On March 6, 2024, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) released its Internet Crime Report for 2023, highlighting significant increases in both the frequency and financial impact of online fraud.
Key Highlights from the Report
- Total Complaints and Losses: In 2023, IC3 received 880,418 complaints, with total reported losses amounting to $12.5 billion. Complaints increased nearly 10% from 2022, and over 88% since 2019. Reported losses grew nearly 22% from 2022, and over 257% since 2019.
- Most Frequent Crime Types: The most frequently reported crime was phishing/spoofing, accounting for 34% of all complaints. Other common crimes included personal data breaches, non-payment/non-delivery scams, extortion, and tech support scams.
- Highest Monetary Losses: Investment scams led to the highest reported losses at $4.57 billion, up 38% from 2022, with cryptocurrency investment fraud accounting for over 86% of these losses. Business email compromise (BEC) scams followed, with over $2.9 billion in reported losses.
- Targeting Individuals Over 60: Government impersonation and tech support scams resulted in over $1.3 billion in losses, heavily affecting individuals over the age of 60, who accounted for 40% of complaints and 58% of losses.
Geographic Breakdown
- Top States by Complaints and Losses: California reported the most complaints (77,271) and losses ($2.16 billion), followed by Texas and Florida.
- International Reports: IC3 received substantial complaints from the United Kingdom (288,355), Canada (6,061), and India (3,405).
IC3’s Recovery Efforts
- Recovery Asset Team (RAT): In 2023, RAT initiated Financial Fraud Kill Chains (FFKCs)—a process used to recover international wire transfers of at least $50,000.00 within 72 hours after the wire transfer has occurred where a SWIFT recall notice has been initiated—on 3,008 reported incidents, successfully placing monetary holds on $538.39 million, representing a 71% success rate. Despite these efforts, the funds frozen by RAT amounted to just 4.3% of total reported losses.
IC3 Appeals for Increased Public Reporting
The IC3 stresses that these statistics are conservative estimates. They urge increased public reporting to enhance the effectiveness of their efforts. According to the IC3, only 20% of the Hive ransomware group’s victims reported their incidents to law enforcement. Aggregated data from public reports is crucial for connecting complaints, investigating crimes, tracking trends, and freezing stolen funds.
About IC3
Established in May 2000, IC3 operates an online portal (www.ic3.gov) to receive complaints about internet-facilitated crimes. The IC3 analyzes these complaints to support law enforcement investigations and raise public awareness through various reports and alerts.
Action Steps for Victims
If you or your business have been victimized by an internet-facilitated crime:
- Immediately notify all financial institutions involved.
- File a complaint at www.ic3.gov.
- Contact your nearest FBI field office and local law enforcement.
For more details, the full 2023 Internet Crime Report can be accessed through the IC3 website at www.ic3.gov.