MySpace, again

MySpace raising several concerns
Star News - Elk River,MN,USA
... libraries. It has also found itself at the center of a number of news stories, many dealing with cyberstalking and sexual predators. ...

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Consumer Sentinel

Consumer Sentinel is a public law enforcement website I discovered.

 

From their About Us page:

 

The heart of Consumer Sentinel is a one-stop, secure investigative cybertool and complaint database, on a separate restricted-access secure web site, that provides hundreds of law enforcement agencies immediate access to Internet cons, telemarketing scams and other consumer fraud-related complaints. It gives consumers a way to voice their complaints about fraud to law enforcement officials worldwide.

Online since 1997, Consumer Sentinel responds to the fact that sharing information makes law enforcement stronger and more effective.  An international, multi-agency joint project, Consumer Sentinel also enhances cross-border consumer education and prevention efforts.

The Consumer Sentinel database, maintained by the Federal Trade Commission, now contains more than one million consumer fraud complaints that have been filed with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and private organizations.

 

Interesting.  Their website also contains a complaint page, where consumers can enter their specific complaint.

 

Check it out.  The FTC seems serious about cybercrime.

Essay On Sexual Harassment Online

Catherine Waerner has a couple of interesting papers on Thwarting Sexual Harassment on the Internet.  An excerpt from her essay:

 

Sexual Harassment is the use of sexualised intimidation, insult and threat to exert control over women. On the Internet, such behavior is more common and more outrageous than in the physical world because of the anonymity of the communications medium and the disproportionate number of men using it. Stopping such behavior is important both for the equanimity of individual women accessing the Net and for the health of the Online environment generally. A search through several types of theory has elicited some interesting tactics for dealing with such harassment. A three-part strategy directly confronting harassers has been developed, along with other tactics for preventing and diffusing harassment and for eradicating it on a wider scale.

 

This particular paper is a scholarly work, often delving into social and societal norms, consequences, and the like.

I like scholarship, so personally, I found it an interesting read.

 

However, women who are in the process of being sexually harassed on the Internet might find this particular paper more interesting, by the same author :

 

1. Ignore him!

He is beneath your notice.

 

2.  Say NO!

- Describe specifically which language is unacceptable.

- Call on a moral or ethical reason explaining your view

- make a specific demand asking that it stop.

 

3.  Seek Support!

- Tell the site admin. & his ISP.  Tell your friends.  You are not alone or vulnerable, but supported and empowered!

 

- from Thwarting Sexual Harassment on the Internet!

 

All good advice, and well worth the visit.

Cybercrime on Yahoo

Interesting that this week, cybercrime hit the front page of Yahoo.  What timing.

 

"If you do not pay me $500 by the deadline for payment, I intend to sue you for violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act," it reads. "If you force me to sue, I will not settle for less than $1,000." Details of the alleged lawsuit are contained in the document attached to the e-mail.

In today's litigious -- and digital -- society, being notified of a lawsuit via e-mail might not seem too unusual, right? Gotcha! The e-mail is a scam that preys on deep-seated fears of being hauled into court. Its target: unlucky recipients who may indeed be among thousands of companies that send junk faxes.

 

 

The internet is not for the timid.  If you follow the simple rule of Don't Trust Everything That You Read In Your Email you can avoid a heck of a lot of scams.  Easier said than done, because cybercriminals of all types use human psychology as a big part of their strategy in today's world.  Be prepared. 

 

If you do suspect that you have been scammed, don't be afraid to contact your local FBI office or the FTC.  They are prepared to handle such situations.

 

WiredSafety.org

WiredSafety.org is an excellent resource for numerous types of cybercrime.  In fact, they claim to be the largest online Internet safety group in the world.

 

WiredSafety provides help, information and education to Internet and mobile device users of all ages. We handle cases of cyberabuse ranging from identity and credential theft, online fraud and cyberstalking, to hacking and malicious code attacks.

 

This website is enormous, so it can be a little tedious, perhaps, to find exactly where you want to go.  Here's a brief guide to a few crucial locations.  Some I have actually visited directly in my research, so I have some personal experience using their data.

 

Cyberstalking

Child Exploitation

Communications

 

These are but three major groups.  There are several other large and very busy groups and an enormous amount of information on this website.  Besides having helplines that are rumored to do most of the reporting work for you, the good people at WiredSafety also take volunteer help and donations.

 

Give them a look if you're having a cybercrime related problem first, and if you're not personally having a problem, consider volunteering or making a donation to a very good cause.

Mission Statement For Cybercrime

This blog is a labor of love.

My girlfriend is presently being cyberstalked. In the process of trying to help her, it occurred to me that, while there is quite a bit of information out there on cyberstalking in various locations, in very few places did I find a blog in cyberspace where a victim of cyberstalking could find all of the resources available to help them and the people that care about them.

This blog will attempt to fill that void.

I am not a lawyer, law enforcement official, nor a necessarily a victim's advocate. I am a lay person in the field. Over the course of the last several weeks and months, however, I have become somewhat well-versed in the field of cyberstalking and cybercrime.

I intend to cover various cyberspace issues and information, such as:

- Cyberstalking
- Identity Theft
- Legal Enforcement
- Hacking
- Data Protection

However, initially, education regarding cyberstalking is the topic nearest and dearest to my heart.

Suggestions to improve this blog are always welcome via the email contact address on the blog homepage.

Best Regards. Keep the faith!

This mission statement will appear on the blog side bar.