The internet has been a boon to science, business, education and just about every field you can think of. At the same time the internet has also created a number of new types of crimes. As a result, the FBI has also begun cracking down extensively. The term “internet crime” encompasses a host of different crimes that all use the internet as a medium. This can include:
- identity theft
- credit card fraud and credit card theft
- promoting a computer virus
- internet ‘phishing’
- unlawful internet business
- internet solicitation of a minor
- possession or distribution of child pornography
- computer fraud and computer hacking
As opposed to most other criminal law, internet crimes, due to their interstate nature, are often governed by federal law. There can be very serious penalties penalties involved and it is not uncommon to receive a long prison sentence. In addition, any internet based sex offenses will also result in registration as a sex offender as well.
