Introduction
Computer crime is defined as the crime whereby the criminals use computers and networks as tools to commit offences against individuals as well as group of individuals with the intention of destroying or harming the victim’s reputation. The age-old, for instance, is one category of crime types and it includes fraud and embezzlement (Doney, 2001)
Computer crime is classified into three categories that include: crimes in which the computer is used as a tool to commit crime, crimes in which the computer becomes incidental, and crimes in which the computer is the main target. When computer is used as a tool to commit crime, then it is used in a high technological way, for instance, making counterfeit currency, digital property theft and child pornography distribution through the internet. When the computer becomes incidental it means that it is not used to commit crime but used in connection to some criminal activity, such as records containing financial details in the machine of a drug dealer, or a computer containing a threatening letter written and stored in it. On the other hand, when computer is the target, then the computer intruder (criminal) attacks the computer system of the innocent party, for example, vandalism, trespass and sabotage (Goodman, 1997).
Over the past, there has been a general increase in computer crimes due to ever-rising numbers of individuals with computer skills and hence there is opportunity for them to use it in the wrong ways or purposes. Universities, colleges and other tertiary schools each year graduates many computer experts out of which the majority of them tend to exploit what they have learnt by doing illegal things with their computer knowledge. An expert from the Justice Department in the United States stated that nearly 90 percent of perpetrators might have computer skills, by the year 2000 (Goodman, 1997).
The police agencies need to be trained to get more knowledge and skills about this computer crime due to the fact that digital crime outdo the analog, as well as the ever-increasing number of criminals who are computer skilled. Each year, there has been a tremendous increase in digital crime. A study conducted by Ernst & Young in 1995, indicated that 20 companies lost exceedingly $1 million due to computer breaks. An estimated loss of $650 million incurred last year to companies producing cellular phones as a result of committed frauds by criminals who manipulated software found in the wireless phones in order to call for free. Furthermore, recently Citibank discovered that its computer network had been hacked by a group of crime from Russia while the New York’s “electro-bookie” (operation gambling) was closed after discovering it was processing thousands of “mark” daily that nets close to $65 million for members of Colombo, Genovese and Gambino (Goodman, 1997).
Many studies have been conducted to determine the most effective way of conducting and managing investigations with the aim of helping the police departments to prosecute these computer criminals. As a result of expansion in information technology, what were used to be called traditional crimes are now committed using networks and computers, thus making it hard for them to be identified by the police. These types of crimes requires establishment of departments for law enforcement in order to tailor the rise in criminal activities and thus apprehending and prosecuting the criminals (Hinduja, 2007).
References
Doney, L. (2001). Nonprofits aren’t immune to Computer Crime. Nonprofit World, 12(2), 30-33.
Goodman, M., D. (1997). Why the police don’t care about computer crime. Harvard Journal of Law & Technology, 10(3), 466-494.
Hinduja, S. (2007). Computer Crime Investigations in the United States: Leveraging Knowledge from the Past to Address the Future. International Journal of Cyber Criminology, 1(1), 1-26.
