Warning Signs of Possible Computer Crime Problems

This advisory from the Thurston County Sheriff has been getting a few laughs (though it appears to have been taken down sometime today; a Google cache is here). It looks like part of it was written about 1994 (it says the "Information Super Highway" is made up of commercial online services such as Prodigy, America Online, CompuServe, and the Internet) and then updated later to reference MySpace.

It also has these lovely warnings tailored specifically for you guys:

Warning Signs of Possible Computer Crime Problems (Note: These are warning signs only and are meant as warnings of possible problems, not evidence of a problem.)

* Computer addiction - withdraws from friends, family, "lives on the computer," and may lose interest in social activities
* Use of a new, unusual vocabulary, heavy with computer terms, satanic phrases, sexual references or a sudden interest in related hard rock or satanic oriented posters, music, etc.
* Look for related doodling or writing using of words such as: Hacking, Phreaking, or any words with "ph" replacing 'f"
* Lack of interest in self and appearance, grooming and hygiene, or indications of lack of sleep, sudden drop in school grades, and unauthorized absences from classes.
* The computer and modem are running late at night, even when unattended
* Computer files ending in GIF, JPG, BMP, TIF, PCX, DL, GL, FLI, MPG, AVI, MOV - these are picture or graphic files and parents should know what they illustrate. Image files may be pictures of a sexual nature and can be of very high quality, moving pictures, and even include sound.
* Names on communication programs that seem satanic, pornographic, rude, or vulgar in nature
* An obsession with fantasy adventure games such as Dungeons and Dragons and Trade Wars
* Use of the computer to scan or run telephone or credit card numbers

Did I say laughs? It's also got some geeks wound up.

posted by Gabriel Malor at 10:28 PM

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