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Cybercrime as stealthy as a cat burglar


Source: Europemedia.net
Date: July 15, 2003

Stop Cyber Crime According to a recent survey, half of all Dutch companies—that’s some 345,000 businesses at the last official count— could be victims of some form of computer-related crime annually, costing the business community around E185m. But who really knows for sure?

Neither the Dutch police nor the CBS (Netherlands Bureau of Statistics) apparently recognise cybercrime—such as spreading viruses, breaking into computers, or disabling or disrupting their operation for financial gain, fun or malice—as a distinct form of criminal activity, making it difficult to compile accurate statistics on this modern-day scourge, or track its progress. Moreover, only 19 per cent of victims report the crime to the police.

Such is the view of Dutch online journalist, Peter Olsthoorn, in an article in Netkwesties (the website dedicated to internet freedom, rights and rules), reacting to a survey on cybercrime in the Netherlands conducted by consultancy Ernst & Young and a supporting press release from ECB.NL, the Dutch e-commerce platform.

Although conceding that not all the results from the survey could be considered “representative”, Ernst & Young stands by its salient conclusions, however.

On a positive front, the Ministry of Economic Affairs has initiated a programme, ‘vulnerability on the internet’ (Kwint), involving both government and industry, to encourage the reporting of internet crime and help to fight it.

Original article: http://www.europemedia.net/shownews.asp?ArticleID=17048



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