computer crime

American  

noun

1. unauthorized use of a computer for personal gain, as in the illegal transfer of funds or to alter the data or property of others.

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Other Word Forms

• computer criminal
  noun

Etymology

Origin of computer crime

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

Police arrested the pair on charges of violating the country's computer crime law last month after raiding their homes.

From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026

Thai authorities have also increasingly used the country's computer crime laws to prosecute those who've posted critical comments on social media.

From BBC • Mar. 8, 2023

Espinosa denied that he was responsible for the video and says he was the victim of "computer crime."

From Reuters • Jun. 16, 2022

Attorney Christopher B. Brown and Justice Department computer crime trial attorneys Jessica Peck and Catherine Pelker argued in court filings.

From Washington Post • Feb. 14, 2022

And that's before the states decide that computer crime is a state problem and not an inter-state issue.

From Terminal Compromise: computer terrorism: when privacy and freedom are the victims: a novel by Schwartau, Winn