Preventing Fraud, Abuse, and Other Crime on the Internet

Internet use—the Web, email, chat rooms, and the like—has skyrocketed in the past decade. The Internet has brought the world into our homes 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But it has also brought criminals online, using old crimes in a new setting. This report explains why the Internet is so attractive to criminals and con artists. It describes the major crimes (theft and fraud, cyber-stalking, solicitations of children and teenagers, etc.); lists the organizations that patrol the Internet; and provides valuable resources for protecting yourself and your family from Internet crime. Resources include strategies to fend off Internet fraud, minimize identity theft, discourage and report cyber-stalking, and teach children and teenagers to use the Internet safely and responsibly.

ISBN 1-929888-12-0 16 pp., 2002