The American justice system has existed for a long time, but criminal charges have changed to accommodate new inventions and new technologies. One criminal charge that has changed a lot over the years is extortion, which is why it’s essential to know modern age extortion tactics.
Defining Extortion
Extortion is when someone threatens to harm someone else unless the victim pays a fee.
Extortion can look like any of the following:
- Threat of physical violence;
- Threat of destruction of property;
- Threat criminal action.
In the past, extortion was typically carried out by gangs who forced business owners to pay up or to face the consequences. Therefore, extortion was almost exclusively carried out by groups of people who had political or social power.
However, in the modern world, extortion schemes can be carried out by individuals.
Modern Age Extortion
In the current world, extortion carried out by individuals is easier than ever before due to digitized systems. If someone can hack into a business’ systems and steal data, he or she can threaten to delete or release that data unless the business pays up.
Therefore, modern-day extortion doesn’t require a team of people or any type of social or political power, only one person and computer smarts.
Have You Been Accused of Extortion?
If you or a loved one was accused of committing extortion, you have the right to hire experienced criminal defense for your case. Hager and Schwartz is an award-winning law firm that has a history of getting results for its clients.
Call (305) 330-1360 now to set up an immediate case evaluationfor your case.
