Reports of Internet Crime Jump 33 Percent

April 9, 2009

Reports of Internet crime jumped 33 percent in the year 2008 according to a group that monitors web based fraudulent activities. The group that monitors web based fraudulent activities is known as the Internet Crime Complaint Center. The Center releases an annual report regarding Internet crimes that can include cyber stalking, fraud, hacking, phishing, scams, sexual predators, harassment and much more. In the year 2008 the Internet Crime Complaint Center received over 275,000 complaints, which was up from only 205,000 in 2007. The total amount of money lost due to such Internet crimes was $265 million, which was up by $25 million from the year 2007. One in three complaints made to the Internet Crime Complaint Center dealt with nonpayment or non delivery of services. The other most common complaints received by the Internet Crime Complaint Center dealt with auction fraud or credit and debit card fraud.

The Internet Crime Complaint Center is partnered with the Federal Bureau of Investigation as well as a nonprofit group that tracks all crime that occurs on the Internet. Close to 70,000 of the complaints received in 2008 were then forwarded on to local law enforcement agencies to be investigated further. According to the data released in the report, men are more susceptible to Internet scams than women are. Men also lost $1.69 to every one dollar lost by women due to Internet scams. The Internet Crime Complaint Center said that the gap between the two genders in terms of computer fraud could be a result of the different kind of shopping that men and women do when on the Internet. When filing a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center one should provide their name; their mailing address; their telephone number; the name, phone number, address and web address of the person or organization you believe defrauded you; specific details on how, why, and when the defrauding took place and any other relevant information that you feel is necessary to the complaint. The Internet Crime Complaint Center advises all Internet users to be aware of what websites they are visiting when entering personal information for making purchases or filling out forms.