Computer crimes across the nation have become more widespread in recent years as society relies on computers in everyday life. These types of crimes are committed in a variety of ways. For example, an intruder may steal a computer and obtain personal information about someone. This information could be used to open bank accounts, apply for credit cards, or passports. A disgruntled employee may steal industry secrets and sell the to a competitor or just sabotage the entire computer network out of revenge.
Pornography is also a growing problem for Internet crime fighters.
The FBI has uncovered networks of people trading in underage pornography via the Internet. One of the more common types of computer crime is threats or harassment sent by e-mail. People using chat rooms are invisible to those they are communicating with and feel as though they cannot be caught. Investigating computer crime is a little more difficult for several reasons. A majority of computer hackers work out of their home.