Internet users were scammed out of more than $485 million in 2011, according to the latest data released by the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) on Thursday.
“In 2011, IC3 received and processed, on average, more than 26,000 complaints per month. The most common complaints received in 2011 included FBI-related scams—schemes in which a criminal poses as the FBI to defraud victims—identity theft, and advance-fee fraud,” according to an accompanying press release. The report analyzes more than 300,000 Internet crime complaints from 2011.
“This report is a testament to the work we do every day at IC3, which is ensuring our system is used to alert authorities of suspected criminal and civil violations,” said National White Collar Crime (NWC3) Center Director Don Brackman. “Each year we work to provide information that can link individuals and groups to these crimes for better outcomes and prosecution of cases.”
The report includes a rundown of complaint totals since 2000, a list of the top states for complaints, victim dollar losses broken down by demographic, and details the most commonly reported Internet scams.
Since 2000, IC3, a partnership between the FBI, the NW3C, and the Bureau of Justice Assistance, has become a place for victims of Internet crime to report incidents. The 2011 Internet Crime Report can be viewed at the FBI Web site or download by link.
