A recently revealed report from the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) showed that businesses and consumers reported a staggering $1.6 billion cybercrime losses between January 2024 and May 2024.
The number shows an increase of approximately $300 million compared to cybercrime losses reported for the same period last year. If the trend continues, 2024 might end up being one of the worst years ever for Americans suffering from cybercrime.
It is unknown whether cyber criminals are adjusting to the inflation and are asking for higher ransom payments, or whether the government has simply failed to protect its citizens adequately. One thing is for sure: bad actors are making more money than before.
FBI’s efforts to combat cybercrime
FBI has been trying to counter the advancements of cyber criminals by launching educational activities such as the most recent campaign called ‘Take a Beat.’ The newly launched campaign aims to educate people across the nation always to stop and think wisely before they fall into the hands of fraudsters. The government initiative hopes to increase awareness of the malicious techniques used by bad actors so the general population knows better how to spot them.
Key steps to prevent cybercrime victimization
FBI says that one of the major ways fraudsters trick people is by employing a false sense of urgency or isolation. The government agency hopes that people will take the following four steps to prevent becoming a victim;
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Report cyber issues
The FBI wants Americans to always report if a criminal somehow manages to enter a personal device or steal data. The user should not only report the cyber incident but also immediately start monitoring credit reports and inform any relevant entities about the issue. The more people share with banks and other financial institutions, the better those organizations will be able to protect people’s assets.
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Ignore unsolicited offers and be skeptical
Americans should ‘Take a beat’ and always be cautious when getting unsolicited calls, messages, and even door-to-door services, especially when the bad actors want people to react quickly. Instead of falling for the urgency trap, ignore the request and give it some time to verify the “problem” described by the fraudsters.
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Double-check information
Verify if the person or business in question is legit. The target is often not the first nor a unique victim of scammers, and double-checking online can sometimes help confirm if someone is a swindler. Googling the body of the message or the name and email of the person reaching out usually reveals if someone is trying to deploy a scam or if the request is legit.
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Don’t share personally identifiable information
Fraudsters often call and request that a person wire funds urgently, provide gift cards, or send checks or other types of regular or digital cash. While they do this, they also try to steal more personally identifiable information from the potential victim. The best way to deal with them is to ignore them—it is NOT rude to hang up or NOT answer/open an email that feels fraudulent or suspicious. The more targets engage, the bigger the chances are of slipping personally identifiable information.
Read also: What Is a Whaling Attack (Whale Phishing) + How Can You Prevent It?
The urgent need for cyber awareness
The data provided by the FBI means that more and more people ignore the steps and remain unprepared without essential tools such as antivirus software protection. However, the “this won’t happen to me” approach to life is wrong, as numbers show that more people get affected by scams and fraud.
The last thing you want is to know that a criminal located on the other side of the world is likely living off the savings you’ve been working for all your life.