The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)’s internet crime complaint centre (IC3) has reported that criminals netted $3.5bn (£2.7bn) from cyber-crimes reported to the Bureau alone in 2019.
The FBI received 467,361 complaints from individuals and businesses last year and has had nearly five million since its inception in 2000.
According to the Bureau phishing and extortion remain the most popular ways of scamming people.
Also, reports show that the criminals are becoming more sophisticated in techniques making it harder for people to tell “real from fake”.
This is especially true of web and email addresses that are fooling people because they look increasingly legitimate.
The IC3 in 2019 had 13,633 complaints from victims of so-called tech-support fraud, which involves a scammer phoning an individual and claiming there is a problem with their computer that needs immediate fixing.
Complaints reportedly came from victims in 48 countries with a majority over 60 years of age. Losses amounted to over $54m.
Ransomware – where hackers lock down computers and demand a payment to unlock them – netted more than $8.9m over the year, according to the group.
It urged members of the public to continue reporting crimes.
The assistant director of the FBI’s cyber division Matt Gorham said, “Information reported to the IC3 plays a vital role in the FBI’s ability to understand our cyber-adversaries and their motives, which, in turn, helps us to impose risks and consequences on those who break our laws and threaten our national security.
“It is through these efforts we hope to build a safer and more secure cyber-landscape.”
