Despite the joy and relief you get from surfing the internet, the internet can cause you untold pain and losses. Friendly interaction between yourself and a random stranger on the internet, for example, can quickly escalate into name-calling. Retweeting offensive comments about someone could also land you into trouble.
There are many things you may do over the internet that may pass as cybercrimes. According to Chris Lewis, a Dallas criminal lawyer, a cybercrime charge can significantly affect your life. That is why you need to handle such accusations carefully. Here are six things to do when accused of cybercrime.
What to Do if Accused of Cyber Crime
1. Avoid Your Accuser
If someone sues you for a cybercrime, you may feel the urge to confront them about it. The desire is often stronger if you think that you are innocent of the accusation. The best thing to do, however, is to avoid any form of confrontation. Confronting your accuser will only escalate the situation. They may even sue you for interfering with justice. You do not want that additional charge on your charge sheet.
2. Stay off Social Media
As soon as you receive information about your lawsuit, it is best to quit social media for a while. Consider social media as a crime scene, and the more you stay there, the more likely you will mess things up. The prosecution will be on the lookout for all your activity and may use any implicating activities to build a robust case against you—a few days off the grid won’t hurt.
3. Hire a Defense Lawyer
Cybercrime law is full of intricacies. It also keeps changing with the dynamic changes in the tech world. To understand the details of your lawsuit, you will need the help of a cybercrime criminal defense lawyer. They will interpret your charges to you and help you mark out the best course of action. If you are guilty, they will find ways to make your penalty much more bearable.
4. Keep All Evidence
As with all legal battles, you will need adequate evidence to prove your innocence and win your case. Do not delete any of your social media posts. No matter how personal or embarrassing some may be, they may be your only way out of the accusation. Such evidence may be in the form of pictures, texts, or even videos.
5. Prevent Future Accusations
After dealing with your accusations, the next step is to prevent any future lawsuits. To do this, ensure you are courteous on the internet. Carefully vet all the things you post or share over the internet. No matter how close or casual you are with your internet friends, please do not engage in unnecessary confrontations as they may escalate to insults. In such cases, you may then fall into the category of a cyberbully. Never stalk anyone over social media platforms. Stalking is one of the cyber crimes that pass as criminal offenses by law.
Safeguard Your Accounts
Note that other cybercriminals may prey on your account to perpetuate their crimes. As long as they have your details, such as your passwords, it is easy for them to hack into your account. Ensure you put proper security measures to safeguard all your accounts.
By protecting your account, you will steer away from trouble that may arise if cybercriminals use your details to terrorize other internet users. There are many ways to safeguard your social media accounts. You could work with either one or all of them. When it comes to internet safety, you can never be too safe!
