FBI/National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C) Release
Annual Report on Internet Crime
The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), today released the 2008 Annual Report on the number of Internet crime complaints received.
A total of 275,284 complaints were received in 2008—up from 206,884 (33 percent) over 2007. Total dollar loss reported in 2008 was $265 million—up from $239 million in 2007. The average individual loss was $931. The chart below shows the number of complaints received and dollar loss totals for the past five years:
|
YEAR |
COMPLAINTS RECEIVED |
DOLLAR LOSS |
|
2008 |
275,284 |
$265 million |
|
2007 |
206,884 |
$239.09 million |
|
2006 |
207,492 |
$198.44 million |
|
2005 |
231,493 |
$183.12 million |
|
2004 |
207,449 |
$68.14 million |
The report details information related to the volume and scope of complaints, complainant and perpetrator characteristics, geographical data, most frequently reported scams, and results of IC3 referrals.
Angie Barnett, BBB president & CEO said, "Individuals and companies need to exercise due diligence when conducting business, making purchases or tending to everyday matters on the Internet. The convenience of the Web makes it easy for us to forget that we have to do our homework or run the growing risk that we too could become victims of fraud."
The IC3 report in PDF form is posted in its entirety at the National White Collar Crime Center.