What is Computer Fraud?
Computer fraud is rampant, as the use of computers becomes part of our daily lives, with greater and greater frequency. The definition of what constitutes computer fraud becomes ever more complex with the ingenuity of people who intend to deceive, misrepresent, destroy, steal information, or cause harm to others by accessing information through deceptive and illegal means. Just as you have to be careful when you’re walking down the street, or in your own home when you lock up at night, you’ve got to be careful of the many examples of computer fraud that will make their way onto your computer. Types of computer fraud vary and can be complex or simple. Simple types of fraud might include: • Sending hoax emails intended to scare people. • Illegally using someone else’s computer or “posing” as someone else on the Internet. • Using spyware to gather information about people. These actions are computer fraud because they are deliberate misrepresentations of the truth. They progress into more
As forensic expert and chartered accountant David Malamed, partner, Grant Thornton LLP in Toronto explains, “Computer fraud is any fraud where an individual is misrepresented through technology. It ranges from being misled, to paying money upfront for services or products that never arrive, to sophisticated programs that infect your computer and steal information.” “Computer fraud is rampant because computers are easy to hide behind,” adds forensic expert and chartered accountant Jodie Wolkoff, director, Wintrip Wolkoff Shin in Toronto. “Crime organizations take advantage of this anonymity and use technology to defraud businesses and individuals. These frauds are difficult to trace because they originate literally anywhere in the world.” Types & Techniques Wolkoff identifies two types of fraud: e-commerce (auction) fraud and identity theft. E-commerce fraud includes work-at-home schemes. You are required to pay for a start-up package upfront, but nothing is delivered. Fraudsters also c
You don’t have to be an expert in business marketing to know that E-commerce is here to stay. Throughout the globe, more consumers have discovered the convenience of this system and now feel comfortable purchasing goods and services online. As the internet continues to thrive with technology and millions in sales, the malicious crime of computer fraud has become an issue bigger than the experts ever could have predicted.
