identity theft: Someone can steal your identity by using personal information like your social security number (SSN), driver's license number or credit-card account number to commit fraudulent transactions such as opening credit or bank accounts, taking out loans or making large purchases. The Internet can be the vehicle both for pilfering of personal information, and for using it to commit online misrepresentation and theft. Such crimes can severely damage credit ratings.

Internet fraud: The Internet can be used to commit many illegal acts involving fraud. E-mails, chat rooms and websites are used to conduct a variety of fraudulent schemes. Fraud may be used to approach individual victims online, engage in fraudulent business activities or deal deceptively with banks and other financial institutions.

Incomplete transactions: In any exchange of goods or services for money, the parties must act in good faith and rely on each other to complete the transaction. Unfortunately when things are bought over the Internet, either party can get burned. The seller can keep the money and not send the item, or the buyer can keep the item and not pay for it. Many variations on this theme are carried out every day in cyberspace.

Online auction fraud: Auction sites commonly concern allegations of economic fraud. Auction websites conduct virtual auctions for a variety of items and are extremely popular with the public. Unfortunately, fraud can occur in several ways, such as:
A seller may never send the item to the winning bidder after receiving paymentA seller may send an inferior, damaged or knockoff productA buyer may submit a high bid to hold off other bidders and withdraw it at the last minute so a low bid by an associate is successfulA seller may arrange for someone to drive bids higher

International cybercrime: Schemes international in scope include invitations to enter foreign lotteries, and money offers in exchange for assistance with money transfers into the United States or into overseas accounts for supposedly sympathetic causes. Nigeria is often associated with these dangerous offers, specifically called 419 schemes in reference to a section of the Nigerian Criminal Code.

Phishing - Phishing is an attempt to get personal information by using an e-mail that appears to be from a trusted source such as your bank, asking that sensitive data be sent by return e-mail. Phished e-mails are often sent en masse.

Spoofed websites - Those with technical expertise can create professional-looking websites for fake charities designed to obtain personal information in the process of collecting donations.

Protect Yourself from Overzealous Prosecution

With the wide variety of cybercrimes and the enormous increase in their frequency, law enforcement is under pressure to prosecute anyone it suspects of cybercrime. The novelty of methods used to commit cybercrimes often means that many law enforcement entities - with little investigative experience - are not prepared to fully investigate these cases. It is in this context that mistakes are often made in determining whom to charge with a given cybercrime.

If you believe that you are being investigated for committing a crime via computer or the Internet, consult with an experienced criminal lawyer immediately, as soon as you suspect the problem. Your criminal defense attorney can monitor any investigation by authorities and help you launch your own if necessary, employing critical computer and internet fraud experts. Don't go it alone. Get the legal and other professional help you need at an early juncture.

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert

During the course of your life there are many different occasions where you may well need the assistance and the expertise of an attorney. It may be that you need them to represent you in a criminal case or you may need someone to seek compensation for you after you have had an accident. Whatever it is that you need your attorney for it is absolutely paramount that you find the very best lawyer that you can for the money that you have to spend. If you are not sure how or where to find a lawyer it can be a rather tricky process. Obviously, every law firm claims to be the best and to have the most competitive rates for their work but who can you trust? It is an extremely difficult question to answer but there are some steps that you can take to help you make the correct decision.

How to find the best lawyer for your requirements

There are a number of different ways that you can attempt to locate the perfect attorney for your case. Obviously, you can ask friends and family members that have had experience with attorneys who they have used in the past and they may well be able to point you in the right direction. Unfortunately, this luxury is not always an option for most people so you will need to find a lawyer by yourself. As there are so many different lawyers and law firms to choose between this can be a rather long and drawn out process if you are not entirely sure where to search. The internet is undoubtedly the best place to locate high quality attorneys for any type of case in the shortest amount of time. Here you will be able to find numerous websites and blogs that will provide you with information and facts about all of the various lawyers that are on offer to you. Obviously, there is a vast amount of information for you to read and take in. Due to this fact it is better to seek out the websites and blogs that have attorney videos on them. This type of site is relatively new to the market but they are extremely useful. These sites give you the option to watch lawyer videos of lawyers that practice all types of different law. Watching a video is far quicker than actually reading about every lawyer and it is also a lot more informative. The attorney videos give you a real feel for whether you can trust the attorney and most important of all whether you feel that you can get on well with them during the course of your case.

Choosing the best lawyer for your case

There are many deciding factors to consider when you are trying to find a lawyer. However, the most important ones are the previous case histories of the attorney in question. Obviously, you want one that has been successful in the large majority of their cases. Also, you need a lawyer that is within your price range, budget is extremely important as some lawyers can be very expensive.

Viewmylawyer.com attorney video directory and lawyer finder hosts lawyer videos and has free law library where consumers can go to find free legal information and find a lawyer find a lawyer.

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert

Broadly, illegal activity involving a computer may be called a cybercrime. With the advent of the Internet, cybercrime has exploded - not surprising with over one billion people using the Internet worldwide. There is no shortage of potential targets, and victims and perpetrators can be separated by oceans.

The anonymity of the Internet allows for low costs and leaves few traces, and cybercriminals may be either solo operators or parts of larger schemes, possibly even affiliated with organized crime. Ironically, technology makes it easy to create fraudulent online material that looks identical to the Internet marketing Web pages of legitimate entities.

The increase in Internet activity has brought more prosecution. Because of the facelessness of those committing these crimes, it is easy for law enforcement investigators to use circumstantial to prosecute the wrong people.

Unified Law Enforcement Action

The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is a joint program of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ's) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting law enforcement in its fight against "economic and high-tech crime."

The IC3 is a clearinghouse for complaints of cybercrime and related civil law violations. Complaints filed with IC3 online are reviewed by analysts for forwarding to local, state, federal or international law enforcement, or civil agencies with jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute potential cybercrimes.

Rising Rates

The IC3 released its 2009 report on cybercrime in March and the findings show an explosion of illegal online activity. For example, the number of complaints filed with IC3 in 2009 was up over 22 percent from 2008 numbers. Monetary loss connected to online fraud almost doubled to about $560 million compared with $265 million the year before.

Online criminal complaints increased substantially again last year, according to the report. The IC3 received 336,655 2009 complaints, a 22.3 percent increase from 2008. The total loss linked to online fraud in 2009 was $559.7 million, up from $265 million in 2008.

This growth has placed great pressure on law enforcement to "do something" about the problem. This usually means the police arrest more people and prosecutors prosecute more. The increased pressure on law enforcement can lead to a "rush to judgment," such that false accusations are levied at innocent people.

Common Types of Financial Cybercrimes

Identity theft: Someone can steal your identity by using personal information like your social security number (SSN), driver's license number or credit-card account number to commit fraudulent transactions such as opening credit or bank accounts, taking out loans or making large purchases. The Internet can be the vehicle both for pilfering of personal information, and for using it to commit online misrepresentation and theft. Such crimes can severely damage credit ratings.

Internet fraud: The Internet can be used to commit many illegal acts involving fraud. E-mails, chat rooms and websites are used to conduct a variety of fraudulent schemes. Fraud may be used to approach individual victims online, engage in fraudulent business activities or deal deceptively with banks and other financial institutions.

Incomplete transactions: In any exchange of goods or services for money, the parties must act in good faith and rely on each other to complete the transaction. Unfortunately when things are bought over the Internet, either party can get burned. The seller can keep the money and not send the item, or the buyer can keep the item and not pay for it. Many variations on this theme are carried out every day in cyberspace.

Online auction fraud: Auction sites commonly concern allegations of economic fraud. Auction websites conduct virtual auctions for a variety of items and are extremely popular with the public. Unfortunately, fraud can occur in several ways, such as:
A seller may never send the item to the winning bidder after receiving paymentA seller may send an inferior, damaged or knockoff productA buyer may submit a high bid to hold off other bidders and withdraw it at the last minute so a low bid by an associate is successfulA seller may arrange for someone to drive bids higher

International cybercrime: Schemes international in scope include invitations to enter foreign lotteries, and money offers in exchange for assistance with money transfers into the United States or into overseas accounts for supposedly sympathetic causes. Nigeria is often associated with these dangerous offers, specifically called 419 schemes in reference to a section of the Nigerian Criminal Code.

Phishing - Phishing is an attempt to get personal information by using an e-mail that appears to be from a trusted source such as your bank, asking that sensitive data be sent by return e-mail. Phished e-mails are often sent en masse.

Spoofed websites - Those with technical expertise can create professional-looking websites for fake charities designed to obtain personal information in the process of collecting donations.

Protect Yourself from Overzealous Prosecution

With the wide variety of cybercrimes and the enormous increase in their frequency, law enforcement is under pressure to prosecute anyone it suspects of cybercrime. The novelty of methods used to commit cybercrimes often means that many law enforcement entities - with little investigative experience - are not prepared to fully investigate these cases. It is in this context that mistakes are often made in determining whom to charge with a given cybercrime.

If you believe that you are being investigated for committing a crime via computer or the Internet, consult with an experienced criminal lawyer immediately, as soon as you suspect the problem. Your criminal defense attorney can monitor any investigation by authorities and help you launch your own if necessary, employing critical computer and internet fraud experts. Don't go it alone. Get the legal and other professional help you need at an early juncture.

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert

During the course of your life there are many different occasions where you may well need the assistance and the expertise of an attorney. It may be that you need them to represent you in a criminal case or you may need someone to seek compensation for you after you have had an accident. Whatever it is that you need your attorney for it is absolutely paramount that you find the very best lawyer that you can for the money that you have to spend. If you are not sure how or where to find a lawyer it can be a rather tricky process. Obviously, every law firm claims to be the best and to have the most competitive rates for their work but who can you trust? It is an extremely difficult question to answer but there are some steps that you can take to help you make the correct decision.

How to find the best lawyer for your requirements

There are a number of different ways that you can attempt to locate the perfect attorney for your case. Obviously, you can ask friends and family members that have had experience with attorneys who they have used in the past and they may well be able to point you in the right direction. Unfortunately, this luxury is not always an option for most people so you will need to find a lawyer by yourself. As there are so many different lawyers and law firms to choose between this can be a rather long and drawn out process if you are not entirely sure where to search. The internet is undoubtedly the best place to locate high quality attorneys for any type of case in the shortest amount of time. Here you will be able to find numerous websites and blogs that will provide you with information and facts about all of the various lawyers that are on offer to you. Obviously, there is a vast amount of information for you to read and take in. Due to this fact it is better to seek out the websites and blogs that have attorney videos on them. This type of site is relatively new to the market but they are extremely useful. These sites give you the option to watch lawyer videos of lawyers that practice all types of different law. Watching a video is far quicker than actually reading about every lawyer and it is also a lot more informative. The attorney videos give you a real feel for whether you can trust the attorney and most important of all whether you feel that you can get on well with them during the course of your case.

Choosing the best lawyer for your case

There are many deciding factors to consider when you are trying to find a lawyer. However, the most important ones are the previous case histories of the attorney in question. Obviously, you want one that has been successful in the large majority of their cases. Also, you need a lawyer that is within your price range, budget is extremely important as some lawyers can be very expensive.

Viewmylawyer.com attorney video directory and lawyer finder hosts lawyer videos and has free law library where consumers can go to find free legal information and find a lawyer find a lawyer.

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert

Broadly, illegal activity involving a computer may be called a cybercrime. With the advent of the Internet, cybercrime has exploded - not surprising with over one billion people using the Internet worldwide. There is no shortage of potential targets, and victims and perpetrators can be separated by oceans.

The anonymity of the Internet allows for low costs and leaves few traces, and cybercriminals may be either solo operators or parts of larger schemes, possibly even affiliated with organized crime. Ironically, technology makes it easy to create fraudulent online material that looks identical to the Internet marketing Web pages of legitimate entities.

The increase in Internet activity has brought more prosecution. Because of the facelessness of those committing these crimes, it is easy for law enforcement investigators to use circumstantial to prosecute the wrong people.

Unified Law Enforcement Action

The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is a joint program of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ's) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting law enforcement in its fight against "economic and high-tech crime."

The IC3 is a clearinghouse for complaints of cybercrime and related civil law violations. Complaints filed with IC3 online are reviewed by analysts for forwarding to local, state, federal or international law enforcement, or civil agencies with jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute potential cybercrimes.

Rising Rates

The IC3 released its 2009 report on cybercrime in March and the findings show an explosion of illegal online activity. For example, the number of complaints filed with IC3 in 2009 was up over 22 percent from 2008 numbers. Monetary loss connected to online fraud almost doubled to about $560 million compared with $265 million the year before.

Online criminal complaints increased substantially again last year, according to the report. The IC3 received 336,655 2009 complaints, a 22.3 percent increase from 2008. The total loss linked to online fraud in 2009 was $559.7 million, up from $265 million in 2008.

This growth has placed great pressure on law enforcement to "do something" about the problem. This usually means the police arrest more people and prosecutors prosecute more. The increased pressure on law enforcement can lead to a "rush to judgment," such that false accusations are levied at innocent people.

Common Types of Financial Cybercrimes

Identity theft: Someone can steal your identity by using personal information like your social security number (SSN), driver's license number or credit-card account number to commit fraudulent transactions such as opening credit or bank accounts, taking out loans or making large purchases. The Internet can be the vehicle both for pilfering of personal information, and for using it to commit online misrepresentation and theft. Such crimes can severely damage credit ratings.

Internet fraud: The Internet can be used to commit many illegal acts involving fraud. E-mails, chat rooms and websites are used to conduct a variety of fraudulent schemes. Fraud may be used to approach individual victims online, engage in fraudulent business activities or deal deceptively with banks and other financial institutions.

Incomplete transactions: In any exchange of goods or services for money, the parties must act in good faith and rely on each other to complete the transaction. Unfortunately when things are bought over the Internet, either party can get burned. The seller can keep the money and not send the item, or the buyer can keep the item and not pay for it. Many variations on this theme are carried out every day in cyberspace.

Online auction fraud: Auction sites commonly concern allegations of economic fraud. Auction websites conduct virtual auctions for a variety of items and are extremely popular with the public. Unfortunately, fraud can occur in several ways, such as:
A seller may never send the item to the winning bidder after receiving paymentA seller may send an inferior, damaged or knockoff productA buyer may submit a high bid to hold off other bidders and withdraw it at the last minute so a low bid by an associate is successfulA seller may arrange for someone to drive bids higher

International cybercrime: Schemes international in scope include invitations to enter foreign lotteries, and money offers in exchange for assistance with money transfers into the United States or into overseas accounts for supposedly sympathetic causes. Nigeria is often associated with these dangerous offers, specifically called 419 schemes in reference to a section of the Nigerian Criminal Code.

Phishing - Phishing is an attempt to get personal information by using an e-mail that appears to be from a trusted source such as your bank, asking that sensitive data be sent by return e-mail. Phished e-mails are often sent en masse.

Spoofed websites - Those with technical expertise can create professional-looking websites for fake charities designed to obtain personal information in the process of collecting donations.

Protect Yourself from Overzealous Prosecution

With the wide variety of cybercrimes and the enormous increase in their frequency, law enforcement is under pressure to prosecute anyone it suspects of cybercrime. The novelty of methods used to commit cybercrimes often means that many law enforcement entities - with little investigative experience - are not prepared to fully investigate these cases. It is in this context that mistakes are often made in determining whom to charge with a given cybercrime.

If you believe that you are being investigated for committing a crime via computer or the Internet, consult with an experienced criminal lawyer immediately, as soon as you suspect the problem. Your criminal defense attorney can monitor any investigation by authorities and help you launch your own if necessary, employing critical computer and internet fraud experts. Don't go it alone. Get the legal and other professional help you need at an early juncture.

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert

During the course of your life there are many different occasions where you may well need the assistance and the expertise of an attorney. It may be that you need them to represent you in a criminal case or you may need someone to seek compensation for you after you have had an accident. Whatever it is that you need your attorney for it is absolutely paramount that you find the very best lawyer that you can for the money that you have to spend. If you are not sure how or where to find a lawyer it can be a rather tricky process. Obviously, every law firm claims to be the best and to have the most competitive rates for their work but who can you trust? It is an extremely difficult question to answer but there are some steps that you can take to help you make the correct decision.

How to find the best lawyer for your requirements

There are a number of different ways that you can attempt to locate the perfect attorney for your case. Obviously, you can ask friends and family members that have had experience with attorneys who they have used in the past and they may well be able to point you in the right direction. Unfortunately, this luxury is not always an option for most people so you will need to find a lawyer by yourself. As there are so many different lawyers and law firms to choose between this can be a rather long and drawn out process if you are not entirely sure where to search. The internet is undoubtedly the best place to locate high quality attorneys for any type of case in the shortest amount of time. Here you will be able to find numerous websites and blogs that will provide you with information and facts about all of the various lawyers that are on offer to you. Obviously, there is a vast amount of information for you to read and take in. Due to this fact it is better to seek out the websites and blogs that have attorney videos on them. This type of site is relatively new to the market but they are extremely useful. These sites give you the option to watch lawyer videos of lawyers that practice all types of different law. Watching a video is far quicker than actually reading about every lawyer and it is also a lot more informative. The attorney videos give you a real feel for whether you can trust the attorney and most important of all whether you feel that you can get on well with them during the course of your case.

Choosing the best lawyer for your case

There are many deciding factors to consider when you are trying to find a lawyer. However, the most important ones are the previous case histories of the attorney in question. Obviously, you want one that has been successful in the large majority of their cases. Also, you need a lawyer that is within your price range, budget is extremely important as some lawyers can be very expensive.

Viewmylawyer.com attorney video directory and lawyer finder hosts lawyer videos and has free law library where consumers can go to find free legal information and find a lawyer find a lawyer.

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert