The varieties of computer-related crime include the theft of telecommunications services; communications in the course of criminal conspiracies; information piracy/counterfeiting/forgery; marketing and dispensing offensive materials (pornography and hate propaganda); and electronic money laundering and tax evasion. Other types of computer-related crime are damage to or interference with computer-related systems, the illegal interception of digital (computerized) information, fraud in electronic sales and investments, and the diversion of funds that have been electronically transferred. There are common themes and issues in all of the aforementioned crimes. They are the secrecy and anonymity of the crimes; the gamut of motivations that drive offenders to commit computer-related crime; the many opportunities for crime that flow from the concentration of money, information, and potential victims in the digital world; the absence of uniformly effective security measures; and the variations in control due to the transnational nature of the digital world. It is clear that the complexity, diversity, and breadth of computer-related crime cannot be prevented or effectively controlled through traditional criminal justice or regulatory mechanisms. Countermeasures must include technological measures that can help prevent unwanted intrusions into legitimate digital transactions and communications, education of computer users about security measures they can and should take, international cooperation, and continued improvement in the techniques and means for investigating computer-related crime. 4 notes and 31 references