A Denton woman named Michelle Speed was arrested for terrorizing an Oregon woman via Internet for three years. Speed was accused of online impersonation and for the breach of security. Speed not only made sure she targeted the victim’s social media websites but also sent the victim’s employer an email demanding that she be fired. It is important to note that Speed is the ex-girlfriend of the victim’s boyfriend. If convicted of online impersonation, Speed will face a maximum of 10 years in prison.
According to John Suler’s article “Online Disinhibition Effect”, there are several reasons that motivate cyber crime to be committed. The disinhibition effect most likely motivated Speed’s actions are dissociative anonymity and invisibility. Speed was able to remain anonymous by stealing her victim’s identity and use that to cover up her true identity. Speed had the opportunity via the Internet to separate her actions online and her personal life and identity. Speed also created a fake Facebook account in the victim’s name, creating an alter ego pretending to be the victim. It was possible for Speed to remain invisible for 3 years because people could not hear and see the real her and therefore, people were unable to prove that she was impersonating the victim. Speed’s identity was only revealed when Denton police investigators traced the IP address back to her.
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