During tough economic times it might be tempting to start turning to illegal downloads. After all, the money that it takes to pay for music downloads or computer software could be better spent elsewhere. While it might seem like an attractive option, illegally downloading software or music can come with a number of different consequences that might end up costing you more than if you had just paid for the original download with your prepaid credit cards.
The first consequence that can come from illegally downloading music is the risk of malicious software. Many hackers and virus makers mask their malicious software as legitimate downloads. An unsuspecting computer user will download the software thinking that they are getting one thing and end up with a full blown virus attack on their computer. Virus attacks can range from annoying pop-ups to a severe virus attack that destroys computer hardware and documents that are on the computer.
The second consequence of downloading illegally is the legal aspect of it. Many companies are fighting back and trying to trace those that are using illegally downloaded software. When these people are caught they can face up to five years in federal jail and legal fines of $250,000 per violation.
The third and final consequence of downloading illegally is that you give up all rights to customer support, updates and other features of the software. Many software programs will be updated over the years. These updates are only available to those that purchased the software legally. Updates can range from small patches that help the game to run smoothly to major, critical updates that must be updated to play the game. Beyond the updating feature, illegally downloading software also prevents the user from using customer service. Should a problem arise with the game or installing the software, customer service will not be available to help out with any problems.