REPLY TO CLASSMATE’S POST
IN YOUR OWN WORDS—what is a computer crime? If you try to Google or use the FBI website you will:
Be in violation of what was asked for; but also box yourself into a possibly more narrow view of what it is. On the other hand, if the response is “ a crime committed using a computer” that is a weak effort and also incorrect.
Are “computer crimes” anything new, or are they the same old crimes that have been updated by technology? What criminal act do we have that did not exists (in roughly the same form) before computers—– not as easy as you think.
Find someone else’s explanation and challenge it in a collegial manner. Perhaps it was too broad as to be meaningless or too narrow as to have excluded a particular kind of offense or action.
What can you tell your friends and family to do to minimize the chance of being a victim of computer crime? Be specific and make it just one thing.
.What is the most over-blown concern that the public may have about computer crime, that simply is not justified at the same level at which the fear/concern manifests?
PLEASE EXPLAIN WHY YOU AGREE WITH MY CLASSMATE RESPONSE TO THE ABOVE QUESTIONS? (A MINIMUM OF 125 WORDS)
CLASSMATE’S POST
When I hear the term computer crimes, the first thing I think of is hacking, viruses, malware, email phishing scams, and identity theft. The identity theft is a particular concern in our house, because approximately 6 years ago my husband had his identity stolen in an IRS rapid refund scam out of South Florida. To this day, he has to file taxes with a specially generated IRS pin, and submitting IRS documents for student loans etc. has to be done the old-fashioned way (via paper documents and regular mail), as we cannot use online access features to load tax information.
He has also had a case of mistaken identity back around 2004, and had his license suspended for events (crimes) which happened in New York. It was a good thing he has never lived in New York, but the thing which saved him is although the real criminal shared the exact full name and birthdate as my husband, they are of different races. It still took months to get that straightened out, and my husband now has an affidavit attached to his class A CDL stating that he is not the person in question out of New York state.
I believe that computers have made it easier for criminals to commit these types of crimes, but computers did not create these types of information crimes. Criminals have been picking pockets, going through trash, and stealing mail from mailboxes long before computers and smartphones. The computers and devices are just another means used to steal personal information, impersonate others and commit thefts.
I believe the item everyone is the most concerned about today is having their computers hacked into. While this is a valid concern, I believe the probabilities of it happening to the average individual is not as great as the fear. I believe there is a greater threat from the phishing emails, which can give criminals a way to separate a person from his or her money. My mantra to the family is to have updated virus software on all devices, and to never ever ever open emails with no subject lines or misspellings in the subject line.
