Cyber Law

Those who have fallen on hard times and who choose to supplement their income are finding new ways to make money by cyber begging. Virtual panhandling is slowly becoming a viable option for those who need money for any reason. Examples of cyber begging have been documented as far back as 1998. However, it became popular during the summer of 2002 when a twenty-something woman from Brooklyn, New York, by the name of Karyn Bosnak, started her own web site.

Karyn wanted to raise $20,000 to pay off her credit card debts.Within 20 weeks her website had received over two million hits and with donations her debt was paid off. Bosnak started SaveKaryn.com as an attempt to acquire donations to help pay her credit card debt, which was in part due to her love for Designer Clothes & Starbucks coffee. For Bosnak, the results led to traditional media attention, appearances on popular television programs and a book. Her website was more than likely the first cyber begging site to gain wide exposure, and it became the example for many to follow.

Cyber begging has proven to be an easy and convenient form of raising money to overcome any kind of financial crisis. Job loss, home foreclosure, plastic surgery, and even divorce; there are documented cases of cyber begging providing financial relief in all kinds of situations.

There are two basic approaches to asking for money online, you can set up your own website with your own domain name, or you can create a page on a site that is dedicated to providing space for people to do this.

There are many cyber begging sites already set up that exist for the exclusive purpose of helping people maintain their own cyber begging page. Those interested can register and be assigned their own page where they can tell their story, make their appeal, and wait for donations. These hosting sites generally charge a small monthly subscription fee and/or earns by allowing other advertising on the site. There are many free sites that offer these same services, but more often then not they are filled with spam and dishonest attempts. A paid site offers a more legitimate chance for users to obtain donations, as those who pay are more serious.

By creating your own site with a personalized domain name does have some distinct advantages. It is easier to publicize and easier for the public to remember a unique domain name. However, creating and maintaining your own personal site also requires money for domain name and hosting costs and more technical skills than the average internet user may be comfortable with. Another requirement is the time invested into preparing and maintaining your website in order to attract and interest donors.

There are internet services like PayPal and Amazon.com Honor system which offer free or inexpensive credit card and payment acceptance services, making it easy for cyber beggars to collect donations directly from their websites and the donor can remain anonymous.

Some countries and other jurisdictions have passed laws prohibiting or restricting cyber begging. However, though enforcement has been minimal and there have been no major reports of anyone being prosecuted for practicing cyber begging. In virtually all countries/states, those receiving are required to pay taxes in accordance with all national, state, and local laws.

Cyber begging can help individuals and families raise additional funds for a variety of reasons. For the many who do choose to ask for money online using a service that hosts your page and information or by creating your own site can be a benefit for those who need assistance financially.

While Americans worry about their FICO scores on credit reports and allow credit card debt to drive them needlessly to the brink of insanity, a very few people totally understand the erroneous nature of these things and do not worry about them because using federal law will wipe them from your life forever if you choose to use your constitutional rights.

No doubt you are in total disbelief of these statements but if you're willing to invest your time to learn simple facts, many of which you already know then you can see how all these things have been woven into a veil of deception that keeps unknowing citizens sweating blood over a silly FICO report and doing all kinds of insane things like consolidation loans to keep their card debt account going.

The only really meaningful question is do you want to take the time to educate yourself and learn the real truth? If so, use the search term "the gig is up-- money, the Federal Reserve and you" to watch this enlightening Google video presented at The University of Colorado School of Law, on December 4, 2008 by a young attorney specializing in constitutional law.

A word of warning must be given to any reader of this article. You may find yourself watching the "gig" more than one time and you could spend time searching for quotes referenced in the video to be sure they are real. Many, you already know about from bits and pieces of history that cling to your memory. No matter how much time you spend, it will be the best history lesson you will ever see!

Having watched the gig you know your credit card account only exists in a computer memory somewhere in cyber land. It can be deleted from memory without causing harm to anyone except some banking institution losing an account entry that will cause their net worth to be devalued. It operates like the stock market; if things are good the market goes up and if it is bad the market declines.

By federal law your account is closed and written off by the bank after six months of nonpayment at which time bankers, trying to save face and continue the deception, sell your account information to a debt collector that will try to coerce money from you by claiming that you owe him. You know exactly how the scam works.

To make the collectors disappear using federal law in the same way you make your card debt disappear, use the search term "FTC debt video" and watch this cartoon show several times to get its true meaning. Beating collection calls over the phone and answering written collection notices are all that are required of you to put the collector in the unemployment lines with your friends and neighbors.

The almighty credit score is the last problem you'll need to deal with. You can make any negative disappear from your credit report using section 609 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act using section E. which describes how information must be removed when it cannot be verified. Guess what students; not a single shred of evidence can be verified by any credit reporting company.

This author sincerely apologizes for the length of time you spent going through this article but smiles when you realize you've been worrying about some FICO credit score and credit card debt that are all illusions created by the money changers and easily dealt with when you use your Constitutional rights and invoke federal law to make it all go away! Live life and have fun!

According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), cyber crime was up in 2008, and if the first few months of 2009 is anything to go by, this trend is not only continuing, it is accelerating.

As the country slides into recession, early indicators for 2009-February to March 2009-shows an additional 50% increase in reported Internet fraud complaints.

"These numbers are shocking, but given that the vast majority of incidents go unreported, the threat of identification theft is actually much more serious than even these figures would lead us to believe," says Justin Yurek, President of ID Watchdog, Inc. Common wisdom says that only one cyber crime in seven-or about fifteen percent-is actually reported.

Internet fraud includes everything from bogus sales on auction sites such as eBay and classified sites like craigslist.com, to smaller scale version of the Ponzi scheme perpetrated by disgraced New York financier Bernard Madoff.

As an example, a scam recently surfaced via e-mails that masquerade as originating from the FBI and other federal agencies seeking the recipient's bank account information in order to "help with illegal wire transfer investigations." Sweet.

The Recession Impact

Many observers put the continued surge in cyber crime down to the recession, and for several reasons.

As reported by the TechArena Forum , McAfee for one, in their annual McAfee Virtual Criminology Report-which examines emerging global cyber security trends, with input from leading academics, criminal lawyers, law enforcement authorities and security experts across the world-identified the following challenges:

The Cyber Credit Crunch - The cyber criminal is now trying to cash in on consumer anxiety to profit from old-fashioned "get rich quick" scams.

Meaning, that there are now people who voluntarily sign up to add malicious code to their websites, lured by the promise of easy money. At the same time, desperate job seekers are being recruited as "money mules" to launder cybercriminal gains under the guise of "international sales representatives" or "shipping managers."

In addition, with the economic downturn driving more people to the web to seek the best deals, opportunities for cybercriminals to attack are on the rise as people are more easily drawn in.

Governments are distracted - As governments grow more and more preoccupied with the economic downturn, their fight against cyber crime slides down their agenda, inviting more and more audacious individuals onto the cyber crime field.

The Cybercop Shortage - It is a known fact that police forces on the cyber crime front line often lack the specialist skills required to effectively fight these criminals.

Furthermore, the lack of dedicated and ongoing training, sufficient remuneration, or even a clear career path, is causing cyber crime specialists to be lured into the more lucrative private sector or even into underground economies.

Criminality Concealed - Eastern Europe, Russia and China have become key safe havens for cybercriminals while Brazil has become one of the fastest growing scapegoat countries for cybercrime. Traffic is often re-routed (and often via Brazil) as a decoy causing considerable misdirection in the origin of attacks.

Information Silo - While law enforcement is bound to physical national boundaries, cybercriminals are free to cooperate across borders.

Law enforcement communication between countries remains inconsistent and limited. Local issues and priorities take precedence over global efforts and international laws are being implemented with regional variations that impede the ability to negotiate jurisdiction and extradition between countries.

This is an environment that plays right into the hands of the cyber criminal, much to the frustration of cyber police.

Microsoft's Take

As reported by RedOrbit Microsoft shares McAfee's view that the global recession could prove to be a starting point for an influx of more cyber criminals seeking to use their computer skills to earn extra money.

"Today these (cyber) attacks are no longer about vandalism, they are about cash," says Roger Halbheer, Microsoft's chief security advisor for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

"Cyber crime has gone from cool to cash. And this will definitely grow in the future," he told AFP (Agence France-Presse) during a recent international conference on terrorism and cyber security in Spain. "At the moment we are still at the cool side. But I'm expecting it to move to the cash side."

He then went on to add that it is, "one of the things that scare me about the economic downturn because I expect cyber crime to grow."

Also, the current economic crisis is causing a large number of layoffs, many of them from tech firms, meaning that more and more computer experts will have a lot of time on their hands, but no money. Tempting.

Fixing any and all security issues in software, does not solve the problem for, "Unfortunately the bad guys don't give up and go away. Instead they increasingly focus on crimes of deception that prey on human vulnerabilities rather than software vulnerabilities."

A Law Enforcement Perspective

Lt. Rocky Costa, who until recently headed up the Southern California High Technology Task Force agrees. "In fact, law enforcement has always seen a rise in all sorts of theft crimes when the economy goes south. The crooks look to fraud as the best way to separate folks from their money. People are most vulnerable when money is tight and they are looking to save their homes, savings, retirements, and often, their families.

"They become easy prey to the con-artist who has no sense of right and wrong, but knows how to capitalize on human weaknesses. You see the con artist makes a living studying people and their behaviors. They know their success rate will increase as the economy tumbles and/or the recession climbs. Since a vast number of folks use technology daily, it is only natural to expect technology to be another weakness and another method for exploitation.

"Historically, the number of street robberies goes up, along with shoplifting, and burglaries as the money becomes scarcer. Although we have not yet seen these increases at the lab, we fully expect them. However, with the current economy, even government must begin to cut back. When they do, technology based crimes slide down the priority list in favor of these more visible types of theft.

"People need to stay vigilant in the face is despair, holding onto their values and good judgment will be the only way they will be able to fully protect what they have left, until we all see around the corner."

A Call to Action

According to the RSA Press Release of Tuesday, April 21, 2009:

During the opening keynote at RSA Conference 2009 Art Coviello, President of RSA, The Security Division of EMC, cautioned that the global cyber-threat continues to escalate and online fraudsters are more organized, collaborative and effective than ever. He addressed major forces such as the economy and emerging technologies that are driving the information security industry to evolve and adapt-and how these forces provide an opportunity for "inventive collaboration" to effectively restructure the information infrastructure.

"To combat the cybercriminals requires far more purposeful collaboration on the part of the industry and a strong security ecosystem built around a common development process focused on risk," said Coviello. "Today's security technologies are applied as independent applications cluttering the information landscape and leaving perilous gaps of risk."

Coviello cited three major forces driving the information security industry to evolve and adapt, including:

o the challenge posed by the criminal threat;
o the demand upon enterprises and governments to achieve unprecedented levels of productivity to restore value to the faltering economy; and
o the opportunity to rethink the approach to security based upon emerging technologies and trends such as virtualization, cloud computing and social networking.

According to Coviello, "We must embrace a common development process that allows us to create a more secure infrastructure today. Then with an eye on the future we can ensure that the new technical infrastructure is designed around that process, rather than forcing a process around a collection of technologies.

"We must develop a stronger and healthier ecosystem than the fraudsters and ensure the fluid and frictionless exchange of information on which our global economy depends. It's not about changing the game; it's about winning the game," said Coviello.

Educating the Individual

However, it does not matter of safe our hardware and software becomes, if the individual citizen, desperate for money-and reaching for digital straws, as it were-believes that perhaps this Nigerian Prince really does exist and really does want to spit his $2 Million 50/50 if only he were to help him.

And by the same token, scouring the Internet for the best deal, and finding some that are (in fact) too good to be true, he may pounce on them, not only losing his money in the process, but also his credit card number and other private information.

The same holds true for many "work-at-home" opportunities that only require a small $300 payment for the material you will need to make "thousands a week from your kitchen." You've seen them. Well, as often as not, you will not even receive the material, and by the time you've wised up, your card has been charged, your money gone.

The time to wise up is now.

Internet Commerce Made Safe

As we all know, at least during some of our more rational moments-the "too good to be true" deal is often precisely that. But that is not to say that there are no good deals out there. In fact, the Internet is probably the marketplace that to a large extent will pull the economy out of its slump, precisely because it is replete with good deals and true opportunities.

But how to tell the good from the bad?

According to the IC3, the best way to guard against Internet facilitated scams is to stay informed. Keeping informed of the latest scams on the Internet may enable Internet users to recognize and report these scams instead of losing money or their identity information in one of them. To learn about the latest scams, they recommend periodically checking the IC3, FBI, and the FTC websites for the latest updates.

Additionally, the IC3 and its partners have launched a public website, "www.lookstoogoodtobetrue.com," which briefs the consumer about various consumer alerts, tips, and fraud trends. Pay it a visit. Make it a habit.

Also, when it comes to online auctions, and the potential of non-delivery of goods that you've paid for, the IC3 makes these specific recommendations:

o Make sure you are purchasing merchandise from a reputable source. As with auction fraud, check the reputation of the seller whenever possible, including the Better Business Bureau.
o Try to obtain a physical address rather than merely a post office box and a phone number. Also, call the seller to see if the number is correct and working.
o Send them an e-mail to see if they have an active e-mail address. Be cautious of sellers who use free e-mail services where a credit card was not required to open the account.
o Investigate other websites regarding this person/company. Do not judge a person/company by their fancy website; thoroughly check the person/company out.
o Be cautious when responding to special offers (especially through unsolicited e-mail).
o Be cautious when dealing with individuals/companies from outside your own country. Remember the laws of different countries might pose issues if a problem arises with your transaction.
o Inquire about returns and warranties on all items.
o The safest way to purchase items via the Internet is by credit card because you can often dispute the charges if something is wrong. Also, consider utilizing an escrow or alternate payment service after conducting thorough research on the escrow service.
o Make sure the website is secure when you electronically send your credit card numbers.

Bona Fide vs. Fraudulent Online Escrow Companies
If you have found a good online deal and are now ready to purchase, it would serve you very well to take IC3's recommendation and engage an online escrow service.

The problem is that while there are several bona fide online escrow sites, they are nowhere near as many as there are fraudulent ones.

So, how can you be sure that the escrow company you're considering using is in fact what it says it is?

You must research it. First, do a WHOIS search on the domain. This will show you how long the site has been up, where it is being hosted, how many times the site has been taken down. These are clues. If it smells fishy at all to you, go elsewhere.

Then Google the name of the escrow company to see what gives. This will lead you to forums and other articles. Study them well.

Then, when you have found a site that appears legitimate, travel the extra mile and take one of several additional steps:

o Firstly, while fraudulent sites can buy the necessary certificate to make it a secure site, they seldom do;
o Secondly, you can check at escrow-fraud.com to see if the site you have decided on is listed as a fraudulent site by them; they also maintain a list of bona fide sites;
o Thirdly, you can call the site's customer service department to make sure they are based in the United States. If you have any doubts about that, ask them to call you back, and check the caller ID-if it is an international call, beware. Also, if the site does not have a customer service department, again, beware;
o Once you know that you're talking to a U.S. based service department, ask any questions you can think of to ensure they are legitimate, such as which bank are they using for their escrow accounts, and who is their main contact at that bank (whom you can then call to verify that this online escrow company does in deed have an escrow account there);
o If the answer is a well-known American bank, and if the customer service rep can supply contact information at the bank, you are 99% there. Then, if you want to reach 100%, make that final call to the bank to rule out any vestige of doubt.

Now you have found an online escrow company you can trust; register with them and enjoy your purchase.

Here's to good and safe Internet deals.

You've no doubt heard all kinds of stories about Cyber High Schools - that it isn't school, your child won't learn, there's no social interaction, etc. Cyber High Schools are growing in popularity but because all states are handling this virtual education differently, there isn't a clear description of how cyber high school is handled and delivered. The commonalities in all the programs are that in most cases, the school district will give you a computer and pay for your internet connection for that school year and your curriculum is paid for by your home district. So, your child is going to school at home and online. Here's where the questions come in because most can't understand how a child can learn without a physical teacher at the blackboard. Here is a list of the most asked questions that may help you decide whether online school will work for your student.

1) If my child is really struggling in public school, can I move my son/daughter in the middle of the school year? Yes, in most cases, cyber charter schools have rolling enrollment. Some did that to attract enrollment in their first years and are now full with a waiting list. But don't give up. Some may be able to take you anyway, as these schools understand that students and parents coming to them in the middle of the year are most likely in a bad situation at their home school district.

2) Will this cost me anything? If your state has online charter schools listed on their Department of Education website, then most likely you can move your student to a cyber charter school at no cost to you. They send you a computer and will reimburse you for your internet connection. I actually wanted to use our own computer, and it's against their bylaws to do that (has to do with controlling how your child learns). AGAIN, all states are different and grappling with this issue in different ways, so the only way to know is to call the cyber or online charter school or distance learning contact at your state's Department of Education. Private, nationwide online schools are expensive so research carefully before take the plunge. Your home school district will have to pay the tuition for your child to move to a state cyber charter school (depending on your state's cyber charter laws). This makes school districts very unhappy as you can imagine. Be prepared for difficulty with school officials. I've had both situations. One district was downright nasty and still sends us letters saying "you chose to educate your child privately" and they aren't responsible,(evidently the legal-eze their lawyers told them to write). Another district was large enough that it wasn't even an issue. The best advice is don't warn them ahead of time and certainly don't ask their advice. It takes students out of their building, cuts their population and messes with federal money. Not your problem ... do what's right for your child.

3) How and when during the day does my child go to cyber school or do homeschooling? The answer is simple and almost too good to be true. On your schedule. Yes, your child shouldn't be home 8 hours a day playing video games and watching TV and then school at night. That may work for a few but it's not the peak learning time or environment. But remember, students really only need to be in school 5 hours a day. That's what they do in brick and mortar schools. It's all the passing to classes, lunch, bus time, etc. that creates a long day. In most states it's 5 hours a day for elementary and 5.5 for high schoolers. So if you can do the 5 hours from 8 to 1 and then work an afternoon shift, OR break up school into 3 hours in the morning and 2 later on, that works too. Take the bricks and mortar off your thinking and realize cyber school and homeschooling give you the opportunity to take your kids on a road trip AND school with the laptop, cram a lot of school into a few days and then go on a road trip...it's finally your choice.

4) Will my child lose or gain credits? ASK THIS QUESTION OF THE CYBER SCHOOL BEFORE YOU MOVE YOUR STUDENT. School districts vary greatly, even in the same community, so have the curriculum director at the cyber school check into this to make sure you aren't losing valuable credits. My child took drivers education in cyber school, and it wasn't counted at the next school she attended. Just be prepared for differences in what each school requires.

5) Can my child attend after school activities and participate in sports in our school district? In most cases, yes! Many school districts are very cooperative with homeschoolers and if you chose the cyber charter school route you could probably work out a deal. School districts like homeschoolers better than cyber schoolers at this point because homeschoolers aren't costing them anything. But make the homeschooling coordinator at your school district your friend and more than likely your son/daughter can play sports or participate in music or theatre.

6) Can I put my child in cyber school for just a year or two? Yes, it's just like enrolling and moving a child from any school. My child spent 8th grade in cyber school and then wanted to go back to regular school. That year she regained the confidence middle school had beaten out of her, she did well in her subjects and she didn't feel like a school failure anymore. It definitely served her well her freshman year. Please don't hesitate to email me if you want to talk about this because when I was doing it there were few to talk to. My family thought I was crazy ... school on the computer at home??? Which leads to the most important question ...

7) How will my child learn in cyber school? Cyber schools vary too, just like school districts. The good, stable cyber schools are really reaching for the stars with their technology. They have cyber classrooms, with software that allows your child to even virtually "raise their hand" to ask a question or respond to the teacher. Teachers and students talk on the phone, email back and forth and are in touch actually more than a classroom teacher at a brick and mortar school. Some classes need textbooks that will be mailed to you, other classes are completely online. Your child will make powerpoints, type papers and take tests just like regular school. The difference is your child will be able to work at their own pace, which makes all the difference.

8) Is there social support for my child if I homeschool? Yes, yes! However, you will have to find the homeschooling groups in your community and take advantage of all they offer, and that's a lot. They are highly organized, so much so that they've created "schools" where their homeschoolers can go a few days a week to learn the subjects parents aren't comfortable teaching ... science, languages, art, etc. Just in case you've missed the news for several years, homeschoolers have won the National Spelling Bee many years in a row. One on one education serves many kids very well and homeschooling has been bad mouthed for so many years, that their superb education gets lost in the rhetoric.

To be a thief, one has to think like a thief. This is however not a carte blanche for one to indulge in a life of crime as a poor excuse for a knowledge-gathering exercise. If one possesses adequate experience in the digital world and is keen to make a difference in a crime-ridden internet, what better avenue to exercise one's wrath than to take up the challenge of cyber security?

Since law enforcers can progress into the world of security services, it makes logical sense for a computer geek to take a step towards this field. As the basic knowledge and techniques are already in place, taking up a course to become a subject matter expert is just a next step forward. Whether one's calling is to be an online avenging angel or as a step up in one's career and lifestyle, the deed is one worthy of honor.

The internet is very much like the new frontiers of old in which pioneers braved the challenges and made headway towards settling down onto safe grounds. By sticking one's neck out, there is potential risk of having an arrow or bullet whizzing by to find a target. As cyber crime offenders are constantly on the prowl, those trained in the field of cyber security take on the role as marshals patrolling the premises to weed out any unsavory lot. Although the work sounds quite exotic with silver screens adding hype to its nature, it takes long hours and hard work to provide rock-solid security services. Extensive know-how and experience to smell out criminals are called for they cover their tracks thus making it no easy feat.

As establishments in the public and private sectors are being wired up for the purpose of creating more efficient means of running daily operations, experts in this field are a much needed force to stand in the gap. To be a thief, one has to think like a thief.

It appears that many lawmakers have had enough of online gambling and want it to stop. The issues has been going on for nearly a decade and many states are quite perturbed that online gambling bypasses their state's laws forbidding gambling. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is very upset and said on CSPAN that; Internet Gambling is illegal, it is that simple and that is the bottom line.

Of course he is not alone in this move to stop online gambling, as many states are upset who have gambling as it is cutting into their profits and tax revenues. States like Nevada, NJ and Mississippi are upset, because many of these online gambling operations are run offshore. Indian Casinos do not like it either and they all have been heavy handed in campaign contributions.

The new bill will have measures to prohibit the use of online checks, credit card use and electronic payments to settle bets, aimed at shutting down such operations. It also becomes a National Security Issue as it is believed that some of these illegal operations are funding our International Terrorist Enemies abroad, which there is proof suggesting many links.

Federal Officials have made some very big arrests from offshore companies very recently running illegal Internet Gambling Sites. Most of these illegal sites are operating outside the United States by criminal elements and this is a big issue. Hopefully we can catch the sneaky bad guys and prevent illegal gambling money from funding our enemies and the International Terrorists.

Internet cyber bullying is one of the major concerns in regards to internet safety for teenagers and children. Cyber bullycide can be a direct result.

Cyber bullying suicides are on the rise all around the world. It has been shown in surveys conducted by law enforcement agencies one in every three children on the internet is faced with the harassment of an internet bully.

The problem is that only around four of every ten children report this issue to their parents or an authority figure. As a result the victim, possibly your child, can become so depressed that he or she might commit suicide, often referred to as cyber bullycide.

Even if your son or daughter does not commit cyber bullycide there is a good chance that the depression and loss of self esteem resulting from the attacks can be damaging to your child's future development.

It does not have to be an ongoing event to cause major problems for your kid. One single occurrence can trigger long lasting negative effects.

Internet bullying can take on many forms. A few are:

*The constant harassment of your son or daughter by a bully on the internet, usually in chat rooms or forums. MySpace and Facebook are just two of many locations you will find this form of behavior existing. All internet based instant messaging platforms are also major battlegrounds for this type of behavior.

*The posting of images of your son or daughter by an online bully to embarrass them. Friends quite often take pictures with their cell phones or web cams that they never thought would be made public.

*The creation of false images with the use of graphic software can be extremely humiliating to your child. A tech savvy child can become very skilled with graphic software packages such as offered by adobe and corel.

*A bully might log in under a false id to pretend he is your son or daughter and make statements or use behavior that would be debasing to your child when their peers are directed to the activity by the cyber bully.

Cyber bullycide victims are going to remain on the rise unless we, as parents do something to intervene and help protect them from the dangers of such abuse.

Just how do we protect them from this new high tech form of bullying?

Obviously the answer is going to be different for many households. Children are not all going to respond to the same form of intervention. Therefore we have to consider several different factors.

*Functional age - even though your kid might be 8 years old he may be functioning at a level higher or lower than his chronological age. His stage of development will be a major factor in making a decision on what actions would be most effective.

*Environment - every family unit has different life styles and child development philosophies that will be important in deciding how to approach the situation. You must protect your child from cyber bullying in a way that you feel is appropriate.

So will your child commit cyber bullycide do to cyber bullying? I pray you never have to face this tragedy as so many other parents have.

Although a lot of juvenile crimes resemble those for adult crimes, penalties and laws associated with juvenile criminal offenses are substantially different. Two of the most significant distinctions are that juveniles are not entitled to a trial by jury, nor are they permitted to be discharged on bail.

A juvenile criminal is anyone under the age of 18. When your child is being charged with juvenile crimes, it is of the utmost importance that you have an experience juvenile and family law attorney to represent you and your child. With many juvenile cases, an experienced attorney can get a lighter sentence or in some cases, rehabilitation instead of placement in a state juvenile facility.

Juvenile crimes can be categorized by misdemeanors and or felonies. the categorization of the crime is based upon the crimes intensity and or violence in some cases. This is especially so, when there is also a sexual criminal offense attached to the crime or if the crime is committed on a school campus, if there is gang involvement in the commencement of the crime or in the event that a tool is used as a weapon, then the juvenile crime may be subject to being charged as an adult, in which case, bail may be set and he or she can be tried by a jury.

Juvenile crimes can break a family apart and can rob children of the rest of their childhood as it also threatens to change the very essence of who the child is, in the act of disciplining the child for the criminal behavior. There are endless reports that show that children who are convicted of juvenile crimes and are held in a state facility for juveniles, come out a rougher meaner version of themselves. This is due to what they had to endure while in incarceration of a juvenile facility. The studies go on to show that a very large percentage of these damaged youth go on to commit new crimes, only now when they are brought to justice, they serve their time as adults.

There are some children who are convicted of juvenile crimes that ought to have received a lighter sentence than they received. There are also children who truly do not understand the ramifications of their actions and they may be suffering from ADD or ADHD or other conditions that have limited their abilities, to fully comprehend their actions and the ramifications from their deeds. They truly may need the proper medication for their conditions and possible psychological analysis. It is important that you and your child be represented, so that your child get' s a chance to live out the rest of their childhood in your home and not within a juvenile facility.

Young individuals make mistakes and it is very essential to ensure that these mistakes do not do not ruin their future! A juvenile criminal offense lawyer with our law company will treat you and your family with respect and attempt to supply the emotional support you require while strongly defending your child's rights and guaranteeing they get the best possible defense and result, including the probability of case termination or reduction of the charges.

I will likewise fight boldly to keep your child from state facilities. I will do every thing possible to guarantee your child's case is kept in juvenile court and that a 16 or 17 year old is isn't tossed unfairly into adult court.

If your child has been indicted of a crime, but has not yet been charged formal charges may be able to be waived if you act, now!

Maximum Sentence Term For A Juvenile

Murder under 2C:11 -3 a (1) or (2) 20 years

Murder under 2C:11 -3 a (3) 10 years

1st Degree Criminal Offense 4 years (except murder)

2nd Degree Criminal Offense 3 years

3rd Degree Criminal Offense 2 years

4th Degree Criminal Offense 1 year

Offense: Disorderly Persons 6 months

Theft & Fraud

Theft and fraud are criminal offenses, which are similar, yet not identical to theft and fraud in adult courts of New Jersey. Both theft and fraud can be prosecuted as a misdemeanor or as a felony. Juveniles who are found guilty of these charges can be sentenced to: fines, probation, detention in a juvenile facility, boot camps, prison these penalties can be combined and more penalties could be added to this list.

Sex Crimes

Sex crimes are also part of the juvenile justice system as sometimes our juveniles can make horrible decisions that affect other for years to come. The charges that the state of New Jersey can file against juveniles involved in sex crimes are; sexual harassment, molestation, rape and they can also be charged as adults who commit sexual crimes if they are found guilty of committing a felony. If incarcerated in a state institution, they may be subject to severe measures and therapy programs.

Medicine Possession & Circulation

Medicines need not be on the juvenile for someone to be charged with possession. All that is called for is for the medications to be located someplace that the law takes into account to be under their control, and this can extend to vehicles, backpacks, or the residence. Juvenile medication possession and juvenile medication sale situations can be prospects for rehabilitation treatment in addition to incarceration, depending on seriousness of the criminal offense and usefulness of the defense attorney.

Assault & Battery

Juvenile assault is the attempt to injure yet another person, and juvenile battery is any sort of unwanted contact. Battery can be executed on either an individual or on someone's property that is linked to the individual, and either fee is able to cause extreme charges.

Weapons

The charges for juveniles, when it comes to weapons can include the illegal possession of a firearm, the discharging of a weapon or firearm, the brandishing of a weapon or firearm, concealing a weapon, and many more. In addition, if the juvenile is in a school zone when arrested by the police, they could receive more sever charges, for possession of a firearm within a school zone. Our experienced juvenile lawyers are able to help you obtain fair treatment and can easily frequently negotiate favorable pleas with the prosecutors or fight the situation all the way with testing.

Computer Crimes

Juvenile home computer crimes are as serious as the adult PC criminal offenses. Fraud and cyber crimes are becoming more prevalent in our society. Unfortunately or youth is involved in this crime. When a juvenile is found guilty of having used a computer to hack or steal an individuals identity, the possible consequences are probation, fines and incarceration.

Vandalism

The damaging, detrimental to, or defacing a person's property. Juvenile vandalism covers a wide variety of ways that juveniles can deface, destroy property of others depending on the volume and degree of destruction. The crime could be the keying of a car to knocking over tomb stones in a cemetery, to destruction of school or church property. Whether the juvenile is prosecuted as a misdemeanor or as a felony largely rely upon the crime's and it's volume and degree

All Further Juvenile Offenses

Besides the above juvenile crimes, there are other juvenile crimes that children can commit such as; abusing town ordinance curfews, truancy and running away. Regardless of your children's circumstances, you should hire an experienced juvenile and family law attorney, who will represent you and protect your child's rights. Hiring the right attorney now, could have impact for the rest of your child's life as the charges against him could cause him to not be able to receive financial assistance for education, be turned down from admission to higher education and in many circumstances prevent your child from obtaining employment.

Computer forensics is becoming more mainstream in litigation and with the amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure on 12-1-2006, more cases will utilize these rules. With the expected increase in demand for qualified and trained law enforcement professionals, the first computer forensics institute has been announced and will be located in Hoover, Alabama. Construction of the facility is expected to begin by mid-April of 2007, with construction completed by January of 2008. Training is expected to begin in July 2007.

"With the ever-increasing prevalence of cyber crimes such as identity theft, computer hacking and online child pornography, it is absolutely essential that we equip our law enforcement personnel with the best training and equipment available," said Governor Riley. "This center will make Alabama the nation's leader in training our local, state and federal law enforcement to combat high-tech crimes. It will become America's institution of excellence in the fight against cyber crimes."

The Center is being funded though a cooperative effort by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Secret Service, and state, county, and local governments. The State of Alabama is contributing approximately $3 million dollars to the Center, to be used for build-up expenses. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is providing an additional $9 million dollars, and the U.S. Secret Service is providing 18 full-time agents to help staff the Center.

U.S. Secret Service agents will teach computer forensics and digital evidence to national, state and local law enforcement at the Center. These agents are in the field and understand the curriculum from a law enforcement perspective. It will include high-tech classrooms, a computer forensic lab, and public education exhibit space.

The Center is expected to train more than 900 law enforcement professionals each year.

Decades ago, proving the guilt or innocence of someone who had been charged with a crime had to be accomplished without reviewing computer files. Today, forensic scientists regularly collect and review files hidden on computers. The data they find can be invaluable. For example, it can prove that a defendant was knowledgeable about criminal details and communicated them to another party. Or, such files can help prove that a victim was present at a certain location on a certain date. The science and discipline of computer forensics have been used to secure convictions in thousands of criminal cases. In this article, we'll explain the types of data that forensic scientists collect from computers and potential legal applications of computer forensics.

Types Of Data Collected

The easiest files to collect are those which are still saved on a hard drive. Forensic investigators are trained to look for these files in obscure locations or in directories with counterintuitive names.

Forensic experts also look for deleted files. Once a file has been created and saved on a hard drive, disposing of it can be problematic. If a file is deleted, it can usually be recovered. Contrary to what many believe, deleted files remain on a computer's hard drive; they're simply ignored. When needed, they can be collected easily.

There are other types of files that computer forensic personnel look for. For example, some files are saved in a temporary status. Computers often save them in addition to the original.

A file's metadata can also prove valuable to an investigation. The metadata contains information regarding usage of a file. It will include the date and time a file was updated along with its creation date and a time stamp of when the file was last opened. This metadata can be helpful for showing relevant knowledge or intent and can be presented as evidence.

Potential Legal Applications

There are a number of ways to employ computer forensics to collect valuable information for use during an investigation or civil and criminal court cases. For example, if someone is missing, a recent airline ticket purchase on that person's computer can lead authorities to the person. Or, emails and other incriminating documents that are found on a defendant's computer can be submitted as evidence that leads to a conviction. As another example, a spouse's documentation of hidden assets and bank accounts can be used during divorce proceedings. In each case, computer forensic investigators can collect and review files for possible submission as evidence in court.

Computer forensic detail is used in areas that expand beyond the courtroom. For example, employers monitor their employees' use of computers, possible collecting information before terminating a worker. Criminal investigators often use computers to search for clues on unsolved crimes. A person who dies may have seemingly done so without a will, though the will may actually exist on his computer's hard drive. Computer forensics will continue to yield valuable insight for use in court, in the workplace and for countless other applications.

Cyber stalking and internet bullying cases are on the rise in the US. A number of teens and even some adults have committed suicide due to cyber stalking. Recent studies suggests that approximately 1 out of 3 teens, that have access to the internet or mobile phones are involved in cyber bullying, either as victims or proponents. Cyber stalkers often involve third parties into the harassment, they may post the victim's personal information such as a name or phone number on public online forums and social networking sites in effort to encourage others to join in on the pursuit. The goal is to turn other people against them. The US is trying to implement new laws against cyber stalkers however, those laws aren't etched in stone and it's still very hard to prosecute the offenders. There are some ways to beat cyber stalkers and bullies at their own game and defeat them.

• Don't trust anything you receive or read without verifying the poster through known, reliable sources.


• Ignore postings or private e-mails that are suspicious, such as those that praise, flatter or evoke a sympathetic response. Bullies feed off of your response even in the cyber world. If you need to block them. Many social networking websites and email have privacy settings that enable you to block unwanted users from contacting and viewing your account.


• Do not be afraid to report them. Fear makes bullies and cyber stalkers feel that they are in control. You can show them that their behavior won't be tolerated and that you are prepared to take action by reporting them to the compliance administrators on social networking sites or your local authorities. Make sure you have a log copy of anything you have received from your stalker. This includes, but is not limited to, copies of posts, photos, emails, messages and etc.

Crazy people are everywhere. They do not just lurk in dark alleys at night. So there is no way to totally avoid stalkers and bullies - especially when dealing in online presence. It's even harder to avoid them if you have to work with or share a classroom with them. However, you can let them know that their behavior won't be tolerate by letting them know that you refuse to allow them to harass you. There is always strength in numbers so do not be afraid to ask for help and get people involved if need be.

In most cases, the stalker has very little ammunition to use against you so the goal is to have you divulge it to them by getting you to engage or respond to them. Do not let them. By following the tips post above you are able to beat them at their own game and put a stop to their abuse tactics.

Most people start forums because they are interested in a subject and want to create a community where others can chat about the subject as well. There are, however, downsides to forums from a legal perspective if you aren't careful. One is the potential liability a forum owner can face in relation to copyright infringement issues.

For all the talk about the Stop Online Piracy Act, the truth of the matter is the Digital Millennium Copyright Act ["DMCA"] actually provides an effective methodology for copyright owners to demand the removal of illegally posted information. Known as a takedown notice, the copyright owner can serve the demand on the offending site that must then take it down and give notice to the poster who can then refute the copyright claim.

As you can imagine, this process can be a bit taxing on forum owners. One never knows, after all, when someone is going to post a copyrighted image, article or what have you as part of a discussion and few forums have the resources to monitor every post made on their site. Fortunately, the DMCA contains provisions that allow the forum owner to escape liability in such a situation so long as they comply with said provisions.

The magic subject we are talking about is the safe harbor provision of the DMCA. This provision was created to give the YouTubes, Facebooks and forum owners of the world some means for avoiding liability for copyright claims while avoiding shutting down huge chunks of the web as we know them. So long as the site in question complies with the requirements of the provision, it is immune from liability. So, what does a forum owner have to do? Let's take a look and identify where site owners go wrong.

The first requirement is to clearly post a copyright infringement claim page. This page provides copyright owners a method for contacting the site and making their claim. There are statutory provisions that must be included in the statement, but the language is pretty simple. Site owners who let people post on their sites are familiar with this provision and have DMCA notices up on their site. If you don't, act immediately!

Unfortunately, this is where most forum and site owners stop. They think that slapping up a DMCA notification page is all that is needed, but it is not. There are additional requirements and the failure to meet then results in the loss of the safe harbor protection from liability.

The first additional requirement is that the site owner designates a DMCA Agent. This is the person who will handle the claims that come in. Their information should be included in the DMCA notification language, but that isn't all. The DMCA Agent must also be registered with the Copyright Office. This is where most sites go wrong. They fail to register, which leads to the loss of the safe harbor provisions. If you let people post on your site, have you designated and registered a DMCA Agent? If not, you are not in compliance.

A second additional requirement is the forum must have a clear policy on how it will handle repeat copyright offenders. For instance, what will it do if the same member of the forum continually posts infringing material? The obvious answer is the person should be banned from the site and the policy should state as much. Regardless, there must be a policy and it must be published clearly on the site.

The provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act have long been criticized by just about everyone. The criticisms certainly have merit to one extent or another. Having said that, the safe harbor provisions of the DMCA provide a huge benefit to forum owners so long as they take the time to comply with them. If you own a site such as a forum where people post to your site, make sure you do just that.

The World Wide Web is a gift of technology to the people in the 21st century.

It deems numerous benefits for the people and the cyber community. As a means of communication, it works like the speed of light.

As made up of science it could not be the property of any government, but of those who own its tangible domains and documents, and of course, the author and his assigns (as in the basic copyright laws and the fundamental laws).

The internet is a virtual society. It is egalitarian (Wikipedia). It can serve as schools to out of school youth, a library to busy students, workers and professionals, an update and news to the global community across oceans.

It volunteers in the "I Share Community" free books, creative basic and experienced tips, free games, free movies, free knowledge, free mass celebrations, free consultation from experts and free ads; around the world! Everyone can easily afford and get access online saving time, money and effort in just one click.

Yes, the internet is virtual! And it is complicated! One heart of people! It is classless and ageless. It gives free opportunities for everyone (the rich and poor, etc). However, if a law will be passed, it has to be studied and managed well pro-users; for the vision and result of progress and charity.

If laws would be passed doubling penalties or burdening the majority users and people, they will not be workable laws, because only a few would benefit from them.

Logically, online or for real, it is the same because the thoughts are released by a human brain. But then, the Web has its internet laws with support from different countries, like what is known as "netiquette" and human rights.

How would you know the limit of its uses? What if anyone commits errors in the like or unlike of postings, videos and pictures? Not everyone online is educated or of the same levels, then cyber laws have to be clarified. Remember the internet is like a free school for the benefit of the people in this age of new media. The sheets are like drafting papers online - it could be subjective and still be for editing. Some are even fictional and even some texts are of various symbols and signs, as in the language or criticism of different fields of study blogged by paid or volunteer experts.

How about poetry? How about literature? How about personal emails? The internet is a like home; non-users would never know how it really works. It is a big space for language, for arts, and most of all, a medium of free communication of peace and kindness.

See this example.
Each person has his right to freedom of expression, as inherent as God's gift of speech for human beings. Opinions could not be right or wrong. It can be a form of belief, attitude or thought. How can you put someone to jail for his thoughts? Unless, a harmful act is committed, it is not a crime. Only God can judge one's thoughts.

The Philippines is a free country, therefore any law that would come across borders of cyber space must be well- studied and must be just for the least. Vague laws will tend to deceive people. Its pros and cons couldn't be understood by ordinary people. To cut their tongues and suppress their hearts and thoughts, which in literature or art - could be an opinion or thought for better thinkers, is also a crime against the global community around the world.

Freedom of expression is not the job of a popular few like those in power; in fact it is everyone's job; and everyone's gift to communicate. We are human, inherent in us, is the power of language. Evolution has brought us to progress in this 21st century powered by new media. Don't forget the World Wide Web is for everyone. And yes, there must be laws; but make if right and just - that which would serve the least.

No cyber martial law, please!
Not yet in age of flying cars; no, not yet!
God, on cyberspace, send holy workers!
Most Sacred Heart, bless all with peace.

As thousands of students are looking forward to the launch of their next school year - new school supplies, readying that new outfit or new uniform shirt, or just getting together with friends to embark on yet another scholastic roller coaster. There are many others, however, who look upon the beginning of school with trepidation.

They are the new kids, the shy kids, the kids who would rather be anyplace else but in school. Why? The reasons take on a myriad of variations, many grounded in plain old "coming of age" angst or the "end of summer" depression, but within this group there are some kids who are in a class all by themselves. These are the kids who, as a result of embarrassment, shame, or fear, have either been, or fear that they will be harmed by their peers, or worse yet, by themselves because they believe they are alone and "the problem" is to big for them or anyone to handle.

At first blush, you may be thinking I'm talking about "in the hood" gang crime. It's nothing that obvious. In fact, this crime happens under the roofs in what appears to be happy families. This crime is insidious, cowardly, and criminal. There's a ground swell of it within schools across this country. It's called "Cyber Bullying".

Cyber bullying takes what used to be schoolyard insults, pushing, and shoving to a whole new, expansive, and very dangerous level. The cyber bully uses email, chat rooms, instant messaging, cell phones and text messaging to insult, demean, threaten, humiliate, harass, deceive, impersonate, and in many cases, posts lewd or embarrassing photographs online of their peer - while hiding behind a veil of anonymity that the Internet provides.

On the middle school level, typical insults include comments like "U R ugly, U R fat, U R a liar, Nobody likes you", however when kids reach 13, the comments are often sexual in nature, include profanity and detail true or untrue reports of promiscuity. Photos, which are sometimes altered, and video from cell phones are posted in emails and on familiar file sharing sites such as Myspace.com, Xanga.com, LiveJournal.com, Blogger.com, and others.

Even poor childish choices such as when a student puts up a website devoted to posting pictures of the ugliest or fattest kids in school, or when a 7th grade girl in Manhattan posted a video that a boy sent her of him serenading a song to her to her because he liked her and she didn't like him back. It just seemed like a joke to her, that is, until it ended up being laughed at all over the Net. Needless to say, this young boy was devastated.

Unlike the schoolyard bully, these attacks aren't by some scary kid wanting to push his weight around. They can be by anyone or no one that the child knows. Tragically, it's sometimes by someone that the child thought was a friend. And unlike the schoolyard bully, a cyber bully can be comprised of one or many kids and by the time the posting hits the Net, literally thousands, if not millions of people have seen it, if it's been shared around the world. And unlike the schoolyard bully, the cyber bully hits their victim in the sanctity of their own home or bedroom - where they feel that they can't escape.

Suzanne Stanford, CEO of My Internet Safety Coach (http://www.myinternetsafetycoach.com) , notes: "Often, kids are afraid to tell their parents for fear that their computer will be taken away or that their parents will make the situation worse". What they don't realize is that unless the bullying stops immediately, it can escalate and leave permanent psychological scars.

That's one of the reasons Ms. Stanford recommends Children's Educational Network's FREE Internet Filter and Parental Control software and there TUKI Browser for kids, available at http://www.TUKI.com.

Kids need to know how to navigate safely within this environment, so they'll know how to prevent and protect themselves from these situations. Additionally, we make it very clear to kids who might want to engage in this type of activity, that there are severe personal consequences to their behavior.

For example, we want them to consider "before" they make poor choices that whatever is posted on the Net is there forever, and as much as they may regret later that they did this to someone, the damage is done and irreversible." Experts in the field state that victims of these crimes suffer psychological trauma requiring professional help, have had to move to other schools, their mental state has resulted in their grades dropping to such a degree that they cannot qualify for college upon high school graduation; many are afraid to form close relationships with new people; and in more severe cases, suicide or murder has resulted.

These are not just childhood pranks. These are serious crimes, and several states are enacting laws, such as Florida, making these emails felonies. In Pennsylvania, cyber bullying, harassment and stalking carry stiff jail sentences and fines for those convicted.

Cyber bullies need to realize that they may be able to hide from their victims behind screen names, but they cannot hide from law enforcement. Mark Franek, Dean of Students at the William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia, explained the process very well: "Each time the Internet is accessed, an IP (Internet Protocol) address is established. The 12 numerals punctuated by the 3 periods is the electronic fingerprint that can be accessed by the authorities to trace all electronic communications between computers and/or mobile phones. No computer or mobile phone - or its user - is really anonymous in cyberspace."

According to a survey conducted in June of 2000 by The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on 1,500 children aged 10-17, 1 in 17 youths had been threatened or harassed over the Internet and about one-third of those found the incidents extremely distressing. A study in Britain in 2004 by NCH, a British children's charity, found that 1 in 4 students had been bullied online.

According to a CBS 2 (television) Special Report, conducted in 2005, more than 50% of 4-8th grade students have been bullied online. A recent nationwide survey of children and pre-teens by i-Safe America found that 57% of kids in grades 4-8 said someone had said hurtful or angry things to them online, 13% "quite often"; 53% admitted to saying mean or hurtful things to others, 7% "quite often"; 35% had been threatened online, 5% "quite often"; 42% had been bullied online, 5% "quite often"; and 58% had not told their parents or another adult about receiving mean or hurtful comments. In the UK, 33% of 9-to-19-year-olds who use email, chat, IM, and/or text messaging phones at least once a week "have been sent nasty or hurtful messages, and only 4% of parents say their child's been bullied online, according to very recent research from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

The Internet and cell phones have become, in large part, the fabric of the social lives of tweens and teens. As such, they are prime targets for this kind of attack. The first thing kids need to understand about Instant Messaging, and blogs (web logs) or live journals, is that the more personal information you give someone, the more it can be used against you by not only those whom you wanted to read it, but by others whom you didn't. Whenever you type something online and press "send", you have just given up your privacy. Additionally, people online will pose to be people they aren't for purposes of deception and in many cases, to commit crimes - often stealing someone's identity in the process.

Some helpful tips for kids and teens regarding Cyber Bullying:

o Know that there are ALWAYS people available to help you that will make cyber bullies stop. These people are law enforcement; your school teacher, school counselor, principal; your parents or a nurturing, responsible adult; Cyber crime reporting sites such as: http://www.cybertipline.org, http://www.wiredsafety.net, http://www.KidSafe.com and safety@worldkids.net.

o Don't give out any personal information such as your name, your school's name or the name of any of the sports teams in which you play, your home telephone or cellular phone number, your address-- including the city where your other parent lives if they are divorced, your parent's office address, or the address of your school.

o Don't ever use your real name as your user or screen name.

If you find that you are a victim of cyber bullying:

o Do not respond to the harassers directly because that is exactly what they want. Don't give them the pleasure of knowing that you're upset by it -- Stay cool.

o Save and print out all messages - DO NOT ERASE THE EMAILS.

o Report this crime to the police. If possible, report it as it is happening.

o Take notes: State the name of the harassers, if you know it, and all the details about the incident(s)

o If you are afraid to call the police, email a report of the incident(s) to cyber crime reporting sites such as: http://www.cybertipline.org, http://www.wiredsafety.org, or safety@worldkids.net.

REMEMBER: YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF YOUR ONLINE EXPERIENCE. IT IS UNACCEPTABLE FOR YOU TO BE VERBALLY ABUSED OR THREATENED

If you want to BLOCK USERS from contacting you via email, do the following:

o Look for the "Block" button. Sometimes it is in your Inbox.

o You block someone by highlighting or checking the box next to their email and then clicking on the Block button. When you do this, all the emails form the address you blocked will not go through to your Inbox.
In Outlook Express, you go to a "Blocked Senders List". To do this, do the following:
Click on:

o "Tools"

o "Message Rules"

o "Blocked Senders List"

o Click on "Add"

o Type in the persons email address in the box, or right click on the name of the person in your contact list.

o Click either "Mail Messages" to block only emails; "News Messages", if you want to block communication from a news group or someone in a newsgroup; or "Mail and News Messages", to block the persons personal email and communication via the news group.

If you're still getting messages from someone who is harassing you online, after you do the above, change your email address.

It's an unsettling thought for any parent to think that their child may be a victim of a Cyber Bully, or be one. As difficult as it may be to consider, parents and teachers alike need to talk about this subject at home and in the classroom. We need to raise awareness of this issue and be pro-active. At present, lawmakers are drafting laws to prevent and prosecute the perpetrators of these crimes. Education, Vigilance, and strict laws are key in disarming bullies.

Over 10 million new victims of identity theft are reported to law enforcement every year. According to the Federal Trade Commission, identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America. One in 20 adults are now victimized by computer fraud.

The people who are the most vulnerable victims are the very young and the elderly.

The technology of the Internet has bred individuals who are globally organized. Law enforcement officials are constantly being challenged by criminal activities of cyber criminals. The major effect of an increase in cyber crime is that individuals using the Internet feel less safe using this medium for electronic commerce. Consumers fear that hackers will intercept their personal information and commit fraud crimes. Uncertainty in consumer confidence in the electronic market would affect global commerce and consumer privacy.

Knowledge is Power

There are ways to protect your personal information. The best way is to be aware of your PII, personal identifiable information. The loss of your identity is a serious issue and it could cost you time and money to regain your identity.

Here are 3 quick steps to protect your PII from cyber criminals.

1. Protect your wallet and purse by only carrying one piece of (PII) personal identifiable information.

• Don't carry your Social Security card or the cards of your children or spouse in your wallet or purse. Normal daily activities do not deem it necessary to carry these items. Your Social Security card is one of the main sources identity thieves use to obtain your personal identifiable information.
• If your Social Security number is on your health insurance card, remove that from your wallet or purse as well.

2. Keep copies of information documents with your (PII) in a safe place. These documents would include credit card information, bank accounts and any document that can be used to identify yourself.

3. Never give your Social Security number to someone without knowing the recipient. If asked for your Social Security number, always ask the question why. And if they don't need it, don't feel obligated to provide it. Ask if there is some other information you can give them in lieu of this important personal information.

These are 3 steps that can help you and your family defend against Identity Theft.

Identity theft is a serious issue that can affect your life. We can help stop identity theft with knowledge and awareness of our personal identifiable information. Stay focused and stay aware.