Some cybercrimes create substantial amounts of financial damage, such as software piracy and credit card fraud. Phishing is a cybercrime that involves fraudulently acquiring personal information. Cyberstalking and credit card fraud are two offenses that can include a wide range of actions.
Phishing is a cybercrime that is used to obtain information under false pretenses. Criminals who phish usually achieve their goals by sending emails or instant messages that seem to come from legitimate companies. These messages often communicate the need for victims to disclose or confirm some type of information, and links will be included that will redirect the readers to a website that appears to belong to a company. After information such as passwords, personal details, or credit card information is entered, phishers use it for illicit purposes.
Cyberstalking is much like stalking in the real world. It can encompass a wide range of actions that are directed toward a particular individual. This can include behaviors such as sending threatening emails, following an individual from one forum to another and leaving messages along the way, and using social media sites to generate fear. The common element is the use of electronic communication.
Credit card fraud costs businesses phenomenal amounts of money each year. For fraudsters, the Internet often proves to be an ideal place to use stolen credit cards to make purchases and to obtain cash. These schemes are often carried out in a manner that makes it difficult to track the location of the goods or money. This is a crime where a single act can have multiple victims, including the merchant, the consumer, and the card issuer.
Software piracy is another cybercrime that has done a lot of economic damage. This intellectual property violation deprives the deserving parties of the financial compensation that they deserve. Software piracy generally involves a criminal illegally acquiring one or more programs. He may then keep them for personal use or may distribute them to others.
When individuals use a computer to gain unauthorized access to items such as other computers, servers, or networks, they are committing the cybercrime referred to as hacking. Individuals commit this crime for a wide range of reasons, including to get money, to access classified information, and to commit acts of online vandalism. Some people claim that they hack for no other reason than the challenge it poses.