By Jay Jackson, Baltimore Star
23 Apr 2019, 14:25 GMT+10
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: -10px; margin-right: -10px; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; min-height: 1px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p>WASHINGTON DC - Internet scams are as widespread as ever, and despite ever-increasing awareness of them and warnings by law enforcement agencies, they are increasing at an alarming rate.</p><p>In the U.S. alone last year hundreds of thousands of victims collectively were cheated out of $2.7 billion, nearly double the 2017 figure of $1.4 billion.</p><p>In its annual <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ic3.gov/media/annualreport/2018_IC3Report.pdf"><em>Internet Crime Report</em></a>, the FBI reports its Internet Crime Complaint Center IC3 received 351,936 complaints in 2018—an average of more than 900 a day. The most frequently reported complaints were for non-payment/non-delivery scams, extortion, and personal data breaches. The most financially costly complaints involved <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/business-e-mail-compromise-on-the-rise">business email compromise</a>, <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/romance-scams">romance or confidence fraud</a>, and investment scams, which can include Ponzi and pyramid schemes.</p></div></div></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; min-height: 1px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p>The report included complaints from every U.S. state and territory and involved victims of all ages. There was a concentration of victims and financial losses, however, among individuals over the age of 50.</p></div></div></div></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: -10px; margin-right: -10px; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; min-height: 1px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p>"The 2018 report shows how prevalent these crimes are," Donna Gregory, chief of the IC3 said Monday. "It also shows that the financial toll is substantial and a victim can be anyone who uses a connected device. Awareness is one powerful tool in efforts to combat and prevent these crimes. Reporting is another. The more information that comes into the IC3, the better law enforcement is able to respond."</p><p>One bright spot is the Recovery Asset Team, established in February last year, which has already gained success in recovering funds lost in business email compromise scams. These sophisticated scams involve people infiltrating businesses’ email accounts and requesting fraudulent wire transfers or gift card purchases.</p><p>The Recovery Asset Team, the FBI says, has helped streamline communication with financial institutions and assist FBI field offices in the recovery of funds for businesses that report a fraudulent domestic transfer. The team was able to successfully recover more than $192 million in funds, a recovery rate of 75 percent.</p><p>One recovery success came in Colorado, where a victim wired $56,179.27 for a home purchase to a thief after receiving a spoofed email request from the lending agent. The Recovery Asset Team worked with the Denver Field Office and the victim’s bank to freeze the funds transfer and return $54,000 of the stolen money.</p></div></div></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; min-height: 1px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p>To improve the chances of a successful recovery, it is imperative victims contact their bank immediately they become aware a transaction is suspect and <a href="https://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx">report</a> the matter to the IC3.</p></div></div></div></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: -10px; margin-right: -10px; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; min-height: 1px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p>The FBI says IC3 website provides a list of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ic3.gov/crimeschemes.aspx">common and current scams</a> as well as tips on how to avoid being a victim of an Internet-enabled crime. The most important <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ic3.gov/preventiontips.aspx">prevention tips</a> include keeping hardware and software updated and protected by anti-virus programs and strong passwords. The other steps include learning how to recognize suspicious messages and requests and researching and verifying the legitimacy of every offer, person, message, or opportunity yopu come across online.</p><p>The IC3 was established in 2000.</p><p>References:</p></div></div></div></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: -10px; margin-right: -10px; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; min-height: 1px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p><a href="https://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/fbi-releases-the-internet-crime-complaint-center-2018-internet-crime-report">FBI Releases the Internet Crime Complaint Center 2018 Internet Crime Report</a></p></div></div></div></div></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.ic3.gov/media/annualreport/2018_IC3Report.pdf"><em>2018 Internet Crime Report</em></a></p></div></div></div></div>
Get a daily dose of Baltimore Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Baltimore Star.
More InformationWASHINGTON, DC - With a promise to 'heal' America, which in recent months witnessed a chaotic election and messy transition ...
KABUL, Afghanistan - Major violence has spread, and escalated across Afghanistan.Scores of national security forces and Taliban militants have been ...
JERUSALEM - Israeli authorities should provide Covid-19 vaccines to the more than 4.5 million Palestinians in the occupied West Bank ...
WASHINGTON, DC - Washington is locked down and U.S. law enforcement officials are geared up for pro-Trump marches in all ...
WASHINGTON, DC - In a sign of the changing political environment in the Middle East, the United States military will ...
WASHINGTON, DC - Outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump's administration carried out its last federal execution when Dustin John Higgs, convicted ...
U.S. stocks rose on Tuesday, the last day of Donald Trump's presidency.It was a fitting farewell as numerous records were ...
DUBLIN, Ireland - Five additional Irish ports for UK registered Northern Ireland vessel landings have been designated for both IUU ...
SYDNEY, NSW, Australia - Stocks in Asia were hot on Tuesday, although mainland China was running against the trend.In Hong ...
SYDNEY, NSW, Australia - The Australian metropolitan commercial radio audience grew by 2% to nearly 11.1 million listeners in 2020, ...
NEW YORK, New York - According to futures trading, U.S. stocks are likely to sink further when they re-open on ...
WASHINGTON, DC - Tech giant, Apple might finally be getting rid of Touch Bar from its next rendition of the ...