Accusations of criminal activities can ruin the lives of top executives and business professionals. In Michigan and elsewhere, allegations of white collar crimes can lead to extensive investigations, and having experienced defense counsel is crucial. Computer crimes are included in the white collar crime category, and legal counsel can work to resolve such issues discreetly.
Computer abuse typically involves dishonesty and cheating. This can occur in a variety of ways, one of which is illegally exposing or obtaining the Social Security numbers or other personal identifying information of other individuals. Other forms of computer abuse include cyberbullying and gaining unauthorized access to another person’s computer.
Changing content on a website of someone else and sharing material with copyrights are also illegal activities. Computer abuse also includes the infection of a computer with a harmful virus, intending to have it spread to other computers. Individuals might not realize that even the act of using a business computer for personal use in work hours could be regarded as computer abuse.
Anyone in Michigan who is accused of violating policies of a company, educational institution or other business entity by committing computer abuse or other white collar crimes could face state or federal charges. Investigations will include identifying the computers involved in the abuse and then following the trail to identify the alleged abuser. The best time to seek legal counsel to protect applicable legal rights is as soon as an individual notices any signs of investigations — even before arrests take place.