# Can an american get arrested for doing an online crime but in another country?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-an-american-get-arrested-for-doing-an-online-crime-but-in-another-country/732960>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 29, 2015, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-an-american-get-arrested-for-doing-an-online-crime-but-in-another-country/732960 "2015-09-29T16:35:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![dildosnaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c77e96/32.png) [@dildosnaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dildosnaper)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-an-american-get-arrested-for-doing-an-online-crime-but-in-another-country/732960/1 "2015-09-29T16:35:10Z")

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A us citizen. not in the us in the Philippines. If he/she were to commit a crime illegal in the us let’s Say I misused 911 or did some illegal crime but did not do it in the US can the American be arrested in the United states?

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**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-an-american-get-arrested-for-doing-an-online-crime-but-in-another-country/732960/2 "2015-09-29T16:53:39Z")

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Need answer fast, I assume?

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**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-an-american-get-arrested-for-doing-an-online-crime-but-in-another-country/732960/3 "2015-09-29T17:02:58Z")

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**Moderator Action**

This is essentially the same question that you asked in your other thread here:

> **[simple legal problems](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=770383)**
>
> If let’s say I were to do an online crime that is illegal in my home country (the us) but in in another country (the Philippines ) could I still be persecuted when I went to the us? -and no I’m not talking about anything involving sex or sexual...

Please do not create duplicate threads.

This one is closed.