CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION Cyber Crime is one of the words frequently used by individuals in our contemporary society. To understand the true meaning of cybercrime, there is the need to understand the basic meaning of Cyber and Crime. The term “Cyber” is a prefix used to describe an idea as part of the computer and Information age and “Crime” can be described as any activity that contravenes legal procedure mostly performed by individuals with a criminal motive. Cybercrimes are defined as: “Offences that are committed against individuals or groups of individuals with a criminal motive to intentionally harm the reputation of the victim or cause physical or mental harm to the victim directly or indirectly, using modern telecommunication networks such as Internet (Chat rooms, emails, notice boards and groups) and mobile phones”1, It has also been defined as conduct that entails the use of digital technologies in the commission of the offence; directed at computing and communications technologies or involves the incidental use of computers with respect to the commission of other crimes2. Such crimes may threaten a nation’s security and financial health3. Cybercrime can simply be explained as crimes carried out with the aid of a computer system. The internet has offered a lot of platform for useful research purposes; However, Cybercrime is a worldwide problem that’s costing countries billions of dollars. According to crime-research.org, as early as 2003 the United States was already leading the world in percentage of cyber-attacks at 35.4 percent, followed by South Korea at 12.8 percent. Countries with high rates of computer piracy, such as Russia, have reacted slowly to cybercrime. As a result, many hackers and other cyber criminals can flourish in countries with few Internet crime laws while attacking richer countries through their computer because it lacks rules and codes of a central authority which governs it as such internet has no geographical demarcation.4

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