According to the 2014 Internet Crime Report published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and conducted by the National White Collar Crime Center, the United States is the world’s leading country in terms of cybercrime-related reports. The survey revealed that of the 269,422 reported cases, 123,684 involved a monetary loss averaging at $2,971 each.

1. Crime in the Internet Age
David A. Nachtigall
808 Travis St., 24th Floor,
Houston, TX 77002
(713) 229-0008

2. Criminals are notoriously crafty, using every tool and trick at their disposal to take
advantage of others. In the Internet age, criminals are quick to prey on users, triggering
a shift in unlawful activity from the streets to behind keyboards and screens.
A Digital Shift
According to the 2014 Internet Crime Report published by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation and conducted by the National White Collar Crime Center, the United States
is the world’s leading country in terms of cybercrime-related reports. The survey revealed
that of the 269,422 reported cases, 123,684 involved a monetary loss averaging at
$2,971 each.
“I think we’re going to be seeing more and more the true face of criminality that is now
on the Internet. Part of it may be the migration of criminality from showing up at your
door to going online,” says Halifax Regional Police Chief Jean-Michel Blais. Nova Scotia
authorities observed an increase in the number of internet crimes over the past few
years, but California, Florida, and Texas remain as the country’s most cybercrime-prone
states.

3. New Old Crimes
Blais says that the minority of cybercrimes in his state involve digitally-reliant activities
such as hacking or phishing, adding that most reports concern “old crimes” using the
Internet as a tool. “Fraud, harassment, resale of stolen goods, internet child exploitation
— old crimes have new digital weapons in the hands of the next generation of thugs.
Policing has to change to combat that,” he said.
The chief mentions how society is experiencing a change in demographics, citing elder
abuse as a common pitfall; where inexperienced boomers are falling victim to scams
perpetrated by a primarily millennial crowd. Blais, however, adds that anyone can fall
prey to cybercrime, especially for individuals on both ends of the spectrum—heavy
internet users and the inexperienced.
Blais mentions how law enforcement is shifting into the digital medium as well. He
mentions how international agencies are collaborating with local institutions to curb the
spread of Internet crime. Canada’s RCMP and the United States’ FBI are rolling out
aggressive programs to challenge cybercrime, but Blasi stresses the importance of
awareness of vigilant internet use in dealing with the digital shift in criminality. “I would
fully expect that landscape to continue to evolve in years to come,” he says.

4. RESOURCES:
https://dntriallaw.com
https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/cyber