What did not even exist as a class of crimes several decades ago has grown into a whole body of offenses. In simplicity an internet crime is an illegal activity that takes place over or through the use of the internet. Many of these cybercrimes have their “real world” counterpart such as fraud, stalking or a variety of financial crimes. However due to the anonymity that the internet provides the crimes can be quite difficult to determine as the identity and location of the offender is not readily apparent. This can make the prosecution and defense of such crimes very complex.

Not every attorney will have the background and technical expertise to mount an adequate and powerful defense in this area. It is critical to hire an Atlanta criminal lawyer such as Judy Kim who has many years of active experience in defending such cases and has gained the requisite understanding required.

Types of Internet Crimes

Here are some of the most common internet crimes:

• Identity Theft – this involves the theft of one’s personal information, most often for some form of financial gain such as misuse of a credit card or fraudulent charges
• Fraudulent Business Offers and Fraud – many individuals have been tricked into transferring sums of money in expectation of some return or business opportunity.
• Child Pornography – this is a very prevalent crime that involves any type of sexual activity with minors.
• Hacking and/or Theft – the stealing of information is an industry that has taken on new dimensions in the cyber age. Almost all of our private information, whether individual or business, is housed on digital platforms and can be hacked into and stolen. This is sometimes done simply for the thrill of it but quite often it is for the purpose of financial gain.
• Cyberstalking – this becomes of particular concern when it leads to any type of sex crime and can often target children and minors.

As internet crimes can take place without regard to physical location these are often tried as federal not state crimes. This means that the level of prosecution can be much tougher and the penalties significantly stiffer. Convictions at a federal level will mean time in prison, not a county jail, if incarceration is a part of the sentencing. Although many of these are considered “white collar crimes” that does not mean they will be dealt with lightly.