A total of 275,284 complaints were received by the Internet Crime Complaint Center in 2008 -- up from 206,884 or 33 percent over 2007, the FBI said Monday. Total dollar loss reported in 2008 was $265 million, an increase from $239 million the year before. The average individual loss was $931, according to a new report. The yearly study from IC3, a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center, details information related to the volume and scope of complaints, complainant and perpetrator characteristics, geographical data, most frequently reported scams, and IC3 referrals.
Non-delivered merchandise and/or payment was by far the most reported offense, comprising 32.9 percent of referred complaints. Internet auction fraud accounted
for 25.5 percent of referred complaints while credit/debit card fraud made up 9 percent of referred complaints. Confidence fraud, computer fraud, check fraud, and Nigerian letter fraud round out the top seven categories of complaints referred to law enforcement. Of those complaints reporting a dollar loss, the highest median losses were found among check fraud ($3,000), confidence fraud ($2,000), and Nigerian letter fraud ($1,650).
E-mail (74 percent) and Web pages (28.9 percent) were the two primary mechanisms by which the fraudulent contact took place. Among perpetrators, 77.4 percent were male and half resided in one of the following states: California, New York, Florida, Texas, District of Columbia, and Washington. The majority of reported perpetrators (66.1 percent) were from the United States; however, a significant number of perpetrators where also located in the United Kingdom , Nigeria , Canada , China, and South Africa.
"This report illustrates that sophisticated computer fraud schemes continue to flourish as financial data migrates to the Internet. 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," FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director Shawn Henry said in a statement. Read the full report here.
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