WyzGuys Tech Talk

By Toby Patrick

Technology has long been used to counter crime. But in many cases, technology is the foundation for criminal activity. One thing’s for sure, when new technology comes into our lives, criminal use cases aren’t too far behind. 

Here’s how four significant developments in technology have led to an increase in criminal activity.

The Internet and Hacking

In its simplest form, hacking is the act of gaining unauthorised access to a network, system or device.

Hacking (or at least cyber hacking) can be traced back to the invention of computers. In 1940, Rene Carmille became one of the first known hackers, after using his expertise in computing to hack the German Nazis and the machines they were using to track down Jewish people.

Later, computer hacking became a real threat to companies and their networks. But if computers gave rise to hackers, the internet took hacking to a new level.

Since the mid-90s, hacks have been a real, frequent threat to individuals and companies. MGM Resort, Yahoo and Twitter have all been the target of cyberattacks in recent years.

Email and Phishing Scams

A phishing scam is an online scam that focuses on deceiving victims into handing over sensitive information such as log-ins or bank details. Phishing scams arrived with the internet, and as the internet became more adopted and established, phishing scams became more prevalent. 

Today, phishing scams are rife. They’re also getting better and harder to spot. Phishers of today are able to recreate emails from legitimate companies that are almost identical to the real thing. As a result, phoney emails from couriers and banks are a common disguise for fraudsters to take on.

Another common phishing scam is the Grandparent scam. This sees criminals target elderly people impersonating a family member often asking for money or personal information needed for an urgent matter. 

Social Media and Online Impersonation

Does social media cause more harm than it does good? It’s a question that’s been debated the world over. While social media platforms have allowed us to keep up to date with the lives of our friends and family members, they have also opened up new doors for criminals.

Despite the likes of Facebook and Instagram being an established staple in many peoples’ lives, bad actors still exist on social media platforms. Fake profiles have unfortunately provided a new opportunity for stalkers and paedophiles while more advanced techniques see impersonators take advantage of bots and AI to target people with ticket scams. 

Cryptocurrency and Crypto Scams

As already stated, with every new advancement in technology comes new opportunities for crime. To prove this is still the case, look no further than the cryptocurrency space. 

Crypto has hit the headlines over the last ten years, sometimes for good but often for the wrong reasons. One reason why crypto often ends up in the mainstream media is after the result of crypto scams and hacks.

Crypto scams can take many forms. In some cases, leading crypto platforms are targeted as was the case with the Ronin Network hack in March 2022 which led to over $600 million of stolen funds.

But in many cases, individual traders who are new to the space are the perfect target for crypto fraudsters. The lack of centralised intermediaries within the crypto world means many transactions take place on a peer-to-peer basis. Couple this with the anonymous nature of blockchain technology, cryptocurrency and decentralised finance are quickly becoming the perfect vehicle for digital crime.