Have you been a victim of cyber crime?

With the growth of internet and internet related activities in our day to day lives, we have become more prone to a completely new world of crime which is known as Cyber Crime. Cyber crime of the modern times is not only related to virus attacks but now it has more far reaching consequences on your computer. Downloading a simple apparently harmless file from an illegitimate website can have devastating results on your machine and also result in stealing personal information from your system which can cost you all your hard earned money. With the gain in popularity of internet banking, this form of crime that includes stealing personal information over the internet has risen in leaps and bounds.

Cyber crime includes crimes such as cyber terrorism, child pornography, assault by threat, cyber contraband, cyber laundering, cyber stalking, cyber theft, cyber trespass and cyber vandalism.

Cyber crime can have far reaching effects which include the following

• Loss in the form of money when your private and sensitive financial information passes on into the hands of fraudulent persons who can use it to withdraw funds from the respective organization. If a person can break into a particular site designed for e commerce, then the effects can be more disastrous as then it will lead to millions of customers losing their valuable money.
• Illegal transaction of money and goods which are otherwise banned in a particular locality. This can lead to an increase in smuggling and black money in a particular area
• Terrorist organizations can make use of the internet to communicate to some people and hence spread terrorism.
• Children who become addicted to pornography can result in losing their childhood and have serious behavioral disorders.
• Accessing personal information that is stored in your computer and making it public.
• Spreading fear among the minds of person and creating unrest as a result of threats.
• Humiliation in case of identity theft on any public networking site.

All the above effects make cyber crime one of the most dangerous and should be prevented before it gets dangerous. The most important things that you must do are the following

• Turn on your spam blocker to prevent unwanted emails in your email id.
• Install an antivirus program and regularly update it to keep your computer safe.
• Turn on your computers firewall feature.
• Encrypt personal information on your computer that you don’t want to reveal.
• Don’t reveal your personal information on websites that you are not sure of.
• Don’t make online transactions that don’t have a TRUSTe or VeriSign seal.
• Make your children aware of the possible threats that they are prone to while using the internet.

These are some of the important things that you must keep in mind while using the internet to prevent your near and dear ones from cyber crime. There are also certain laws regarding cyber crimes in the state that you live in to save you from such cyber crimes. You can also lodge a complaint to such authorities if you have been a victim of cyber crime.