The concept is similar to recording copyrighted music on an audio tape or recording movies on a personal video cassette recorder. Stock manipulation involves illegal buying, selling, or trading of stocks and bonds. When computers are used in these illegal transactions then RCMP computer crime personnel are called in. The Canadian Police College conducts a computer crime course in an effort to provide RCMP members and other law enforcement personnel with this type of training. Statistics on computer crime are difficult to accumulate for a number of reasons.
Businesses are often reluctant to report their victimization because of bad publicity.
Fearing media exposure or a loss of confidence within the business community, a company or large corporation may seek to settle the matter internally. Other problems involve introducing computer documents as evidence in court and the difficulty in tracing the criminal. Some computer criminals operate on an international scale and can route their activities through countries where jurisdictional processes and legal problems can obstruct an investigation. The Criminal Code of Canada and the Copyright Act contain provisions to deal with computer crimes.