You place your order, make payment and only then notice a small detail: only one letter in the website address was different.

That’s how easy it is to fall into a cybercriminal trap. If you’re lucky, the amount lost is small and your bank acts quickly: it will refund your money and reissue your card. But not everyone is so lucky: in many countries, recovering stolen funds is almost impossible.

One click away from losing everything

A bankruptcy lawyer told UN News that an increasing number of people are being forced to file for bankruptcy after losing money to cybercrime.

Anyone can be a victim of a cyber attack, no matter where they live, and everyone deserves protection and support.

While in some countries cybercriminal acts do not yet fall clearly within the legal definition of “cybercrime” and mechanisms for international legal cooperation are lacking, cybercrime itself is evolving rapidly.

What were once isolated attacks by individual hackers have become large-scale operations run by organized criminal networks.

The Internet and new technologies, including artificial intelligence, allow criminals to act faster and on a larger scale, reach victims around the world and commit crimes with minimal human involvement.

From autonomous cyberattacks and fake images created using deepfake technologies to malware and AI-enhanced phishing campaigns, the misuse of new technologies challenges traditional cybercrime investigation and prevention systems.

Phishing kits for criminals

The most common cybercrime today is phishing: tricking victims into revealing passwords or financial information through fake websites or emails, such as the local hardware store.

Even inexperienced criminals can now use ready-made “phishing kits” to instantly create realistic clones of major brand websites and send convincing scam messages.

In recent years, billions of stolen username and password combinations have appeared on the dark web. This data is used in so-called credential stuffing attacks: automated login attempts to thousands of websites at once.

Turning the page on cybercrimes

This page of digital history may soon turn.

In December 2024, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime, the first international treaty on criminal justice in more than two decades.

The adoption of the document was the result of five years of negotiations between UN Member States, with the participation of experts, civil society, academia and the private sector.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the adoption of the Convention “a decisive step” in global efforts to ensure online safety.

On October 25, the Convention will open for signature at an official ceremony in Hanoi, Vietnam. It will enter into force 90 days after its ratification by 40 States.

Global response to global threat

The new document establishes a common international framework to combat cybercrime. It introduces unified definitions, investigative standards, and mechanisms to help victims, including compensation, restitution, and removal of illegal content.

States will implement these measures in accordance with their national legislation but within agreed international principles. And perhaps, with this Convention, a new era will begin, one in which a single incorrect letter in a website address will no longer cost you everything.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) leads the UN response to cybercrime with training and support to countries around the world.

The Vienna-based agency leverages its specialized experience in criminal justice systems to provide technical assistance in prevention and awareness, legislative reform, modernization of law enforcement capabilities, international cooperation, forensic support, as well as cybercrime data collection, investigation and analysis.