Cyber-Crime and Identity Theft essays

Cyber-Crime and Identity Theft essays In today's modern society, the internet is a very educational and productive tool in order to become knowledgeable and stay well connected. Without technology, some individuals cannot function throughout their day. Many people use it for business purposes while others use technology in order to communicate on social networking sites such as Twitter or Facebook. Despite the beneficial uses, predators often abuse its powers. This tool puts consumers at risk for identity theft through scamming, phishing and even hacking. Therefore, consumers need to become more aware of protections against online hazards. Cyber-crime is any illegal activity committed on the internet that uses a computer as its primary means of theft. Through identity theft, a predator without someone's knowledge acquires a piece of their personal information such as their social security number, or even their bank account data and uses it to commit fraud. It is often difficult to catch cybercriminals because the internet makes it easier for people to do things anonymously and from any location on the globe. Predators use methods such as spam advertisements and even phony programs that have viruses. Many computers used in cyber attacks have actually been hacked and are being controlled by someone far away. With identity theft, an individual's confidential and personal information is stolen for the purpose of criminal use. In the CNN article, "Suspect in Celebrity Hacker Case", the staff gives an account of how the criminal Christopher Chaney hacked into many celebrities' online accounts and obtained nude pictures and other personal information stating that he was "addicted" and "didn't know how to stop". Fortunately, this man was apprehended, but not every situation is as harmless as this one such as Chris Boyette's editorial "Man Accused of Killing Identity Theft Victims Gets 30-Year Sentence" where he informs how Dimitriy Yakovlev has been sentenced to thirty years...