A proven thought leader based in Reston, Virginia, Scott Cleland is the founder and executive director of the Restore Us Institute. In this position, Scott Cleland works to protect the American people from a variety of online harm and Internet crimes.

1. Common Examples of
Online Crimes

2. • A proven thought leader based in Reston, Virginia, Scott
Cleland is the founder and executive director of the Restore Us
Institute. In this position, Scott Cleland works to protect the
American people from a variety of online harm and Internet
crimes.

3. • Individuals can find themselves victims of several kinds of
Internet crime. Phishing scams rank among the most commonly
seen online crimes. Phishing scams typically involve criminals
sending out fraudulent e-mails designed to look like they have
been sent by a legitimate business or government agency. In
reality, links contained within the message bring users to a third
party website that can collect a depth of private information.
Individuals must be critical of every e-mail they receive,
particularly if they do not have a relationship with the sender.

4. • Ransomware is comparable to phishing, the key difference
being that malicious software can be loaded onto a user’s
laptop or personal computer without their knowledge. In addition
to collecting sensitive information, ransomware can also be
designed to crash a victim’s computer or lock away their
personal files and programs until they have met the criminal’s
demands, which typically involves sending a payment.

5. • Online harassment represents a completely different form of
criminal activity online. A person may be stalked or bullied
through various Internet platforms, ranging from e-mail to social
media. In other cases, entire websites are created with the goal
of harassing an individual or group of people. Cyberstalking can
lead to serious consequences, including jail time, while other
Internet behavior may be classed as slander or libel and judged
accordingly.

6. • Other forms of crime regularly occurring on the Internet include
identity theft, intellectual property theft, and drug trafficking,
among others.