On 03/06/2024, the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) released the 2023 IC3 Annual Report. In 2023, the IC3 received a record number of complaints from the American public: 880,418 complaints, with potential losses exceeding $12.5 billion. This is nearly a 10% increase in complaints, and represents a 22% increase in losses, compared to 2022.
Most losses reported to the IC3 are the result of frauds and scams. Complainants report a wide variety of payment methods in these scams, such as cash and gold shipments, wire transfers, prepaid and gift cards, and cryptocurrency ATMs.
To bring additional awareness, the IC3 and FBI-Milwaukee created an FBI Fraud Alert flyer of common themes used in frauds and scams commonly reported to IC3. The flyer can be posted in places where it may be visible to potential fraud victims, such as financial institutions, prepaid and gift card kiosks, and mail or shipping services.
While the flyer does not encompass every aspect of frauds and scams, the questions were designed to provoke thought and conversation. The public is encouraged to review IC3 Public Service Announcements and Annual Reports for current and more in-depth trends and analysis.
If you, or someone you know, can answer "Yes" to any of the questions on the flyer, it is possible you were targeted by a scam. Please go to www.ic3.gov for additional resources or to file a complaint. Regardless if money was lost or not, you are encouraged to report your experience to the IC3 as soon as possible.