As the internet has become a common part of everyday life over the last twenty years, most California households are familiar with the usual security threats. Although internet crimes can be serious, they are often incredibly complex to address. These types of crimes are relatively common and, according to some recent reports, incidents appear to be on the rise.
CSO magazine speculates on internet crimes and how they remain a major threat in today’s technology-driven world. Despite advancements in detection tools and other prevention methods, CSO argues that internet crime is worse than ever before. Why? The internet is a vast and open frontier; according to CSO, internet criminals rarely get caught. Law enforcement in regard to online crimes is also a complex area to navigate, as most of these crimes take place across international borders. Dovetailing from this issue, CSO also notes that the lack of legal evidence in many cases also makes internet crimes difficult to pinpoint. Furthermore, the resources often required to catch internet criminals can become exorbitant and limited, leaving many cases at the stage of the initial report.
It appears that internet crimes are still a major concern today, but when do they most often occur? The Federal Bureau of Investigation reported last November that a large majority of crimes on the internet happen around holidays. Scams and greeting cards in email inboxes are common hot spots for malware; these incidents were the most common complaint filed to the FBI in 2016 and resulted in roughly $138 million in losses. Business email compromise (known as BEC) scams and romance scams resulted in the costliest damage that year, with $579 million in losses. Internet criminals commonly use social media outlets as the focal vehicle for these scams. While the solution to the problem remains a mystery, it is clear that the end of internet crimes is nowhere in sight.