Abstract

Computer crimes involve three kinds of problems: where a computer is a target of criminal behavior (such as a denial of service attack), where a computer is a tool of a crime (including credit card number trading platforms or use of a computer to wiretap), or where evidence of crimes appears on a computer. This chapter discusses online pharmacies, businesses that rely on computers and the scale provided by networks in order to sell and deliver pharmaceuticals. Illegal pharmaceutical sales are highly dependent on technology, but this same technology dependence affords law enforcement new opportunities to investigate activities and see links among apparently disparate criminal actors. The very technologies that enable mass sales and a worldwide consumer base also document the marketing and sales events and relationships among the key actors of the enterprise.