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For Immediate Release
April
3, 2008
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Washington D.C.
FBI National Press Office
(202) 324-3691
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Reported Dollar Loss from Internet Crime Reaches All-Time High
According to the 2007 Internet Crime Report,
the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received 206,884
complaints of crimes perpetrated over the Internet during
2007. Of the complaints received, more than 90,000 were
referred to law enforcement around the nation, amounting
to nearly $240 million in reported losses. This represents
a $40 million increase in reported losses from complaints
referred to law enforcement in 2006. All complaints received
by IC3 are accessible to federal, state, and local law
enforcement to support active investigations, trend analysis,
and public outreach and awareness efforts.
“The Internet presents a wealth of opportunity for
would-be criminals to prey on unsuspecting victims, and
this report shows how extensive these types of crime have
become,” said FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director
James E. Finch. “What this report does not show is
how often this type of activity goes unreported. Filing
a complaint through IC3 is the best way to alert law enforcement
authorities of Internet crime.”
Although Internet auction fraud was the most widely reported
complaint, others cited in the report include fraudulent
activity such as non-delivery of purchases and credit/debit
card fraud, and non-fraudulent activity such as computer
intrusions, spam/unsolicited e-mail, and child pornography.
In an effort to raise public awareness, the report also
describes the characteristics of commonly reported scams
such as those involving the purchase or sale of pets, check
scams, e-mail spam, and online dating fraud.
IC3
is a joint operation between the Federal Bureau of Investigation
and the National White Collar Crime Center to serve as a
vehicle to receive cyber crime complaints from private citizens
and industry, and to develop and refer complaints to law
enforcement. The National White Collar Crime Center, a Bureau
of Justice Assistance program, provides a nationwide support
system for agencies involved in the prevention, investigation,
and prosecution of economic and high-tech crimes, and supports
and partners with other appropriate entities in addressing
homeland security initiatives related to economic and high-tech
crimes. More information about the National White Collar
Crime Center is available at www.nw3c.org.
The
2007 Internet Crime Report is available at www.ic3.gov/media/annualreports.aspx.
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