A Theoretical Perspective on the Effect of Communication on Cybercrimes in Nigeria

As the Internet came into widespread commercial use, the nature of computer crimes began to shift. ‘While in some crimes, one component of the crime may have been committed using an electronic instrument, in other crimes, the crime as a whole is committed in the online or electronic environment. These crimes, known as cybercrimes, generally occur in the virtual community of the Internet or in cyberspace. As a result of this, all innocent internet users should inculcate the habit of continuously updating their knowledge about the ever changing nature of information technologies. This will enable them to be familiar with any form of internet scam targeted at them. To achieve the aim of the study, survey research method using questionnaire as the major instrument was distributed to the study population. Samples were selected using the systematic random sampling techniques. Chi-square and simple percentage were used in analyzing the data. The study therefore, exposes various cybercrimes in the country as well as the causes, effects and possible solutions to the menace of these various cybercrimes. Keywords: Cyber-crime, Countermeasures, Fraud, Cyber Criminals, Cyber Space