Online scams are now a nearly €XNUMX billion "industry" according to the FBI. The Office's annual Internet Crime Report claims that fraudsters stole €XNUMX billion from Americans in XNUMX, an increase of more than triple the €XNUMX billion stolen just a couple of years ago.
The number is likely even higher, since the report bases its findings solely on Internet crime lawsuits filed in XNUMX. There were a total of eight hundred and forty-seven thousand three hundred and seventy-six, seven percent more year over year, but also eighty-one percent more, compared to two thousand and nineteen.
Phishing was the most popular scam procedure, followed by non-payment/non-delivery fraud and personal data breaches. On the other hand, Business Email Compromise (BEC), where fraudsters pose as business associates or bosses of people, was the most devastating form of fraud, costing more than €3 billion alone.
influence of covid
Investment fraud and romance/confidentiality fraud round out the top 3.
The FBI also claimed that Covid-XNUMX played an essential role in the increase in online fraud. The pandemic and lockdowns have dramatically popularized remote work, and just about everything else, online.
In XNUMX, the Bureau received more than XNUMX with XNUMX scam claims directly related to Covid-XNUMX, a number that reportedly dropped to virtually zero last year.
But just because Covid-XNUMX is over doesn't mean online scams are over. In truth, the FBI thinks they will only get bigger and more dangerous. Cryptocurrencies have made it considerably easier to steal people's money, whether through crypto miners, malware, or some more basic form of scam, and scammers are likely to adopt more than just this new technology.
Romance scams, ubiquitous tech support fraud, and ransomware are all set to persist for years.
It's also worth noting that in total casualties per state, total loss per state, as the number per issue, per state, California continues to be number one.
Via: CNET