TEHRAN (FNA)- Islamic Republic of Iran's Police on Sunday announced that 124,000 computer related crimes have been identified in the country.

Deputy for Special and Computer Crimes at the Islamic Republic Police (IRIP) General Mehrdad Omidi said that some 124,000 internet and computer crimes were reported during the last Iranian year (ended 20 March), 26 percent more than the last year.

"The Internet Patrol Police has initially identified the criminals in 24 percent of cases and pursues suspicious advertisements on the Internet," the General added.

About 26 percent of the crimes reported were related to unauthorized access to computer networks and hacking. Spreading slander and lies figured 26 percent, while some 7 percent of crimes were copyright violation. Online harassment and bullying were among other reported crimes, press tv reported.

"The police force is currently trying to identify the weak points and find the root causes for economic offences on the Internet," Omidi noted.

"In doing so we rely on the cooperation of pertinent institutions to decrease the public's vulnerability in confrontation with such offences," he went on saying.
(Iran press watch)

Meantime, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) announced their fight against the "activities of organized destructive networks in cyberspace".

The IRGC also reiterated that the aim of the network operators is to lead Iranian youth astray and that they had been encouraged and financially supported by the "largest foreign companies and small terrorist groups and by counterrevolutionary agents".

Some of these networks have apparently been "identified and destroyed" using the "intelligent and resolute" measures of the IRGC's information departments.