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Cyber crime encompasses all criminal activity perpetrated on computer and Internet networks such as hacking (unauthorized access to a computer system to retrieve, modify or destroy information), data interference (unauthorized transmission, damaging, deterioration or deletion of computer information), systems interference (disrupting a computer network by flooding it with traffic or causing a device to malfunction), fraud (using technology to deceive people into performing actions or divulging confidential or personal information), identity theft, cyber extortion and electronic squatting (registering, selling, or using the trademark of another without their consent).

Often, these crimes are committed for financial gain although some cyber criminals may commit them out of ideological motives. Increasingly, these activities can have serious public safety or national security implications, making cyber crime one of DOJ’s top priorities.

The most common types of cybercrimes include:

Online Fraud

Online fraud can take many forms including, but not limited to:

Phishing

Phishing is an attack that uses social engineering tactics to trick individuals into providing sensitive information. Typically, the criminal will create fake websites or emails that look like legitimate ones to lure the victim into revealing personal or confidential information.