Internet Safety Month: Beware, cyber crime is a pervasive problem

To increase awareness of the need for online safety, the United States Senate has passed a resolution declaring June as National Internet Safety Month. The increase in identity theft and Internet fraud has led to an effort by many groups to try and educate children and teens as well as corporations, organizations and individuals to the dangers posed by making information available on the Internet.

Statistics released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internet Crime Complaints Center indicate that "online crime complaints increased substantially" again last year. A total of 336,655 complaints filed in 2009 represents a 22.3 percent increase that cost consumers $559.7 million, the report says.

The report goes on to say that cyber criminals are "developing increasingly sophisticated means of defrauding unsuspecting consumers." One of the common methods used is through peer-to-peer file sharing or P2P networks. This technology is a fast growing form of gaining access to information from the computers in the network.

It is often used for sharing music files. However, once a computer is part of the network, all those on the network can perform a search using keywords that will also download document files as well as music files. And your computer lets them do it because you basically gave them permission to search the computer's files when you downloaded the P2P software, said Mike Prusinski, the Vice President of Corporate of Communications for LifeLock Inc., an identity theft protection company.

This form of online crime can also affect a corporation. For example, a worker in accounting has downloaded a P2P program into their computer so they can listen to music while working. What they don't know is that the, sometimes buried or hidden program, can begin searching the corporate system for financial or personnel information, which can then be used to defraud the company or its employees.

Prusinski said there are other dangers associated with the P2P technology. He said, "there is a definite connection between peer to peer networking and child pornography." And he said that information gained that way is "almost untraceable." He said the old statement of "don't talk to strangers isn't good enough any more."

According to Prusinski, the single most valuable thing consumers can do is educate themselves. Try to keep track of Social Security numbers and not put them on any social networking site. Know who your children are talking to online. Protect all your personal information and try to keep it off of the Internet.

Simple things can become a risk in the age of cyber crime. Log on to Facebook-risk, leave town for a few days-risk, live alone-risk; these things and more are just part of what Wayne Ivey calls the crime wave that has been bred by technology.

Ivey, a victim of identity theft, 28-year law enforcement veteran and now a consultant specializing in identity theft said educating yourself is just one of the things that will "keep you from becoming the victim." Ivey also said consumers must take a proactive stance, but be prepared to be reactive if you are victimized. "You probably won't know (you've been victimized) until you suffer the backlash," he said. If you discover you are a victim take action and report it immediately.

Across the country, and using multi-national cooperation, several agencies and organizations are working to "get a lasso around" cyber crime. Children are often targeted. Ivey said there is "deep concern about our children and where they are on the Internet ... We've got to protect our children at all costs," he said.

The Senate proclamation of June as National Internet Safety Month is part of the effort to provide the education needed by people using the Internet. The FBI, the Federal Trade Commission, local, state, federal and international law enforcement agencies are all working to reduce Internet dangers, risks and crimes, but ultimately, it is a personal responsibility to safeguard information and monitor one's children.