Cybercrimes have become synonymous with the 21st century. The FBI defines them as any illegal activity involving computers, networked devices or the internet, ranging from targeting networks to using technology to commit traditional crimes.
According to Illinois State University Police Aaron Woodruff, cybercrimes come in a few more forms.
A prominent cybercrime on ISU’s campus is the dissemination of sensitive images and extortion.
“I know people, unfortunately, feel a lot of shame and guilt when it occurs. The key is [not to] rush to pay off whatever this extortion is. There’s a good chance that it’s not going to result in anything,” Woodruff said.
Woodruff added that in recent years, the most prominent group targeted by explicit extortion attacks has shifted from women to men.
“I think we’ve done a good job of educating young women on trying not to share that type of information, but we haven’t done as good a job as educating young men, and we’re seeing that they’re the ones becoming more prey to this problem,” Woodruff said.
Not only do these attacks frequently remain unreported to police, but they are also difficult to pursue when reported. Many cybercrimes take place across state lines or internationally. According to Woodruff, forwarding every case to the FBI is not the solution.
“The volume of these cases that come up, it can be a challenge. But certainly, if it’s something that we can do, and if we can hold it, whatever, whoever the party is that’s doing it accountable, we’re certainly going to do that. And then if it is another student, that certainly makes it even easier,” Woodruff said.
Woodruff said the most prevalent cybercrimes involve students or other community members unknowingly sharing their information, resulting in them suffering a financial or reputational loss.
“We’ve had recently here, where it’s [an] extortion type thing based on sharing of personal photos or other information that can now become an embarrassment for that person,” Woodruff said.
Phishing scams have become increasingly common on college campuses across the U.S. This includes ISU’s campus, which sees mass email scams during financial aid and scholarship releases.
“The old saying is if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Getting paid $10,000 to work from home for two hours a week is probably not a legit thing that you’re just getting some email for. So, just being aware of those things is the first thing so that we can prevent it from happening,” Woodruff said.
One piece of the puzzle is increased social media use among college-age individuals. This allows scammers greater access to students on campus and internationally.
“What we’re seeing now, unfortunately, is AI’s use in creating more realistic phishing attempts. So, they can mimic people’s voices. They can scrape information from, you know, whatever is out there publicly about you, and then make it seem like you’re getting a more legitimate request for financial information or other information,” Woodruff said.
According to Woodruff, every piece of information available through social media can improve AI phishing. This means curating your public information is increasingly important on the internet.
The best way to protect yourself from these crimes is through prevention and awareness. Woodruff suggests making social media private and never sharing personal or financial information online.
You can stay up to date on phishing scams and cybercrimes by following ISUPD on social media and watching for ISUPD emails.
Cole Loiacano is a news and features reporter for The Vidette. Loiacano can be contacted at clloiac@ilstu.edu.
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