The crime of theft and electronic fraud

Facilitate the use of the Internet in providing many services that individuals need and that meet their needs, such as: online shopping, communication, completion of official transactions, and others. Technological development has made the world a small village, but it has made us face many challenges regarding information security and maintaining data confidentiality, leading to electronic crimes, including fraud and electronic theft, which made people reluctant to use electronic services that they are forced to use to facilitate their lives.

What is the concept of theft and electronic fraud?
What are the ways and methods of fraud and theft?
What are the target groups for online fraud and theft?
How do we protect ourselves from these crimes?
 

First - the concept of electronic fraud and electronic theft:
 

Electronic fraud and electronic theft are one of the types of electronic crimes and are represented in deception and illegal exploitation by Internet users, where the perpetrator uses some electronic information or communicates with some people with the aim of defrauding them to obtain personal or confidential information (information crime). ), or the perpetrator receives property and money owned by others without right, which leads to the victim becoming a victim of the crime from electronic sources.

The difference between theft and electronic fraud, even if they are combined by assaulting others, is that obtaining money in the crime of fraud occurs indirectly and by misleading the victim, while electronic theft is in which money or information is extracted from the possession of the victim by force and without his consent.

  What does theft and electronic fraud depend on?

It depends on using the intelligence, sophistication and experience of the perpetrator so that he uses fraudulent methods commensurate with the person in front of him to persuade the victim and take advantage of his circumstances to steal what he wants, and also depends on sites visited by users such as: chat rooms, electronic blogs, electronic stores, or even smart mobile phone applications that contain their data and their bank accounts.

Second - Methods of electronic fraud and theft:
 

Electronic extortion: the perpetrator demands money from the victim in return for the return of stolen electronic accounts and information.
Blocking of services: There are services that users get from websites and electronic companies, so the perpetrator blocks them in exchange for money.
E-mail theft and data breach: The perpetrator hacks websites and accounts in order to obtain detailed and accurate information about users for the purpose of fraud, especially financial fraud. This information often pertains to some sensitive organizations, companies and banks as well.
Sabotage operations: using sabotage programs to damage users' hardware or computer software.
Identity Impersonation: The perpetrator impersonates a specific person (manager or employee of a specific company, bank or security officer) to take personal or professional information from the victim in order to penetrate one of his bank, personal or work accounts to access and seize confidential information, money or property.
Ignoring the victim: approaching the victim with the aim of stealing information related to one of his electronic and bank accounts in order to steal information and money from him.
 

Third: The target groups for electronic fraud and theft:
 

  Half of Internet users are targeted for fraud and electronic theft, especially groups over 16 years of age. Studies revealed that one out of four Internet users is a victim of personal data disclosure, and that 19% of users have been subjected to fraud in the online buying and selling process and have been spied on, as well Websites and institutions, in addition to electronic companies.

Fourth - Laws that stipulate the crime of electronic fraud and theft:
 

The old laws did not stipulate explicit provisions for crimes of fraud and electronic theft; Because these laws were put in place before the development of technology and the introduction of Internet services, computers and other technologies, but how can these crimes be addressed?!

Article 417 of the Jordanian Penal Code No. 16 of 1960 stipulates that “by using fraudulent methods, the victim is deluded with the existence of an untrue matter, with the hope of an imaginary profit, with the payment of the amount that was taken by fraudulent means, with the illusion of the existence of a non-existent debt bond, with the disposition of movable money or immovable while he knows that he has no right to dispose of it, and to take a false name or an attribute that does not exist: he shall be punished by imprisonment for a period of three months to three years and a fine from five to fifty dinars.”

The crime of electronic fraud is similar to the ordinary crime of fraud, both of which are based on deception and fraud in addition to money crimes, with the aim of the perpetrator seizing the money of others. Therefore, the legislator did not enact legal provisions criminalizing and punishing the perpetrators of the crime of electronic fraud, in the criminal judiciary it expanded its interpretation of the legal texts related to the ordinary crime of fraud and took In all countries, however, the crime of electronic fraud differed from the crime of ordinary fraud, since electronic fraud is carried out through an electronic means using the Internet, but the second is in any way that deceives and deceives others, and it is broader and more comprehensive than electronic, and that the object of regular fraud is the transferred money. It includes services and information, and ordinary fraud takes place between the perpetrator and the victim, while electronic fraud takes place between separate people, but with the development of technology, it takes another method. This does not prevent the application of the text of Article 417 of the Penal Code to address fraud crimes.

Fifth - How can people protect themselves from these crimes?

Communicate with the official authorities when conducting electronic financial transactions.
Use the credit card very carefully.
Ensuring that companies have an actual presence to ensure credibility is not enough just the website and e-mail.
Communicate directly with companies in the event of suspicious requests.
Use anti-virus software and keep it updated.
Maintain the confidentiality of private information and not share it with any party.
 

The increase in phishing attacks indicates a dangerous indicator in the world, so we advise individuals to be careful in using applications and stay away from hackable applications, and not to respond to messages that are represented by bank account numbers or e-mails of unknown origin, and in the event that you are exposed to theft or electronic fraud, you must go to the authorities the wish. The responsibility of educating citizens rests with more than one party in society. First, specialists in the field of cybersecurity should provide all their experience and knowledge to citizens as a national duty to maintain state security and reduce the number of cybercrimes.