CYBER CRIMES LAWYER MIAMI, FL

WHAT IS AN INTERNET OFFENSE?

Computer and internet technology continue to reach extreme technological advances on a yearly basis. Today, virtually every aspect of our daily lives involves computer technology; therefore, it would be only natural to assume that criminal activity would pour over into the internet and computers would be used as a means of committing such crimes. Florida Statutes Title XLVI, Chapter 815 details all computer-related criminal offenses in Florida. This can include short title, offenses against intellectual property, trade secrets and other offenses against computer users.

Contact our Miami cyber crime lawyers at (305) 330-1360 today for a initial consultation!

TYPES OF COMPUTER CRIME

Chapter 815.06 details the types of offenses against computer users. For example, a cyber-crime could access another user's information without their permission for the purpose of using that information for financial gain. It could destroy or damage a computer system, such as with a virus, or even interrupt a governmental operation (Section 2B3).

Cyber-crime is under the close scrutiny of the Federal Bureau of Investigation as they have taken the lead in the national effort to investigate high-tech cyber-crimes such as:

• cyber-based terrorism
• computer intrusions
• online sexual exploitation
• cyber fraud

To stay abreast of cyber-based criminal activity, the FBI actively shares information and intelligence with both the private and public sectors. If you are presently under investigation for a cyber-crime, you could have a large government entity such as the FBI closely tracking your movements.

As you can imagine, law enforcement and the FBI have a wealth of manpower, financial resources, as well as computer forensics to unearth and reveal unscrupulous activities involving hardware, software and the internet. In fact, cyber-crime has gained such national attention that cyber-crime is tracked and detected on the state, federal and international levels.

WHAT IS A CYBER CRIME?

Cyber crimes can involve a wide variety of criminal activities that are carried out using the internet or other computer networks. These activities can include anything from online fraud and identity theft, to child exploitation and copyright infringement. In some cases, cyber criminals may work together to commit these crimes across state or international borders. Due to the global nature of the internet, law enforcement agencies often have difficulty investigating and prosecuting these types of offences.

DEFINITION & TYPES OF INTERNET FRAUD

Internet fraud is one type of cybercrime that is relatively profuse. The FBI describes cyber-fraud as “the use of Internet services or software with Internet access to defraud victims or to otherwise take advantage of them.”

In other words, if you are using the internet to obtain data, valuable items, or monetary benefits through illegal means, you are likely committing cyber fraud in some capacity.

• Credit Card Fraud - When a person steals or illegally uses another’s credit card without consent, often over the internet.
• Phishing - This involves ending emails or texts claiming to be a reputable organization in order to get individuals to reveal personal information.
• Wire Fraud - This involves electronically transmitting something associated with fraud.
• Hacking - Not all hacking is considered internet fraud; only certain types of hacking are.

EXAMPLES OF CYBERCRIME OFFENSES IN FLORIDA

Cybercrimes don’t only take the form of fraud. They vary in how they can take place. Cyber-crimes encompass a broad range of criminal activities including but not limited to the following:

Identity theft - Defined by the US Govt as Identity (ID), theft happens when someone steals your personal information to commit fraud. The identity thief may use your information to apply for credit, file taxes, or get medical services. These acts can damage your credit status and cost you time and money to restore your good name.

Hacking or shutting down websites - Using computers to gain unauthorized access to data or shut down websites.

Phishing - Phishing is a type of online scam that targets consumers by sending them an e-mail that appears to be from a well-known source – an internet service provider, a bank, or a mortgage company, for example. It asks the consumer to provide personal identifying information.

Interfering or disrupting networks - When someone creates an outage or hacks a program making users lose connection or access to data.

Stealing private information/data - Data theft is stealing information stored on computers, servers, or other devices from unknowing individuals with the intent to compromise privacy or obtain confidential information.

Cyberextortion - This is a crime involving an attack while asking a demand for money or some other response in return for stopping or remediating the attack

Cryptojacking - The unauthorized hacking or stealing of an individual’s cryptocurrency.

Online Harassment - This can include sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else. It can include sharing personal or private information about someone else, causing embarrassment or humiliation.

• Child pornography
• Financial theft
• Espionage
• Malware (malicious code)
• Bank fraud
• Internet Pornography

Ultimately, if you are stealing data, infringing on someone’s privacy, taking personal or monetary information, exposing confidential info, or hacking a network, you are likely committing a cybercrime.

AVOIDING AN INTERNET CRIME CONVICTION IN FLORIDA

All cyber crimes can involve various types of identity theft, financial theft and any other types of interstate or international scams. Today, cyber-crime has taken such astronomic proportions that parents, teachers, non-profit agencies, as well as government agencies such as the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and the FBI have taken unprecedented steps to detect and put a stop to cyber-crime.

If you are facing charges for cyber-crime, whether the computer was a target, or if the police think you used a computer to commit a "traditional crime," you will need aggressive legal representation to go head-to-head with the prosecution.

Call us at (305) 330-1360 to speak with our Miami cyber crime lawyers in an immediate case evaluation today!