COMPUTER ABUSE IS STILL CATEGORIZED AS FRAUD, EMBEZZLEMENT, THEFT, LARCENY, EXTORTION, ESPIONAGE, SABOTAGE, AND CONSPIRACY. HOWEVER, THE USE OF COMPUTER SYSTEMS TO EFFECT SUCH CRIMES HAS SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGED THE FORMS OF CRIME. THE OCCUPATIONS OF PERPETRATORS, THE ENVIRONMENTS OF THE OFFENSES, THE MODI OPERANDI, AND THE FORMS OF ASSETS ILLEGALLY APPROPRIATED ARE ALL NEW, MAKING THE PROBLEM A NEW CHALLENGE FOR SOCIAL CONTROL AGENCIES. INCIDENCES OF COMPUTER-RELATED CRIME REMAIN MINIMAL, ALTHOUGH THE TRUE SIZE OF THE PROBLEM IS NOT KNOWN BECAUSE OF THE DIFFICULTIES INVOLVED IN DETECTION. BASED ON AN EXAMINATION OF 632 REPORTED CASES OF COMPUTER-RELATED OFFENSES, SIGNIFICANT GROWTH IN SUCH CRIME IS INDICATED. ITS GROWTH IS PREDICTABLE BECAUSE OF THE GROWING RELIANCE ON COMPUTERS, THE PROLIFERATION OF COMPUTERS IN SENSITIVE BUSINESS AND OTHER SOCIETAL FUNCTIONS, THE INCREASING STORAGE OF NEGOTIABLE ASSETS IN COMPUTER SYSTEMS, AND THE CONCOMITANT INCREASING POSITIONS OF TRUST REQUIRED IN THE RELATIVELY NEW ELECTRONIC DATA PROCESSING OCCUPATIONS. COMPUTER-RELATED CRIME FOCUSES ON NEGOTIABLE ASSETS STORED IN COMPUTER MEDIA, COMPUTER-STORED DATA CONVERTIBLE TO UNAUTHORIZED GAIN, SABOTAGE, AND UNAUTHORIZED USE OF SERVICES. COMPUTER-RELATED OFFENSES ARE PERPETRATED BY THE LIMITED NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE COMPUTER SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, ACCESS, AND RESOURCES. WHILE THE NUMBER OF POTENTIAL OFFENDERS IS SMALL, THE ASSETS THAT MAY BE PLUNDERED ARE HUGE. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED --RCB)