The Issues of Classifying Fraud in the Computer Information Area

Abstract

The article deals with the legal issues of classifying computer fraud. The author concludes that the area as a clear sign of cyber-fraud consists of the activity (physical and juridical acts) related to functioning electronic payment systems, e.g. distant financial operations involving bank cards, non-cash money etc. An offender may gain the illegal material profit (acquire illegal title to some property) in the form of bank money, book-entry securities, other property rights without going outside the bounds of the cyber-sphere. The author presents a great number of legal cases to support this thesis. At the same time, committing a theft of cash money or other material property usually requires to combining cyber-activity with some physical interactions. It may include preparation of fictitious warrants, taking out cash-money, etc. In the circumstances where the criminal liability depends on the form of illegal appropriation one can face a collision in legal treatment of criminal actions. The author draws the conclusion that there is a possibility to find out the solution to the problem. The new prohibitions of the Criminal Code should be included in the existing system of prescriptions. A theft should be treated as a theft even if it has been committed as defined in Art. 159.6 of the Criminal Code. For example, if a theft should be qualified actions of an offender who made some cyberoperations but did not get the possibility to control assessments, the thief has to make other physical actions to appropriate it. Consequently, Art. 159 of the Criminal Code covers only the actions in the cyberspace that are enough to acquire title to some property and do not require additional activity in order to appropriate (to hold back) these objects. The analysis of the court practice does not allow concluding that the law enforcer has similar views on the issue nowadays.