Internet Crime Resources

Internet crimes may be reported to different agencies on-line in addition to, or in lieu of, making a report to your local police department.  The public is encouraged to make reports to both the Portsmouth Police and to the appropriate federal agency hosting on-line reporting.  By reporting internet crimes on-line, the criminal activity may be tracked nationally and shared with other law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute the offenders.  This is a convenient way to report email scams, websites with questionable content, questionable practices of businesses, as well as a host of other on-line criminal activity as soon as it is encountered.  You may even make reports anonymously.   This is not a substitute for contacting the Portsmouth Police Department to report a crime, rather, it is a resource to be used in addition to it.

 

Types of Crime that may be reported On-Line

If you have any questions about internet crime contact Detective Duane Jacques at (603) 610-7535.

 

Child Exploitation Crimes

Report to the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children 
www.cybertipline.com

Types of child exploitation crimes:

Possession, Manufacture, and Distribution of Child Pornography

Child pornography has been defined under federal statute as a visual depiction of a minor (child younger than 18) engaged in sexually explicit conduct (18 U.S.C. 2256).

Online Enticement of Children for Sexual Acts

Use of the Internet to entice, invite, or persuade a child to meet for sexual acts, or to help arrange such a meeting, is a serious offense (18 U.S.C. 2425).

Prostitution of Children

Prostitution is generally defined as performing, offering, or agreeing to perform a sexual act for any money, property, token, object, article, or anything of value (18 U.S.C. 2431, 2423(a)).

Sex Tourism Involving Children

It is against the law for any United States citizen to travel abroad to engage in sexual activity with any child under the age of 18 (18 U.S.C. 2423(b)). Individuals who partake in this illegal activity are subject to prosecution in the United States even if they committed the crime on foreign soil.

Child Sexual Molestation (not in the family)

Child sexual exploitation (not in the family), also known as extra-familial child sexual abuse, includes all sexual exploitation of a child by someone other than a family member.

Unsolicited Obscene Material Sent to a Child

It is an unfortunate reality of the Internet that children will encounter obscene material online. Many times this material is attached as an image(s) or hyperlink(s) sent to a child in an unsolicited E-mail or “spam.”

To combat this problem NCMEC takes reports of unsolicited obscene material sent to a child. It is a violation of criminal law for any person to knowingly or attempt to send or transfer obscene material to another individual who has not attained the age of 16 years (18 U.S.C.A. 1470).

Please report any incidents where a child may have received visual depictions of persons engaging in sexually explicit conduct that is obscene.

If you are an adult who is concerned about adult obscenity not involving children on the Internet, please make a report to https://www.justice.gov/criminal-ceos/report-violations.

Misleading Domain Name

It is a federal offense to use a misleading domain name on the Internet with the intent to deceive a minor into viewing material that is harmful to minors, regardless of whether the material meets the legal definition of obscenity (18 U.S.C. 2252B). Please report the use of a misleading domain name that has directed a child to a web site containing harmful materials to children.

Adults who are concerned about obscenity that has not been accessed by a child on the Internet may file a report at https://www.justice.gov/criminal-ceos/report-violations.

 

Online Fraud/Identity Theft

To report any of the below crimes directly to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), CLICK HERE to file a complaint.

  • Auction Fraud
  • Auction Fraud - Romania
  • Counterfeit Cashier's Check
  • Credit Card Fraud
  • Debt Elimination
  • Parcel Courier Email Scheme
  • Employment/Business Opportunities
  • Escrow Services Fraud
  • Identity Theft
  • Internet Extortion
  • Investment Fraud
  • Lotteries
  • Nigerian Letter or "419"
  • Phishing/Spoofing
  • Ponzi/Pyramid
  • Reshipping
  • Spam
  • Third Party Receiver of Funds

 

Computer Intrusion Cases (Hacking)

Report to the US Dept. of Homeland Security Infrastructure Protection online at www.us-cert.gov

In general, types of activity that are commonly recognized as being in violation of a typical security policy include but are not limited to

  • attempts (either failed or successful) to gain unauthorized access to a system or its data, including PII related incidents (link to the below description)
  • unwanted disruption or denial of service
  • the unauthorized use of a system for processing or storing data
  • changes to system hardware, firmware, or software characteristics without the owner's knowledge, instruction, or consent

US-CERT is collecting phishing email messages and web site locations so that we can help people avoid becoming victims of phishing scams.

 

Phishing Email Messages

Report to the US Dept. of Homeland Security Infrastructure Protection online at www.us-cert.gov

US-CERT is collecting phishing email messages and web site locations so that we can help people avoid becoming victims of phishing scams.

 

Questionable Business Practices / Consumer Protection

Report to the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov

 

Complaints about online transactions, involving foreign companies

Report to www.econsumer.gov