The study used empirical data collected in Sweden through surveys conducted in 1999 of Swedish businesses, government agencies, citizens, information technology managers, security personnel, and experts regarding offenses reported to the police in 1997 and 1998. The crimes studied included computer viruses, unlawful access to computer systems, manipulation of data, information theft, and fraud. Results revealed that crime related to information technology consisted largely of less serious offenses. However, more serious offenses were also occurring. The analysis also revealed two different developmental patterns. The first pattern involved everything carrying on much the same as before, with no real indication of any major shift taking place. The second pattern involved society going through a period of relatively comprehensive structural and technological change, which was creating new and dangerous opportunity structures for crime. The analysis concluded that computer-related crimes were largely traditional offenses shifted into a new technological context, but that good reason may exist to consider certain offenses as more genuine information-technology crimes than others. Footnotes and 15 references (Author abstract modified)