How The Internet Became Essential—And Dangerous
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The Internet has been in use by the general public for decades, and with it have come a wealth of benefits. Originally developed as a way for researchers from the United States, the United Kingdom, and France to collaborate more easily with each other. It started in earnest with the development of ARPANET in 1969 under contracts awarded by the US Department of Defense. Eventually, public dial-in Internet networks became available starting in 1979 with CompuServe, with other services like America Online and Prodigy soon to follow. The rise of multimedia computers and cell phones in the 1990s gave way to even more homes having online connectivity, and it's only skyrocketed since then. Online shopping, once considered a novelty (remember, Amazon started out only selling books!), became a necessity in people's lives. The Internet wasn't just for nerds anymore!
In December 2022, the Bureau of Economic Analysis estimated the United States' 'digital GDP' coming in at a whopping $2.57 trillion; if ranked by itself alongside the world, the US digital economy would be the world's eighth biggest. In addition, the Internet has made global communication easier and faster than ever before. The Digital 2025 Global Overview Report estimates that as of early 2026, 67.9% of the world's population (5.56 billion people) use the Internet. Simply put, the Internet has been a boon for businesses, especially those with international clients.
As the saying goes, what goes up must come down. Despite its benefits, the Internet has many downsides that people might not realize. Lack of regulation by governments and companies alike has led to a myriad of ways bad guys try to take advantage of people's families and finances. In the 1990s, the Internet was a bit of the Wild West, but people were getting their feet wet as to what it was really capable of. It's a different world now, to say the least!
The Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce announced that e-commerce sales for Q4 2024 accounted for $352.9 billion, making e-commerce a ripe target for fraudsters. While spam emails of the past may have been riddled with spelling mistakes, the rise of AI has allowed spam asking for someone to log into their e-commerce site (Amazon, eBay, Etsy) to look more authentic than ever. A recent article from Crowdfund Insider notes how this allows bad actors to create 'high-quality attacks with greater frequency.'
An online scam on the rise is pig-butchering, a long con often involving scammers working out of compounds that spend months building trust with the target (the pig) only to get them and their friends to invest large amounts of money (butchering) before they move on to their next target. The Economist ran a cover story detailing how these scammers appeal to their targets from an emotional angle by preying on 'fear, loneliness, greed, grief, and boredom.' Things have come a long way from the simpler Nigerian Prince scams of yore.
It's not just the wealthy that are targeted; scammers are targeting teens as well through financial sextortion. Criminals trick teens into sending compromising photos of themselves, then demand money or else they'll send the pictures to their friends, family, or post them in a public forum. In 2024, the UK's National Crime Agency's Child Exploitation and Online Protection platform received over 380 sextortion reports.
Whether it's for you or your family, knowledge is the best defense against modern, sophisticated methods of Internet fraud. By delving deeper into these topics, we can emerge more aware and wiser than ever before in this rapidly changing world of scams that the modern Internet has not thoughtfully provided.
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