cybercrime

American  

[sahy-ber-krahym] / ˈsaɪ bərˌkraɪm /

Or cyber crime

noun

1. criminal activity or a crime that involves the internet, a computer system, or computer technology.

   identity theft, phishing, and other kinds of cybercrime.

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cybercrime British  

/ ˈsaɪbəˌkraɪm /

noun

1. the illegal use of computers and the internet

2. crime committed by means of computers or the internet

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Other Word Forms

• cybercriminal noun

Etymology

Origin of cybercrime

First recorded in 1990–95; cyber- + crime

Example Sentences

Even before the rise of AI, cybercrime operated like a marketplace, experts say.

From The Wall Street Journal

Clusters of buildings in this area are used to run transnational scams, according to researchers who track cybercrime and human-trafficking in Cambodia.

From The Wall Street Journal

It's not known exactly how they got into her account and the murky world of cybercrime means it is difficult to pinpoint if a single data breach led to someone being scammed.

From BBC

She contacted the UK's national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime, Action Fraud, which put her in touch with Cleveland Police.

From BBC

Governments, however, have been "insanely negligent" about the gravity of the problem, warned cybercrime expert Erin West.

From Barron's