As the number of internet-based offences continues to climb, local and federal law enforcement agencies have begun to place a larger focus on online investigation and deterrence. Though many people are familiar with the term “hacking” from movies and television shows, the concept of computer crimes encompasses much more. The following is a list of the top ten most prevalent cybercrimes. It’s critical to understand that many cybercrimes are federal in nature, especially if the victim lives in one state and the criminal lives in another. Because the internet does not stop at the state boundary, jurisdiction over such offences may be shared by several law enforcement agencies.
1. Impersonation on the internet
This is by far one of the most prevalent types of cybercrime in existence. It is a criminal offence under Texas Penal Code 33.07 to use another person’s name, domain address, phone number, or any other identifying information without authorization in order to deceive a receiver into believing that a communication is genuinely coming from the impersonated individual. Though it is common to hear about someone claiming to be someone else on the internet, it is a felony to use someone else’s name or other identifying information on the internet without agreement for the intention of causing harm or committing fraud.
2. Social Media Fraud
It is also illegal to establish bogus profiles or send bogus messages to other social media users. If a social media user establishes a phoney profile to mimic another person without the knowledge of the other person, the behaviour might be considered illegal. However, a crime is only actually committed if the phoney user intends to do harm, conduct fraud, or intimidate or threaten someone using the fake profile or fake communications. It remains to be seen if just “catfishing” someone qualifies as a felony under this provision.
3. Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying occurs when people use social media or the internet to intimidate, harass, threaten or belittle others. In Texas, cyber bullying is covered by several statutes. Some laws apply only to students, while others are applicable to everyone. In general, if a person or student uses the internet or any other form of electronic communication to threaten, harass or scare another person or student, this conduct may be a crime. Furthermore, such actions carry the possibility of civil liability as well.
4. Passwords for Trafficking
Several computer crimes have also become the target of federal law enforcement activities under the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. For example, under 18 U.S.C. 1030(a)(6), it is a felony to traffic passwords knowingly and with intent to deceive if they may impact interstate or foreign commerce. This criminalises even the most innocuous behaviour, such as stealing an Amazon or eBay password.
5. Extortion through the internet
Cyber extortion, sometimes known as “threatening to harm a computer,” is just a high-tech version on old-fashioned extortion. Threatening to harm someone’s computer in order to extort money, information, or anything else of value is a violation under the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. This crime is committed by cyber criminals who threaten to destroy, shut down, or damage computers or systems if their demands are not satisfied. Extortionists commonly utilise computer viruses, malware, or distributed denial of service (DDoS) assaults to coerce their victims into submission.
6. Making or Having Child Pornography
It is unlawful to create, possess, or distribute pornographic photos of an underage kid, but this crime is still much too common. Almost every state has made the possession, manufacture, and distribution of child pornography illegal, but the activity is also prohibited at the federal level. This implies that if this crime is committed, both state and federal authorities may attempt to prosecute the perpetrator. Local detectives are typically deputised by federal authorities such as the FBI or the Department of Homeland Security to investigate such crimes, allowing them to conduct investigations even if a victim or perpetrator resides in another state.
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