Computer crimes or cybercrimes are basically illegal activities that are carried out using computer equipment and networks. With these, criminals commit crimes taking advantage of the great potential of technology, with which they are able to overcome geographical barriers.

In order to protect yourself from being a victim of computer crimes, a good place to start is by informing yourself of the most common types of cybercrimes. Below, an experienced cybercrime attorney from a reputable New Jersey internet crime defense law firm reveals the 5 cybercrimes that are committed most often.

• Online scam: This type of crime is typically committed through identity theft. Criminals use techniques such as spam emails, fake websites or illegal software to deceive victims and steal their passwords or login credentials. In this way, they access sensitive or confidential information. An example of this is access to bank details.
• Identity fraud: Related to the above, spoofing happens when the scam is successful and the criminal gains access to personal information. Once obtained, the criminal can make purchases, going so far as to ruin the victim’s credit score, or impersonate the person from whom he has stolen the data and obtain money from the victim’s close friends or relatives.
• Extortion: This crime happens when someone uses the internet to extort money from a person or company. Extortion is committed in different ways. For example, the criminal may have access to personal information and threaten to expose it unless the victim pays a certain amount of money in return. Criminals can also carry out some kind of cyber-attack and then demand payment to stop it. For this reason, it is very important to have an antivirus and protect bank and personal accounts with secure passwords and additional security features such as two factor authentication.
• Hacking: This crime is considered very serious, since the hacker tries to gain access to personal accounts with the help of computer systems and networks. With this, he manages to steal confidential information and can interrupt or halt the online operations of a business or organization.
• Cyber Bullying: Much activity on the internet is anonymous and one of the most common crimes is bullying, affecting mostly teenagers and young adults. For example, it is recommended that you do not accept strangers on your social networks. If bullying and online harassment becomes a threat, legal action can be taken.