The federal government’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) released its annual report about internet crime in 2014. There is a lot of information in it, including the fact that it has received over 3 million complaints since its inception in 2000 and up to May 2014 and it receives complaints regarding a large variety of scams and crimes.
In 2014, over 123,000 complaints filed with the center reported a loss. Total financial losses were over $800 million. Yes, that’s million. The median amount of each loss was $530. The scams claimed victims of both genders and didn’t discriminate based on age, background, education, nationality, or socio-economic level. This shows that anyone can become a victim of internet-related crimes.
Unsurprisingly, those from the United States filed most of the complaints (OVER 91%) to the IC3. Canada, the United Kingdom, India, and Australia followed and made up approximately 4% and the remainder were from other countries. By state, California had the most complainants with 12.54%. It was followed by Florida with 7.56%, Texas (6.87%), and New York (5.85%). Further down and rounding out the top ten were Pennsylvania, Illinois, Virginia, New Jersey, Washington, and Ohio.
What was the frequently reported internet-related crime that cost its victims the most money? It was confidence fraud and romance scams. Total losses from these scammed victims was nearly $87 million. The second most costly scam was auto fraud at over $56 million in losses, followed by real estate fraud (nearly $20 million), intimidation and extortion scams (over $16 million). Rounding out the top five were government impersonation email scams costing victims over $11 million.
Part of the IC3’s role is to correlate these crimes and produce intelligence not only to identify emerging trends, but also help people become more aware of the Internet crimes that currently exist, are becoming more prevalent, and to teach people the methods utilized by these criminals with the hope that fewer will fall prey to their tactics. The IC3 aggregates the complaints it receives and forwards the information to law enforcement at all levels for investigation. If a crime has been committed, the evidence gathered, including this information, is used in the charges against any perpetrators. The hope is that the average person is more educated and has a broader understanding of dangers related to the Internet and this type of crime will decline.
If you were or think you were a victim of an internet-related crime, contact local law enforcement and file a complaint with the IC3. When filing a complaint, take detailed notes, and provide as much information as possible. There is a form on the IC3 website for filing these complaints. In addition, contact any necessary financial institutions, credit bureaus, or other organizations to resolve any fraudulent charges as soon as possible. The sooner they are notified, the faster the issue can be resolved.
For banks and credit unions
Share this article with your members
Copy a ready-made summary and link for your newsletter, website or social posts.
