The mission of the Cyber Crimes Unit is to conduct and assist in investigations where computers, networks, telecommunication devices, and other technological instruments are the vehicle or target for the commission of criminal acts against network resources critical to the function of corporate or government entities. These vehicle or target intrusions lead the unit to specialize in the investigations of:

• Computer Intrusions
• Data Theft
• Online ID Theft
• Unlawful Access
• Account Hijacking
• Cyber Terrorism
• Cyber Stalking
• Suspicious Network Traffic
• Internal Compromises
• Social Networking/Email Account Intrusions

A state cyber crimes response group has been established and maintained for incident response statewide, in the event of significant network intrusion. A positive and fruitful working relationship with the New Jersey Office of Information Technology allows the unit to address cyber vulnerabilities and respond.

With the growing popularity and use of computers, the unit has seen a significant increase in conducting and assisting with investigations where computers are being utilized for the commission of fraud and identity theft. Furthermore, the unit collaborates with and assists federal, state, and local law enforcement in enforcing federal, state, and local criminal laws relating to computer-related crime through the forensic collection, recovery, processing, preservation, analysis, storage, maintenance, and presentation of digital evidence.

Training and education are provided for federal, state, and local law enforcement personnel and prosecutors regarding the forensic examination of digital evidence as it relates to the investigation and prosecution of computer-related or technology-facilitated crime.

Identity theft is a serious problem affecting millions of people each year. It involves acquiring key pieces of someone’s identifying information, such as name, address, date of birth, social security number, and mother’s maiden name, in order to impersonate them. This information enables the identity thief to commit numerous forms of fraud which include, but are not limited to, taking over the victim’s financial accounts, opening new bank accounts, purchasing automobiles, applying for loans, credit cards, and social security benefits, renting apartments, and establishing services with utility and phone companies.

Contact Cyber Crimes Unit: [email protected]