NCJ Number
95526
Date Published
1984
Length
98 pages
Annotation
The five papers presented at a 1984 seminar cover several aspects of computer-related crime in Australia, including types of computer crime, incidence, investigative problems, and the inadequacy of present laws.
Abstract
The first speaker considers computers as tools used to commit crime, covering automatic teller machines, electronic funds transfer, and fraud. He also discusses problems faced by prosecutors in proving crimes committed with computers and suggests appropriate reforms in criminal law. The executive director of the Computer Abuse Research Bureau of the Chisholm Institute of Technology profiles the extent and types of computer abuse in Australia, noting that the perpetrator typically is a first-time offender motivated by greed and an awareness that the system had flaws in its security and auditing systems. A detective from the New South Wales police commented that although the number of computer crimes reported in Australia now is small, it is expected to increase. He discussed police methods for gathering evidence in this unique area, presenting such technical evidence to juries, and police training. A judge assessed the adequacy of present laws to cope with computer offenses, focusing on conceptual and practical problems that computer crime poses for traditional criminal law as well as needed reforms. Finally, the deputy director of the National Companies and Securities Commission in Melbourne comments on the papers and the problem of computer crime in general. Discussions which followed the presentations are summarized.