FBI Releases Annual Internet Crime Report
Anchorage, Alaska – The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) released its 2024 Internet Crime Report and accompanying state reports. This latest report includes information from 859,532 complaints of suspected internet crime and details reported losses exceeding $16 billion – a 33% increase in losses from 2023. Cryptocurrency was identified as one of the top reported transaction types in how victims are losing funds to fraud.
According to the 2024 report, Alaskans filed 6,770 complaints to IC3 with reported losses exceeding $26 million – a 17% (over $5 million) decrease in losses from 2023. In Alaska, approximately 45% (over $11.7 million) of reported losses were cryptocurrency related.
“Last year alone, Alaskans reported over $26 million in financial losses due to online frauds and scams, many of which involved cryptocurrency transactions,” said Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “This isn’t just stolen money – it’s the stolen savings and retirement funds of hardworking Americans, siphoned from our local economy. To strengthen our collective response to this growing threat, and to help prevent further exploitation and financial harm, we urge residents and businesses to stay vigilant and immediately report online fraud to your financial institution and IC3.”
This chart outlines IC3 loss trends over a 10-year period for Alaska, with reported losses exceeding $118 million.
The IC3’s accompanying state report indicates all age groups in Alaska were impacted by internet crimes; however, those over the age of 60 accounted for the highest reported losses, including the highest reported losses involving cryptocurrency transactions.
Alaskans reported a variety of internet crimes; however, the costliest schemes were reported as investment fraud ($6.9 million), business email compromise ($4.3 million), and tech support fraud ($3.7 million). These crimes are described as:
- Investment Fraud: Deceptive practice that induces investors to make purchases based on false information. These scams usually offer the victims large returns with minimal risk. (Retirement, 401K, Ponzi, Pyramid, etc.)
- Business Email Compromise (BEC): BEC is a scam targeting businesses or individuals working with suppliers and/or businesses regularly performing wire transfer payments. These sophisticated scams are carried out by fraudsters by compromising email accounts and other forms of communication, such as phone numbers and virtual meeting applications. They use social engineering or computer intrusion techniques to conduct unauthorized transfer of funds.
- Tech Support Fraud: Subject posing as technical or customer support/service.
To promote public awareness, the IC3 produces an annual report to aggregate and highlight the data provided by the public. The quality of the data is a direct reflection of the information the public provides through the IC3 website. The IC3 standardizes the data by categorizing each complaint and analyzes the data to identify and forecast trends in internet crime. The annual report helps the FBI develop effective relationships with industry partners and share information for investigative and intelligence purposes for law enforcement and public awareness.
The IC3, which was established in May 2000, houses nine million complaints from the public in its database and continues to encourage anyone who thinks they’ve been the victim of a cyber-enabled crime, regardless of dollar loss, to file a complaint through the IC3 website. The more comprehensive complaints the FBI receives, the more effective it will be in helping law enforcement gain a more accurate picture of the extent and nature of internet-facilitated crimes.
The FBI recommends that everyone frequently review consumer and industry alerts published by the IC3. If you or your business are a victim of an internet crime, immediately notify all financial institutions involved in the relevant transactions, then submit a complaint to www.ic3.gov.
Additional Resources:
- IC3 Annual Reports – IC3 annual reports and accompanying state reports.
- FBI: Scams and Safety – Learn more about common scams and crimes the FBI encounters, as well as tips for protecting yourself and your computer.
- PSA: The FBI Warns of a Spike in Cryptocurrency Investment Schemes
- PSA: The FBI Warns of Fraudulent Schemes Leveraging Cryptocurrency ATMs and QR Codes to Facilitate Payment