Report: Internet Crime Rises

The number of complaints in 2008 – more than 275,000 –was up 33 percent from the year before, while the amount of money reported lost in 2008 -- $265 million – was $26 million more than had been reported the year before, according to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center. Those losses average out to each complaint equaling a loss of more than $900 last year. 

“This report illustrates that sophisticated computer fraud schemes continue to flourish as financial data migrates to the Internet,” said FBI cyber-division assistant director Shawn Henry. “It also underscores the need for continued vigilance on the part of law enforcement, businesses, and the home computer user to be aware of these schemes and employ sound security procedures.”

The center collects and analyzes data before referring complaints to law enforcement. Its report, issued annually since 2003, provides a snapshot of the most frequent Internet crimes, where they occurring and to whom. 

Almost one third of the complaints were related to the non-delivery of merchandise bought online. Nearly one in four complaints regarded auction fraud. Other cases involved credit or debit card fraud, confidence fraud, computer fraud or the Nigerian letter fraud.

Geographically, the majority of the perpetrators last year were from the US (66 percent), followed by the UK (10.5 percent), Nigeria (7.5 percent) and Canada (3.1 percent). Within the US, more than half of the perpetrators identified in complaints were based in California, New York, Florida, Texas and the District of Columbia.

-- Beth Kampschror

And – bonus – here are some numbers for a graphic. Source: FBI