Discover How And Why Internet Crime Is Growing So QuicklyInternet crime is growing at an astounding pace and has become more professional, warned Symantec in September 2007. That trend has simply accelerated since then. It seems that their regular - and one presumes, ongoing - study of underworld online crime is showing signs of massive increase. It does not take a genius to recognise the potential for a criminal to gain from many different types of internet crime - including identity theft - but it does seem that the criminals are becoming more organised. To read the BBC reporting please click here:
BBC Article
You will note from the BBC report that many criminals are 'joining up the dots' in our lives and using social networking sites and cvs posted on job sites to glean information and make their attacks more potent. This is starting to suggest that online at least, literally nothing is safe! Organised crime Identity theft is one of the biggest and most profitable types of online crime which targets the individual and as such should be a worry to us all. This 'joining up the dots' is happening in part because of an underground network of websites and chat rooms that enable criminals to buy, sell and trade personal data around the world. Gangs can literally buy in the skills, equipment or details that they need to commit their crimes. There are many people that are rightly suspicious of data released by companies whose job it is to fight against online risks. It is clearly in their interests that the threat seems to be as large as possible. An economy of scale However, it is also clear that the scale of online frauds and crimes have grown. While we have all become more used to shopping online, thanks to the likes of Amazon and eBay, there are also more threats lurking out there. It is also worth noting that when people are arrested and prosecuted for online identity crimes, they tend to have stolen much than was the case in the past. This may be because they have been in operation longer, or because they operate at a larger scale. Either way, it is not reassuring. These growth factors are almost certainly fueled by the rapid expansion of internet users globally - providing access to new markets. It is also a force that enables people to hide their locations while committing crimes in far away places. The lesson is clear - we each need to maintain our vigilance and use the products of companies like Symantec, to help us stay protected as best we can. To read more about online identity theft, please follow these links:
|