21^st century is age of information. With the development of the computers and the Internet, our life becomes more convenient than before. However, there are some people using these technologies to take advantage of others, even causing some irreparable harm. It was called cyber crime. Cyber crime is a growing problem all over the world. It is unavoidable for everyone to use Internet during daily life. Consequently, people increasingly suffered threats from cyber crime. So what is the current situation and common types of cyber crime? Can people have the ability to protect themselves? If the answer is negative, it is time for people to know about cyber crime.

According to encyclopedia Britannica, cyber crime is to commit crime or to do some illegal activities through the Internet (Dennis). As the quantity of E-commerce and other Internet business increases, the importance of taking the reality of cyber crime seriously increases as well. Based on the data from the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) , which is a joint project between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center, there were 262,813 consumer complaints received with financial loss of $781,841,611 in 2013 (IC3.gov). This information shows that the consequence of cyber crime is too serious to be ignored. In addition, according to table from the 2013 annual report of IC3, there are some conclusions that can be summarized.

Table 1: Overall Age Gender 2013 Statistics

Source: “2013 Internet Crime Report”. Internet Crime Complaint Center. Federal Bureau Investigation.

According to the table above we can conclude that cyber crime could cause many financial losses. Senior citizens are especially easier to be defrauded compared with younger people. Thirdly, male are more likely to be tricked than females.

In order to avoid being defrauded, knowing about the various types of cyber crime is vital importance, such as identity theft, financial fraud, cyber stalking, information forgery, hacking, etc. Identity Theft is one of the most common types of avoiding Cyber crime, which has the significant impact on each individual. This crime involves people who steal others’ personal information for their own benefits. As the website of National Cyber Security Alliance illustrates, cybercrime could not only make victims’ lives inconvenient and dangerous, but also can result in financial ruin and potentially threaten a victim’s reputation and personal safety (“ID Theft”). According to the testimony from FBI about identity theft, “Some studies show that more than 10 million Americans were victimized by Identity Theft in the space of one year, with estimated losses exceeding 50 billion dollars” (Martinez). It shows further that identity theft is an invasion of privacy. Identity thefts are often accomplished through phishing, the act of creating fake website or email messages, to induce people provide personal information. Therefore, people need be on the alert at any time.

When dealing with Internet, it’s important to learn how to prevent ourselves from becoming victim of cyber crimes. Also, it is necessary for everyone to reduce the loss caused by cyber crime. As a matter of fact, as Schmitt mentioned, “the Oklahoma-based group has listed cyber crime prevention as an industry focus in 2008” (“Crimes”). Faced with threats from cyber crime, some effective methods to avoid being attacked by cybercrime are as follows. According to the advice from National Cyber Security Alliance, the most important thing is to think carefully before act so that everyone could be wise when malwares ask for personal information. Meanwhile, everyone should protect all the devices that connected to the Internet against virus and other threats. Last but not least, people should look through the trustworthy website as well as use latest security software to ensure a safe and clean online environment (“Tips”). Nowadays, digital data are increasingly becoming an irreplaceable part of daily life, which also put people in a dangerous condition. There is no denying that the bad guys are capable of using new technologies to commit cyber crime. The best way to learn how to prevent cybercrime is to develop good online safety habits with above advice.

From this research, people could know about the current situation of cyber crime, different types of cyber crime and the solution against preventing cyber crime. It is important for everyone to know about cyber crime in order to avoid becoming the victim. Therefore, having a clear overview about cyber crime is necessary and useful. It is an indispensible part for modern people to use computer and internet. During this activity, people should notice the threats from cyber crime as well as to use effective methods to protect ourselves.

References:

“2013 Internet Crime Report”. Internet Crime Complaint Center. Federal Bureau Investigation n.d. Web. 30 Nov, 2015. <http://www.ic3.gov/media/annualreport/2013_IC3Report.pdf>

Dennis, Michael A.  “Cyber crime”. Encyclopedia Britannica. Global.britannica.com. 11 Nov, 2014. Web. 30 Nov, 2015. <http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/130595/cybercrime>

“ID Theft, Fraud & Victims of Cybercrime”. Staysafeonline.org. National Cyber Security Alliance. n.d. Web. 30 Nov, 2015. <https://www.staysafeonline.org/stay-safe-online/protect-your-personal-information/id-theft-and-fraud>

Martinez, Steven M. “Testimony: identity theft and cyber crime”. Federal Bureau Investigation. 22 Sep, 2004. Web. 6 Apr, 2015. <http://www.fbi.gov/news/testimony/identity-theft-and-cyber-crime>

Schmitt, Jane. “Crimes in cyber space”. Computer crime research center. Crime-research.org. 28 May, 2008. Web. 3 Apr, 2015. <http://www.crime-research.org/analytics/computer_crime22/>

“Tips & Advice”. stopthinkconnect.org. The Anti-Phishing Working Group and National Cyber Security Alliance. n.d. Web. 7 Apr.2015 <http://stopthinkconnect.org/tips-and-advice/overview/#sthash.RpPBtsB7.dpufb>