Computer Fraud
The term computer fraud refers to cybercrime where a person uses a computer to access an electronic database illegally without the owner’s consent. In the United Kingdom (UK), there have been computer frauds reported to be more than 1.3 billion euros in 2021 from individuals and organizations (Scroxton, 2021, par. 2). Cybercrime has facilitated computer fraud to the skill to manipulate systems that can be used to access data in an effective but unlawful way. According to National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, major spikes during the UK’s second pandemic lockdown, where more than 137,000 crimes were reported to have cost enterprise managers more than 635 million euros in the first quarter of 2021 (Scroxton, 2021, par. 4). The three main types of computer fraud include hacking, data mining via malware, and the distribution of hoax emails. A person is guilty of fraud if they breach Sections 2, 3, and 4 of the UK Constitution (Gupta et al., 2020). Under these sections, a person commits fraud by either false representation, failure to disclose information or abuse of position.
Hacking
Hacking is a common form of computer fraud that consists of someone identifying the weaknesses of a computer system and attempting to exploit the network to gain personal data or business information. For example, people who use password-cracking algorithms to access a given database in a computer are classified as hackers. People are often probed by business or personal issues that make them start hacking. 82% of firms in the UK have been victims of ransomware attacks whereby they most have to pay the malicious people who hacked their system to regain data (Allen, 2017, p3). The tendency of the UK to pay cybercriminals means there are notable cases of hacking witnessed in the country. Companies that have been affected by hacking must have a point of interest, such as monetary or other values that the hackers want to benefit from after accessing their hacking.
How Hacking is Conducted
For hackers to gain information on sensitive data, they must have a central point of observation concerning a given system, therefore, target to exploit the variables. Phishing attacks are the key methodology that many hackers use to have access to given networks. Phishing occurs when a party in a given firm is lured into clicking a certain link sent through an email that has malware (Gupta et al., 2020). Through this formation, criminals access the data by getting assisted by their system that monitors the protocols set in the computers for authentication when launching a given process digitally. Through the help of a customized configuration of computer elements, a hacker infiltrates a system by installing a virus, which is a damaging component that can wipe anything stored in a computer device. Most of the time, enables hackers users to click on the links via emails for opening messages, websites, and downloadable networks.
Additionally, hackers review log keystrokes that are entered during computer usage. Once the malware is installed in the victim’s computer, it can record the keystrokes that give the hacker all the details such as passwords, pins, and other security features required to open files, folders, and applications. Advanced innovation has led to improved processes that can develop algorithms that can generate a combination of symbols, numbers, and letters used as passwords (Ashman Solicitors, 2020). By using a brute force attack, the hacker can get the combinations, making it easy to access the computer. Furthermore, hacking can be successful under the dictionary attack, a feature that inserts random common words into the fields that require a password. In this case, a system can suggest a possible figure that is put to enable access to the database.
The use of zombie computers has been common in enabling hacking processes in the UK. A hacker commits distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. A user can execute a code without awareness of the possible repercussions (Gupta et al., 2020). The zombie technology with DDoS enables a user to connect between their system and that of the victim. At this point, it is easy to control the two systems without the awareness of the other user. Thus, computer fraud is successfully done by these metrics. It is important to mention that hacking is a major cybercrime issue that has been a bug to the UK government. However, legal statutes deal with this kind of computer fraud.
How Hacking Might be Prosecuted in the UK
Hacking is dealt with under cybercrime issues in UK law. The Computer Misuse Act 1990 (CMA) is the major UK law related to issues that lead to attacks on computer systems in which hacking fits. A jurisdiction to prosecute CMA offenses is relevant if a direct link exists with domestic jurisdiction (Gupta et al., 2020). Section 3(1) under Investigatory Powers Act 2006, which was enacted in 2018, defines hacking as one which deliberately intercepts communication through telecommunication without the consent of the main party where hacking is directed. CMA criminalizes any access to data without consent from the owner. The penalty for committing a hacking crime in the UK is punishable by up to two years imprisonment (Gupta et al., 2020, p. 67). However, that is for level 1, “unauthorized access to computer material.” Level 2 incorporates access to a computer system intending to commit further offense or facilitate the same.
Additionally, level 3, which comprises elements in previous levels but intends to distort or impair a computer system, is punishable by sending the culprit to up to ten years in prison (Gupta et al., 2020). However, for these levels to be fully acknowledged, there involve legal processes that ascertain whether or not the crime was committed. It is important to combat hacking to ensure there are few cases of computer fraud not only in the UK but in other parts of the world.
Distribution of Hoax Emails
An email hoax means a scam sent via electronic mailing systems designed to deceive users for monetary gains. Most of the time, email hoax is targeted at people who have the potential to accept the idea (Ashman Solicitors, 2020). In common tactics, emails lure users to give their money based on charity firms such as children missing, lottery, fake security warnings, and chain letters. For instance, an email hoax may be probing the user to adhere to an alleged threat such as a virus or another security-related issue. 45 % of interviewed people about experiencing such issues admitted to having fallen victim in the UK (Allen, 2017, p. 3). Therefore, it can be true to say that cybercrime is a sensitive issue that requires regulation.
How Email Hoax is Done
Email hoaxes and scam has been major issue in terms of cybercrime. Nowadays, companies rely on emails for communication. Therefore, official communication meant to ease communication has led to malice since people want to trick others for monetary gains. For example, it is possible to hear that a certain software development company offers $100 to people who forward emails having given information to several people (Allen, 2017). An email hoax often comes with a warning about a harmful component such as a virus that can delete hard drives. In this case, scammers will be prompting the victim to send such a message to their address box. Due to the level of cautiousness that people have, they will accept and forward the contents of the email.
Part of the emails sends usually have payment methods in case one wants to pay for prevention from uncertainties in their system. Once a person pays the money, they never get any assistance. Rather, the scammer turns on the victim and accuses them of attempting to fraud them by false allegations. One of the familiar messages in this section is “You can be a Millionaire,” which has led to many people falling prey to the scams (Gupta et al., 2020). The purpose of the scammer is to develop a certain mania that can make people pay money due to fear of the subject in contention. Therefore, email hoaxes have been a challenge to the UK business and individual perspectives. There is a need to impose legal actions that can lead to long-term combatting of these problems.
How Email Hoax Might be Prosecuted in the UK
When scammers pretend to help online users concerning a given issue with their computer, it is one way of false representation, which is a breach of lawful statutory that covers the fraud element in society. When one is caught in email hoax fraud, they are subjected to 5,000 euros, 90 days in prison, or both (Gupta et al., 2020, p. 23). Even though this issue lies under the regulation of CMA, it appears to be lighter than hackers. However, it depends on the degree of scamming. When false representation is targeted to weaken a given company in terms of market share, the people behind such may be subjected to paying any possible damage costs financially.
If the scamming move was targeted to sabotage any government agency’s operations in favor of the people of the UK, a person might be sent to prison for many more years. That has happened to convicts in the high court, whereby most of them may receive an unlimited fine that can make them be put behind bars. One is invited to pay a civil penalty as an option for prosecution, and proceedings are dropped depending on the intensity of the matter (Ashman Solicitors, 2020). After one is presented to the court and there is enough evidence that they committed scamming through an email hoax, prosecution begins. The terms may be flexible depending on the level of authority that was crossed.
Identity Theft
In computer fraud, an attacker applies deceptive theories meant to obtain data or information from a victim and misuse the data by acting as the owner’s name. It is important to note that identity theft is different from hacking. In this type, criminals obtain personal information by eavesdropping on passwords or retrieving them secretly without tampering with computer systems (Ashman Solicitors, 2020). When the thieves access the computer for the victims, they act as owners to fraudulently manipulate it by acting as the real owner of the computer. Thus, this is where the idea of identity theft is derived from.
How Identity Theft is Done
When malicious people gain the personal details of the real owners of the computer, they start doing various activities such as applying for loans, buying and selling online, and modifying the victim’s medical and financial information for their gains. Identity theft works as phishing linked to social engineering tactics that are utilized to pry confidential data from computer users (Ashman Solicitors, 2020). It is important to mention that public profiles available on social connections and other popular metrics can be manipulated to get data that help criminals succeed in their targets. A 2019 October survey on Identity theft in the UK indicates that 6% of the respondents had experienced identity theft in the last four years (Gupta et al., 2020, p. 45). Other 45% of the people involved said they had attempted to fall prey to identity theft in 2019 (Gupta et al., 2020, p. 45). Thus, this issue is a part of many others that have expanded the cybercrime issues in the UK
How Identity Theft Might be Prosecuted in the UK
The punishment for identity theft in the UK is seven years in prison. When a person is charged under the Fraud Act, the offense might go up to 10 years in prison. This applies to any effort to supply articles that may have led to the theft (Allen, 2017, p. 2). UK courts decide on how sophisticated identity theft is depending on the plans and opportunities that were executed and the motivation behind the crime. Additionally, a person might be sent to prison for more than ten years if the position of trust is bestowed to the prosecutors against people such as imposters (Allen, 2017, p. 2). However, possessing articles for fraud offenses may range from one to one-and-half years depending on the complexity of the matter. There is a need to reduce these computer fraud issues to have a secure way of using computers online and offline.
Reference List
Allen, M. (2017) ‘The state of crime: fraud, hacking and malware double the number of crimes committed in UK’, Computer Fraud & Security, 2017(2), pp.1-3.
Ashman Solicitors (2020) What is Fraud by False Representation? [online] Ashman Solicitors. Web.
Gupta, B., Perez, G., Agrawal, D. and Gupta, D. (2020) Handbook of Computer Networks and Cyber Security. Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Scroxton, A. (2021) UK loses £1.3bn to fraud and cybercrime this year. [online] ComputerWeekly.com. Web.