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Thursday, January 09, 2003
J.A. Hitchcock will sign copies of her new book on Internet crime at Barnes & Noble in Christiansburg this weekend.
By DONNA ALVIS-BANKS
And if you really want to see her hot-blooded side, get her talking about financial scams, identity theft and cyberstalking. The Internet, she says, is a new medium for stalkers, spammers and crooks. "It's pretty amazing what can happen online," the 44-year-old Hitchcock said from her home in Maine. "People just don't think twice about the possibility that something will happen to them." Something did happen to Hitchcock - something that prompted her to write a book, "Net Crimes & Misdemeanors: Outmaneuvering the Spammers, Swindlers and Stalkers Who Are Targeting You Online." The cybercrime expert will be in the New River Valley this weekend lecturing at Virginia Tech and visiting Barnes & Noble in Christiansburg for a talk and book signing. Hitchcock - who uses the initials J.A. (rather than the more familiar Jayne) as a safety measure online - is a freelance writer who specializes in computer issues. Her work has appeared in Laptop magazine and other computer publications. Several years ago, she struck up a conversation online with friends in a writers' news group. Several of her colleagues were complaining about a purported "literary agent" who had taken them for some money. They asked her what they could do to get their money back. When Hitchcock went into action, posting messages and warnings about the scam artist, she never imagined what the result would be. "Two months later, someone began impersonating me online," she said. The harassment grew into full-fledged cyberstalking. "I was a whistle-blower," she said, explaining that cybercrooks can be relentless and shrewd when challenged. Hitchcock, who eventually won a legal decision against the perpetrators in her case, went on to help pass laws related to online harassment in Maryland, Minnesota, Michigan, Maine, Rhode Island and New Hampshire. She now serves as president of Working to Halt Online Abuse and works with people in law enforcement to teach them how to track down cybercriminals and to help victims. WHOA was originally called Women Halting Online Abuse, but the title changed when men came on board. They, too, are victims of stalking and harassment. "There are many other organizations that help kids," she said, "but we are the only organization that focuses on adults." In her book, Hitchcock writes about some of the horror stories she encountered through her research and work with adult victims of Internet crime. In one case, a woman was stalked and threatened by a man who just didn't like her user name. "The worst problem on the Web is people being too naive or too trusting," she said. "A lot of it comes down to common sense. If it doesn't feel right, don't do it." The Internet, Hitchcock is quick to point out, is not something that ought to fill us with paranoia. "There are good things and bad things - just like in life. "I did 95 percent of my holiday shopping online," she added. "You have to know what to look for. Sometimes, you are safer to shop with online merchants. Make sure you use one credit card on all your shopping online. That makes it easier to track if a problem does arise." One of the many subjects her book addresses is a common pet peeve: spam. The worst thing you can do, she said, is respond to unsolicited offers, even if you just click the "unsubscribe" link. "Then they have your address and they know they have a real person out there," she said. "The best thing you can do is delete [the unwanted message]. You're not going to get rid of all of it, but you can significantly reduce the amount of spam you get." When spamming turns into harassing, Hitchcock suggests you report it. A couple of good policing sites are spamcop.net and cauce.org (the Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). When Hitchcock finally finished "Net Crimes & Misdemeanors" after nearly four years, she found it a hard sell. "I've still got rejection letters," she said. "Some said, 'It'll be outdated before it's published. The Internet isn't going to last.'" But since its publication Aug. 31, 2002, the book has been given a hero's welcome. Author Clive Cussler recommended it, saying, "J.A. Hitchcock has produced an insightful book that is a must-read for everyone who owns a computer. Her advice will benefit millions." Hancock will speak on cybercrime prevention and autograph copies of her book Friday at 6 p.m. in the Barnes & Noble at Spradlin Farm Shopping Center. Admission is free and the event is open to the public. Top 10 states reporting Internet fraud 1.California 2.Texas 3.Florida 4.New York 5.Washington 6.Pennsylvania 7.Illinois 8.Ohio 9.Virginia 10.Michigan The United States leads the world in complaints filed by victims, followed by Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Japan, Germany, Aruba, Uganda and Hong Kong. SOURCE: "Net Crimes & Misdemeanors: Outmaneuvering the Spammers, Swindlers and Stalkers Who Are Targeting You Online" Internet safety tips 1.Use your primary e-mail account only for messages to and from people you know and trust. 2.Get a free e-mail account from a place such as Hotmail, Juno or Excite and use that for all other online activities. 3.When you select an e-mail user name or chat nickname, create something gender-neutral and like nothing you have elsewhere or have had before. Try not to use your name. 4.Don't fill out profiles for your e-mail account, chat rooms or Instant Messaging. 5.Set your options in chat or IM to block all users except those on your buddy list. 6.Learn how to use filtering to keep unwanted e-mail messages from coming to your e-mailbox. 7.If you are being harassed online, try not to fight back. This is what the harasser wants - a reaction from you. If you do and the harassment escalates: Contact the harasser and politely ask him or her to leave you alone. Contact their Internet Service Provider and forward the harassing messages. If the harassment escalates, contact your local police. If they can't help, try the state police, commonwealth's attorney's office and/or state attorney general. Do not contact the FBI unless you get a death threat or have been physically harmed. Contact a victims group, such as WHOA, SafetyEd or CyberAngels. SOURCE: "Net Crimes & Misdemeanors: Outmaneuvering the Spammers, Swindlers and Stalkers Who Are Targeting You Online"
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