Cybercrime — an Epidemic?

ChelleChelle writes "'Cybercrime is pervasive, nondiscriminatory, and dramatically on the increase.' So states TEAM CYMRU, an altruistic group of researchers focused on making the Internet more secure. This article is a look into the root causes of Cybercrime, its participants, and their motivations, as well as suggestions on what we can do to stop this epidemic." From the article: "Many victims do not seem to draw the correlation between their losses and cybercrime; worse, they often view it as a crime that is impossible to investigate and prosecute. For cybercrime to be acknowledged as an important issue, the victims must report such incidents to a receptive law enforcement community with a well-informed judiciary. Attempts such as the president's National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace represent a significant first step in the right direction. To have the desired impact, however, the detailed provisions delineated as action/recommendations must be implemented."

Comments

how do you know when it's cybercrime?

[yagu]

I recently (days ago) posted an on-line ad to sell my car. Within a day I found 5 missed calls all from the same number. Hmmm, better carry my cell phone with me until I sell this thing.

Next time he called, he asked if the car was still for sale. Yes! Cool, maybe I can sell this thing.

He asked if he could send someone out to take some pictures... I asked what exactly it was he wanted. He said they (autotrader magazine) was having a special and they wanted to run my car ad in their mag for the special one-time offer of $25. WTF?

I said no, I wasn't interested, hung up on him. They've called seven more times since, I didn't answer (didn't have the phone with me).

I also got the first e-mail on that cell phone EVER from someone interested in buying my time share? WTF? I don't have a time share.

The timing seems more than a coincidence... It's probably not truly a crime, but it seems sleazy at best. Why would people be allowed to base their cold-calls on someone's posted ads?

For the record, if anyone's interested, the phone number from which they called is: 407 515-6094.