Types of Cyber-Related Crimes, Essay Example

There are many different types of cyber-related crimes, each of which brings different penalties and consequences. Regardless of the circumstances, cyber crime is an illegal act, yet it continues to be prominent in modern society. One of the most relevant concerns for many consumers is credit card fraud, much of which is conducted via the Internet and is often difficult to track and to overcome. Nonetheless, strategies may be utilized to protect personal credit card information to ensure that consumers do not experience any type of credit card fraud in their daily lives. The following discussion will address credit card fraud in greater detail, and will consider a strategy to reduce the incidence of this crime and its impact on the consumer-buying population.

In response to the increased prevalence of credit card fraud in the online world, many organizations have expanded or enhanced their security measures to protect personal credit card information as best as possible. Therefore, strategies to overcome some of these incidents of fraud require a greater understanding of the different elements of security that are required to protect consumers from these unnecessary risks. It has been determined that most companies cannot use a single method of security to protect credit card information, but rather, a combination of methods to enhance security as best as possible (WISCO Computing, 2010). Furthermore, it is important for consumers to cooperate with credit card organizations to adhere to specific security standards and recommendations to ensure that credit card information is protected during online transactions (Webroot, 2011). When credit card users are unaware of the risks associated with these transactions, there is a greater likelihood that they will be victims of cyber fraud, which will create even greater complications for their finances and in their lives (Webroot, 2011). As a result, it is important and necessary for consumers to recognize potential sources of fraud, including spyware, phishing, and other problems (Webroot, 2011). Therefore, from a consumer perspective, extreme caution must be taken when conducting credit card transactions on the Internet to protect personal data and information from corruption or theft (Webroot, 2011). Consumers must recognize the potential signs of cyber crime or fraud, and must be able to take all possible steps to reduce corruption or hacking into their personal accounts to take information and use it to the thief’s advantage (Webroot, 2011).

In exploring the different strategies that are available to prevent cyber crime, and in particular, credit card theft, consumers must work collaboratively with credit card providers to ensure that their personal information is protected at all costs. At the same time, consumers should take additional precautions by installing security software on their personal computers, which will prohibit many hackers from obtaining access to personal data. This type of software installation will also support enhanced levels of security and encryption that will require consumers to enter additional passwords as needed to protect their information in different ways, and to recognize the importance of these options as a means of improving data security, particularly during the use of credit cards for online transactions that require the transmission of personal credit card information over the Internet.

References

Webroot.com (2011). Credit card fraud. Retrieved from http://www.webroot.com/En_US/csc/malware-credit-card-fraud.html

WISCO Computing (2010). Merchant Credit Card Fraud. Retrieved from http://www.wiscocomputing.com/articles/ccfraud.htm