FBI Releases the Internet Crime Complaint Center 2018 Internet Crime Report
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) 2018 Internet Crime Report includes information from 351,936 complaints of suspected Internet crime, with reported losses in excess of $2.7 billion. The top three crime types reported by victims in 2018 were non-payment/non-delivery, extortion, and personal data breach. In addition to the 2018 statistics, the report contains information about the IC3, the FBI’s work in combating Internet crime, and the most prevalent scams.
Photo Courtesy of FBI
The IC3 provides the public with a reliable and convenient mechanism to report Internet crime. The IC3 categorizes and analyzes the data to identify and forecast trends to promote public awareness of emerging and ongoing cyber threats. Since its inception in 2000, the IC3 has received a total of 4,415,870 complaints. The quality of the data is a direct reflection of the information the public provides through the IC3 website.
The IC3 created the Recovery Asset Team in February 2018 in order to streamline communication with financial institutions and assist FBI field offices in recovering funds for victims who made transfers to domestic accounts under fraudulent pretenses. Between its creation on February 2, 2018 and December 31, 2018, the Recovery Asset Team assisted in 1,061 incidents involving losses of more than $257 million, ultimately recovering over $192 million—a 75 percent recovery rate.
With the release of the 2018 Internet Crime Report, the FBI wants to remind the public to immediately report suspected criminal Internet activity to the IC3 at www.ic3.gov. By reporting Internet crime, victims are not only alerting law enforcement to the activity, but aiding in the overall fight against cybercrime.
