Browsing the Internet carries a responsibility, the same as in any public place. The fact that on the Internet you can create an account on practically any site without proving your identity causes many people to commit crimes voluntarily and involuntarily. Today I tell you What to do if you are a victim of crimes via mobile.
Mobile addiction leads to greater exposure to crime
Mobile phone use in itself does not cause addiction according to a study from the University of Granada But addiction comes from the social interactions that we can carry out through this means.
The UGR scientists measured the electro-galvanic activity of the skin, a indicator of nervous system activity that serves as a physiological measure of anxiety. It was observed that the group with social expectation showed greater tension throughout the experiment and greater anxiety when stopping using the mobile phone.
These results somehow imply that it is not the mobile phone itself that causes psychological problems., but rather how and for what purpose the device is used.
This leads us to understand that We must have appropriate education and behavior in our interactions with mobile phones. Many times We can be victims or causes of crimes through this medium and we do not know it.
That is why today I want to tell you what are the most common crimes that can be carried out from your mobile and what you should do if it happens to you.
Mobile phone misuse is more common than we think
There are several factors that contribute to the fact that it is currently easier to commit crimes through mobile phones. The main one is that we are increasingly exposed to networks.
Although many people know how to behave both in "the real world" and in the digital world, there are those who do not know. And this is due to many factors, such as the idea of anonymity.
In certain networks we are offered to create a public profile but it does not have to be real. By this I mean that you can create a profile that is not associated with you. This can lead to a fake identity and begin to carry out crimes over the Internet, from hate crimes and threats to scams against vulnerable people.
But the misuse of mobile phones does not only fall on people who want to abuse others online, but this responsibility also falls on each of us when we offer our data or give information about our habits and behaviors.
This information can be used by malicious people and that is why we must not leave an easy path for these criminals.
I'm going to tell you the mobile crime most common in Spain and for which you can report or be reported.
Know the crimes for which you can report or be reported
Impersonation
Using someone else's identity on your mobile, social networks or the Internet can give rise to various crimes through mobile phones due to identity theft.
Many people dedicated to the world of cybersecurity recognize that this problem could be much less if we had to identify ourselves with a unique user code, such as the DNI, to access the internet.
Sexting
El Sexting is the unauthorized dissemination of photographs or recordings where sexual acts occur. or related to the privacy of the person. And of course, It does not matter if these videos or photos were obtained with the consent of the person.
This can lead to harassment and blackmail situations if you have been recorded in one way or another. Furthermore, once intimate content is shared, control of it on the network is lost.
Hate crime
From hateful comments to inciting hatred towards others. Promoting any form of hatred, discrimination or violence against individuals or groups constitutes a hate crime with important legal consequences.
The Internet should be a safe place for everyone and hate crimes go against this. The next time you want to insult or violate someone with a comment or other action, think twice. And if you are the one receiving this hate, I will tell you later what you should do.
Revelation of secrets and moral integrity
No one can give information about you without your consent. Accessing other people's information without authorization to spread it illegitimately or monitoring this person are practices that constitute offenses revelation of secrets.
If you do this, you are attacking the integrity of the other person and therefore you will have to be held accountable in court.
Threats
Like hate crimes, Internet threats are very common and are punishable as crimes in Spain.
This section of threats is closely related to the cyber bullying o ciberbullying among minors, which has been increasing in recent years.
slander and insults
As I was saying, The anonymity perceived by users on social networks does not protect against possible legal actions for slander or insults.. There are many complaints that we see every day on Twitter due to false messages or messages that try to defame someone.
Avoid giving false information online and especially if you suffer from this, report it.
Sexual freedom and indemnity
We are talking about "grooming«. This is the criminal activity where an adult tries to gain the trust of a minor with the aim of having sex with said minor. This practice happens on the Internet more times than we think.
In a survey by Save the Children They took worrying data, 1 in 5 young people surveyed suffered some type of harassment of this type.
Gender Violence
Gender violence takes many different forms and you have to know how to detect them all. Many times This violence takes the form of excessive control, sometimes through mobile.
Control your partner's position, prevent her from having contact with other people by isolating her o harassing calls or messages are forms of gender violence that take place daily in Spain. Try to discover these behaviors before it's too late.
Scams
A very common situation, it is not the one that happens the most on the Internet, but it is surely one of the most popular. Recent is the case of a scam on Facebook against some elderly people in Madrid.
Whether through social networks, sales platforms such as Wallapop or any other means, you must always be very careful of suspicious websites or profiles. Hoax can be in any corner of the Internet.
Try to do all your online purchases in safe places and with good ratings from other users.
What to do if you suffer from any of these situations?
If you find yourself in any of the aforementioned situations and believe that one or more possible crimes are taking place via mobile phone, you should report it to the police.
Also try to follow these tips to protect yourself and try to get help as soon as possible:
- Take screenshots of anything you think may be related to the crime.
- Complaint through the platform where the alleged crime is taking place.
- If you are a suspicious user, block him.
- If you have Do not use social networks to shape your complaint. But if you want to let your network of contacts know what is happening to you, try not to give information about the complaint or the people involved. Let the authorities do the same.
- Y keep calm, I know it is a tense situation but calmly, you think better.
I have suffered a scam online years ago where I reported a fraudulent sale and several years later, the person who committed the scam was arrested. I hope it doesn't happen again, but if it does, I will know and you will know how to act if you are a victim of crimes on the Internet.
If you want to have safer browsing, I recommend that you read tips to avoid scams on the mobile phone of the Bank of Spain.