Internet Crime Report: IC3 2007 Report does not raise much cheer!
Photo by: foxypar4
The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) released its annual report for 2007 revealing statistics on internet crime. Overall, the IC3 Report did not offer many reasons to celebrate when compared to the previous year’s report. It revealed, for instance, that while the year witnessed a drop in the number of crimes being reported, the financial losses owing to such crimes witnessed a growth of 20%. The report from IC3, a joint effort between FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center, also hinted the statistics may not fully reflect the actual extent of the crimes. It pointed out at its release that the report did not show how many times online crimes go unreported.
The report was not short of interesting sidelights, though. It suggests men, more often than women, fall prey to online scams. Men also lost more in scams financially as compared to women.
Here is a Brief Analysis of the IC3 Statistics on Internet Crime for Year 2007
- More number of men than women reported online crime. Statistics might suggest that men actually might be more easily defrauded online. I might suggest, at the risk of raising ire among feminists, maybe men were more forthcoming in reporting scams than women. However, the report was unambiguous as to which of the sexes was more criminally inclined: it showed 75% of online crime to be committed by the stronger sex.
- Losses made in scams increased with age. Younger people lost much lesser than older ones in a scam. People over 40 lost around $750 whereas youngsters in their twenties lost a mere $385 to a scam.
- Most Used Scams. The most used pitch used by fraudsters to commit crime continues to be Online Auction Fraud, same as last year. Non-delivery of paid goods came second. The third most scam popular with fraudsters was the Confidence Fraud where they trick victims after gaining their confidence.
- Scam which earned the highest. In terms of earnings, fraudsters made most money using the investment fraud. This involved duping their victims to invest in bogus schemes or on assets that were non-existent.
- Rising Scams. The report also highlighted scams that had witnessed a spurt in the number of reported cases. It shortlisted Online Dating, Selling of Pets online and cashing of Fake Checks to be scams that were sprouting more frequently on American soil.
The authorities must be worried at the rise in financial loss that online crimes had brought forth. Citizens were shorn of a total of nearly $240 Million; i.e $40 Million more than in 2006. The Center said the increase could be due to success enjoyed by new schemes launched by fraudsters and also maybe due to the increasing trend of purchasing costlier electronic goods online.
The complete report can be downloaded here (PDF File).
Related posts:
- IC3 2008 Internet Crime Report Reveals Increase in Cyber Crime
- Advanced Fee Fraud Ranked Number One in IC3 2009 Internet Crime Report
- Identity Fraud Figures New Heights
- Internet fraud in Canada: Reports predict an ominous rise in online crimes in Canada!
- Temple City Women Convicted in Lotto,Travel Scams
