High-Tech Criminal Offenses and E-Mail Based Crimes

Some types of high tech crimes would be e-mail harassment or threats, e-mail and web site scams, credit card fraud, identity theft, violations of restraining orders, child pornography, child enticement, hacking, drug trafficking, cellular/phone fraud, terrorism, organized crime, 4-1-9 scams, and the manufacture of fake identifications (Knetzger, & Muraski, 2008). These are not the only high tech crimes out there just the most common ones.

These crimes are attractive because they take out physical dangers and place the criminal in a "safe zone". For instance, a person under a restraining order might not approach the person on the order but they may feel it's ok to e-mail that person (Knetzger, & Muraski, 2008). This is because the internet has created an almost unreal world that we can move around in without the same personal affects we would feel in the "real world" This is why there are more and more cases of cyberbullying and cyberstalking the computer removes us from a "real world" situation and makes it easier to pursue such behavior.

Some investigative methods used to trace and capture criminals using e-mail is to first preserve the e-mail by printing it out and making a digital copy. Investigators can also view the full header that will identify the IP addresses that can be traced. These are all the servers that the email passed through and the computer it came from. Using the header investigators can also look up the IP address of the suspect that sent the e-mail. A very important step is to have the victim call the ISP because they can sometimes obtain information that would otherwise require a subpoena (Knetzger, & Muraski, 2008).

Identity theft is the use of persons identifying documents without their knowledge to gain something of value (Knetzger, & Muraski, 2008). I do not believe you can prevent this but there are ways to protect yourself. First, you should enroll in a credit monitoring and protection program. Next you should never put your information onto a web site, or give it out on the phone. You also should destroy mail and not just discard it into the trash. When you send mail out you should deposit it into a U.S. Postal receptacle or take it directly to the post office. Never allow others to use your credit card, debit card, or blank checks. The minute you give control to someone else you lose control and you put your information at risk. Make sure you run antivirus programs on your computer and cell phone. Make sure you take the receipts dispensed from ATM machines and gas pumps. Make sure that no one can see the numbers when you punch them in (Knetzger, & Muraski, 2008). These things are not going to give you 100% security but they will go towards making you a harder to get victim.

Knetzger, M & Muraski, J. (2008) Investigating High-Tech Crime. New Jersey, US: Prentice Hall