NEW JERSEY – The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has released its annual 2024 Internet Crime Report, revealing a significant rise in cybercrime incidents and losses. The report, which combines data from 859,532 complaints, highlights over $16 billion in reported losses—a staggering 33% increase from 2023.
The most common cyber crimes reported were phishing/spoofing, extortion, and personal data breaches. Notably, victims of investment fraud, particularly in cryptocurrency, reported the most significant losses, totaling over $6.5 billion.
New Jersey’s Ranking in Cyber Crimes:
- Ranked #15 for complaints: New Jersey reported 15,701 complaints.
- Ranked #6 for losses: The state experienced a total loss of $434,856,424.
- Ranked #18 for complaints filed by individuals aged 60+: A total of 2,918 complaints were filed by individuals aged 60 or older.
- Ranked #10 for losses from individuals aged 60+: Losses from this age group amounted to $133,397,512.
- Ranked #7 for cryptocurrency-related complaints: New Jersey saw 4,259 complaints related to cryptocurrency.
- Ranked #7 for cryptocurrency losses: The state reported cryptocurrency-related losses of $236,721,074.
According to FBI Director Kash Patel, “Reporting is one of the first and most important steps in fighting crime so law enforcement can use this information to combat a variety of frauds and scams.” He emphasized that the IC3, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, relies heavily on public reports to help authorities address internet crimes effectively.
The FBI continues to encourage anyone who believes they have been a victim of a cyber-enabled crime to file a complaint with the IC3 website, which houses over nine million complaints in its database. These reports help law enforcement track and analyze trends in cybercrime, improving their ability to respond and protect individuals from internet-based fraud.
Learn more about the history of IC3 by listening to this previously released FBI podcast episode: Inside the FBI: IC3 Turns 20.
The full 2024 Internet Crime Report can be found here: ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2024_IC3Report.pdf.
