Levitt & Levitt | Because Experience Counts
Levitt & Levitt | Because Experience Counts
Serving Tennessee and Northern Georgia
Photo of Lloyd A. Levitt and Martin J. Levitt
Premier Representation For Criminal Defense And Personal Injury

The dangers of internet fraud

On Behalf of | Oct 16, 2018 | Theft & Property Crimes

Tennessee residents who attempt to defraud online victims may be charged with offenses related to internet fraud. This type of crime includes using software with internet access or internet services to deceive victims in some manner. Every year, millions of dollars are stolen from people online, and the internet crime schemes responsible for the theft have many forms.

One common form of internet fraud is to use a business e-mail compromise scam. These scams target companies that conduct business with foreign suppliers that routinely use wire transfer payments. Legitimate business e-mails are compromised using various forms of computer intrusion methods or through social engineering to execute unauthorized funds transfers.

Data breaches, another type of fraud, involve digital information leaks from a secured location to an untrusted location. The information that is leaked is typically considered confidential, sensitive and protected. In an attempt to defraud, the data is viewed, transmitted, copied or used by individuals who lack the authority to access the information. The victims of data breaches include both individuals and businesses.

Perpetrators also use malicious software such as scareware or malware to disable or damage computers and online systems. It is not unusual for the perpetrators to engage in scare tactics to obtain funds from their victims.

Spoofing and phishing are prevalent forms of internet fraud as well. They pertain to the faking or forging of electronic documents. Spoofing entails distributing e-mails that are forged so that they seem to have been sent by a party other than the actual source. Phishing refers to using emails that claim to be from legitimate businesses in order to solicit sensitive information from the recipients.

A criminal defense attorney should be consulted in order to protect the rights of a client accused of theft and property crimes. The attorney may evaluate the factors of a case and recommend which legal option should be pursued.

State Bar of Georgia
TBA | Tennessee Bar Association
CBA | Chattanooga Bar Association

RSS Feed

FindLaw Network