Types of Computer Fraud & Crime

As computers and related devices such as smart phones have become more common – increasingly, they've also been used by criminals. Computer fraud can include perpetuating common types of scams using electronic tools, such as impersonating someone to steal money or data, or by using electronic tools to promote deals that are too good to be true. Other types of computer crime – sometimes called cyber crime – include attacks designed to automatically steal data from computers, hold information for ransom or to prevent someone from using a computer.

Just as older communications tools such as telephones and postal mail can be used to scam and defraud people, so can modern tools such as email, text messages and online chats.

Email messages that impersonate legitimate senders, such as banks or employers – so that they may steal credentials like passwords and account numbers – are often called phishing attacks. They can be manually targeted toward specific recipients or they can be sent out in bulk, with the sender hoping to trick unwary recipients into sharing their personal data.

Computers can also be used for other types of fraud, including promoting too-good-to-be-true investment opportunities or goods for sale, a type of phishing. False news stories can also be disseminated electronically for the purpose of influencing people's opinions on current events. Fraudsters can even use electronic tools to file false police reports, in the hopes that they may stir up a frightening police response or that they may trigger a bomb scare at a victim's office or home.

It's important to be skeptical of any messages you receive electronically and to verify that they're from a trustworthy source before you take action.

Some digital crime involves the use of malware, or malicious software. This can include viruses that automatically replicate from system to system across office networks and across the internet, as well as involving the use of more-targeted attacks that focus on specific systems.

Some recent malware attacks have involved so-called ransomware, which encrypts or deletes data, and then demands a ransom payment before that information is restored. On the web, cross-site scripting or XSS attacks, can leverage malware on one site to run malicious code on a site in which a user has an account, thereby stealing sensitive information.

Malware can be designed to open additional doors for hackers to attack, to siphon off data for attackers to use or to damage computers or the information on them. Antivirus software can help detect and fend off attacks from malware.

Keeping computers updated with the latest security patches from operating system and other software vendors can help keep attackers from installing unwanted software on the computers. Make sure that the antivirus software is kept up to date with the latest data on common malware attacks. It's also important to avoid installing software from untrustworthy sources, such as from suspect websites, since it can contain unwanted hidden code.

Another type of computer crime involves what's known as denial of service attacks. This means that some digital attacks attempt to prevent someone from connecting to the internet or from otherwise using a computer.

Often, hackers will launch what are called distributed denial of service attacks, which harness hundreds or thousands of compromised computers across the Web to send unwanted data to a specific victim's computer. That system then becomes overwhelmed, and that system then becomes unable to send and receive ordinary internet traffic. This can do serious harm to people and to businesses that rely on internet access to make money or to live ordinary lives.

Denial of service attacks can be limited by internet service providers that monitor and block suspicious traffic, as well as by specialized companies that can restrict access to websites exclusively to users that have been verified as not being a party in such attacks.