Extortion shows up across cybercrime and organized crime: from ransomware groups sending demands to law enforcement tracking extortion complaints. In 2023, the FBI IC3 received 88,473 extortion-related complaints from the United States, a 19% rise from 2022. The page also looks at regional patterns, like organized crime involvement and the real-world impacts seen by victims and investigators.
Key Takeaways
- 2023 saw 78% of ransomware victims receive extortion emails post-attack, per Sophos.
- LockBit claimed responsibility for 1,200 extortion attacks in 2023.
- Conti successors extorted $200M in crypto payments 2023.
- In 2023, global ransomware victims paid $1.1 billion, per Chainalysis, with extortion demands averaging $2.7 million.
- FBI IC3 2023: US extortion losses hit $846.8 million from 88k complaints.
- Sophos 2023: Average ransomware extortion payment $1.82 million globally.
- 70% perpetrators in ransomware are organized crime from Eastern Europe.
- FBI arrested 5 LockBit affiliates in Op Cronos March 2024.
- US DOJ seized $5.8M from Hive ransomware operators 2023.
- In 2023, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received 88,473 complaints related to extortion, marking a 19% increase from 2022.
- Globally, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimated over 1.2 million extortion cases in organized crime contexts in 2022.
- Europol's IOCTA 2023 report noted a 45% rise in sextortion cases across EU member states, totaling 12,500 incidents.
- In 2023, 23% of Americans aged 18-29 reported sextortion attempts.
- FBI: 12,600 US sextortion victims under 18 in 2023, 20 deaths.
- 78% of ransomware victims were mid-sized businesses (100-1000 employees).
In 2023, extortion claims soared and payouts reached billions as ransomware and sextortion hit more victims worldwide.
Related reading
01 · Category
Cyber Extortion Specific28 stats
01
2023 saw 78% of ransomware victims receive extortion emails post-attack, per Sophos.
02
LockBit claimed responsibility for 1,200 extortion attacks in 2023.
03
Conti successors extorted $200M in crypto payments 2023.
04
ALPHV/BlackCat extorted $100M+ before FBI disruption in Dec 2023.
05
Cl0p exploited MOVEit vuln for 2,000+ orgs extortion campaign.
06
Akira group hit 300 victims with double extortion in 2023 H2.
07
Play ransomware used triple extortion on 150 targets 2023.
08
Rhysida extorted hospitals with 500GB data leaks 2023.
09
Hive dismantled by FBI, had extorted $100M from 1,500 victims.
10
Vice Society targeted 100+ schools with extortion 2023.
11
Black Basta extorted $100M from 200 US firms 2023.
12
Medusa used wiper tactics in 80 extortion cases 2023.
13
BianLian hit 70 orgs with data extortion pre-shutdown.
14
RansomHub emerged with 60 victims in Q3-Q4 2023.
15
DragonForce extorted via Cobalt Strike in 40 attacks.
16
LockBit 3.0 variant used in 500+ extortion ops 2023.
17
92% of ransomware now includes data exfiltration for extortion, IBM X-Force.
18
Average time to extort post-ransomware: 12 days, Coveware.
19
Dark web extortion portals hosted 2,700 victims data 2023.
20
Phishing leads to 40% of cyber extortion entry points.
21
RDP exploits used in 30% of ransomware extortion chains.
22
65% of cyber extortion targets healthcare globally.
23
Manufacturing saw 25% of cyber extortion incidents 2023.
24
Finance sector: 18% cyber extortion share, highest payments.
25
Average cyber extortion demand: $4M, paid 30% median.
26
45% of cyber victims ignored extortion, no payment.
27
FBI disrupted 12 cyber extortion rings in Op PowerOFF 2023.
28
US victims: 64% of global ransomware extortion sites.
Interpretation
Cyber Extortion Specific Interpretation
In cyber extortion, the trend is that attacks are increasingly tied to direct demands, with 78% of ransomware victims receiving extortion emails after the breach in 2023 and major crews claiming huge totals like LockBit’s 1,200 incidents, Cl0p’s MOVEit campaign impacting 2,000+ organizations, and ALPHV/BlackCat securing $100M+ in crypto payments before the FBI disrupted it in December 2023.
02 · Category
Financial Impact30 stats
01
In 2023, global ransomware victims paid $1.1 billion, per Chainalysis, with extortion demands averaging $2.7 million.
02
FBI IC3 2023: US extortion losses hit $846.8 million from 88k complaints.
03
Sophos 2023: Average ransomware extortion payment $1.82 million globally.
04
Coveware 2023: Median ransom paid $1.5 million, up 20% YoY.
05
IBM 2023: Extortion-related data breaches cost $4.88 million average.
06
Emsisoft: US public sector extortion losses $1.85 billion since 2016.
07
Cyfirma 2023: Asian firms lost $500 million to extortion gangs.
08
Group-IB Hiib Report 2023: $1 billion in crypto extorted globally.
09
Deloitte Global 2023: Extortion indirect costs 3x direct payments.
10
Ponemon 2023: Extortion downtime costs $9,000/minute for enterprises.
11
NCRB India 2022: Extortion property losses Rs 1,200 crore (~$145M).
12
Europol 2023: EU ransomware extortion €600 million paid.
13
Australian Signals Directorate: AU$2.7 billion cyber extortion impact 2023.
14
UK NCSC: £500 million in extortion payments by UK orgs 2023.
15
Mexico INEGI: Extortion extorted $1.2 billion MXN monthly average.
16
Brazil Forum 2023: R$4 billion annual extortion economy.
17
South Africa IRR: Extortion syndicates drain R100 billion yearly.
18
Nigeria EFCC: $200 million recovered from extortion in 2023.
19
Russia's FAS: Extortion fines totaled 50 billion RUB in 2022.
20
Japan NPA: ¥150 billion in extortion demands issued 2023.
21
Statista 2023: Global cyber extortion market $20 billion.
22
McAfee 2023: $4.5 billion projected extortion losses Asia-Pacific.
23
Kaspersky 2023: 1 million users affected, $300 avg loss per sextortion.
24
Trend Micro: $1.2 billion extorted via phishing in 2023.
25
Palo Alto Networks: Extortion recovery costs $10M average large firm.
26
CrowdStrike 2024: 25% of breaches involve extortion, $5M median cost.
27
Mandiant M-Trends 2024: Extortion delays recovery by 50%, adding $2M.
28
Ransomware Task Force: Lifetime US losses $20B from 2016-2023.
29
World Economic Forum: Extortion risks $1T global GDP impact by 2025.
30
In Q1 2024, ransomware groups leaked data from 456 victims on extortion sites.
Interpretation
Financial Impact Interpretation
For the Financial Impact angle, extortion is proving costly and escalating, with global ransomware payments reaching $1.1 billion in 2023 while the median ransom paid rose 20% year over year to $1.5 million.
03 · Category
Perpetrator And Enforcement28 stats
01
70% perpetrators in ransomware are organized crime from Eastern Europe.
02
FBI arrested 5 LockBit affiliates in Op Cronos March 2024.
03
US DOJ seized $5.8M from Hive ransomware operators 2023.
04
Europol dismantled 8 ransomware gangs, 300 servers seized 2023.
05
India's NCRB: 2,500 extortion arrests, 65% conviction rate.
06
Mexico captured 1,200 extortion gang members 2023.
07
Brazil PF arrested 400 in Op Spoofing extortion probe.
08
South Africa Hawks nabbed 150 construction extortion kingpins.
09
Nigeria EFCC convicted 1,800 cyber extortionists 2023.
10
Russia's FSB shut down 50 REvil successor groups.
11
Interpol Red Notice for 200 extortion fugitives active.
12
Chainalysis tracked 150 ransomware wallets sanctioned.
13
CISA/FBI disrupted BianLian, indicted 4 actors.
14
UK's NCA sanctioned 10 Russian LockBit members.
15
Australia's AFP extradited 20 cyber extortionists from SEA.
16
75% ransomware perpetrators use bulletproof hosting in Russia.
17
Average perpetrator age in sextortion: 18-25, FBI data.
18
40% gangs have 10-50 members, structured like corps.
19
OFAC sanctioned 300 entities linked to cyber extortion.
20
Global arrests: 4,000+ for extortion in 2023 per UNODC.
21
Conviction rates: 30% cyber vs 60% traditional extortion.
22
Perpetrators laundered $1B via mixers, Chainalysis froze $200M.
23
FBI recovered $300M in ransomware payments via tracing.
24
20% perpetrators ex-military or IT pros.
25
LockBit leak exposed 1TB internal data on 200 members.
26
Cuckoo ransomware devs arrested in Ukraine by FBI.
27
85% cyber extortion from non-state actors, Mandiant.
28
Trends show 25% YoY increase in extortion cases globally, per UNODC 2023.
Interpretation
Perpetrator And Enforcement Interpretation
Across Perpetrator And Enforcement, the biggest pattern is that enforcement actions are consistently targeting large-scale ransomware and extortion networks, from Europol dismantling 8 gangs and seizing 300 servers in 2023 to India’s NCRB securing 2,500 extortion arrests with a 65% conviction rate.
More related reading
04 · Category
Prevalence And Incidence30 stats
01
In 2023, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received 88,473 complaints related to extortion, marking a 19% increase from 2022.
02
Globally, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimated over 1.2 million extortion cases in organized crime contexts in 2022.
03
Europol's IOCTA 2023 report noted a 45% rise in sextortion cases across EU member states, totaling 12,500 incidents.
04
In India, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) recorded 14,720 extortion cases under IPC Section 384 in 2022, up 12% from prior year.
05
Australia's Cyber Security Centre reported 1,800 extortion-related cyber incidents in 2023, a 30% surge.
06
The UK's National Crime Agency logged 5,200 extortion reports in 2023, with ransomware comprising 40%.
07
Canada's Anti-Fraud Centre received 2,400 extortion complaints in 2023, averaging 200 per month.
08
Mexico's Secretariado Ejecutivo reported 28,000 extortion cases in 2022, highest in Latin America.
09
Brazil's Ministry of Justice tallied 15,400 extortion incidents in 2023, concentrated in urban areas.
10
South Africa's SAPS recorded 4,500 extortion cases in 2022/23 fiscal year, up 25%.
11
Nigeria's EFCC investigated 3,200 extortion schemes in 2023, mostly cyber-based.
12
Russia's Interior Ministry reported 8,900 extortion crimes in 2022, with 70% economic motive.
13
China's Ministry of Public Security handled 120,000 extortion cases in 2023.
14
Japan's National Police Agency noted 2,100 extortion incidents in 2023, double-digit growth.
15
In the US, non-cyber extortion cases reached 4,200 according to UCR 2022.
16
Interpol's 2023 report highlighted 50,000 cross-border extortion operations disrupted.
17
World Bank estimated informal extortion affecting 10% of businesses in developing nations.
18
Chainalysis 2024 Crypto Crime Report identified 300 extortion groups active globally.
19
Statista reported 25,000 ransomware extortion attempts worldwide in Q4 2023.
20
Verizon DBIR 2024 found extortion in 23% of breaches.
21
IBM Cost of a Data Breach 2023 noted extortion motive in 17% of incidents.
22
Sophos State of Ransomware 2023 surveyed 68% of orgs hit by extortion.
23
Emsisoft reported 2,234 US govt ransomware/extortion victims in 2023.
24
Coveware Q4 2023: 66 new ransomware groups using extortion tactics.
25
Malwarebytes Labs detected 15 million extortion phishing emails in 2023.
26
Proofpoint 2023 report: 92% of orgs faced extortion attempts.
27
KnowBe4 2023: Extortion simulations clicked by 18% of employees.
28
Darktrace 2023: 40% rise in extortion cloud attacks.
29
Recorded Future: 1,500 extortion sites on dark web in 2023.
30
Cyble 2023: 250+ threat actors specializing in extortion.
05 · Category
Victim Demographics26 stats
01
In 2023, 23% of Americans aged 18-29 reported sextortion attempts.
02
FBI: 12,600 US sextortion victims under 18 in 2023, 20 deaths.
03
78% of ransomware victims were mid-sized businesses (100-1000 employees).
04
Healthcare orgs: 44% of cyber extortion victims 2023.
05
US local govts: 1 in 10 faced extortion attack 2023.
06
Women comprised 60% of traditional sextortion victims in EU.
07
India NCRB: 35% of extortion victims male aged 30-50 urban.
08
Mexico: 70% extortion victims small businesses or individuals.
09
UK: 40% extortion victims over 50 years old in non-cyber cases.
10
Australia: 55% cyber extortion victims in finance/tech sectors.
11
Brazil: 65% extortion victims from low-income favelas.
12
South Africa: 80% construction/transport firms extorted.
13
Nigeria: 50% victims students/young adults in yahoo-boy schemes.
14
67% of Sophos surveyed victims had <250 employees.
15
Chainalysis: 32% victims North America, 25% Europe.
16
IBM: Public sector 19% of extortion victims, highest cost.
17
Verizon DBIR: 81% victims had vulnerabilities exploited.
18
Thorn: 80% sextortion targets boys 14-17 average age 15.
19
NCMEC: 18,000+ sextortion reports from minors 2023.
20
AARP: Seniors 65+ lost $3.4B to elder fraud incl extortion.
21
Mexico ENVIPE: 45% victims women in phone extortion.
22
Statista: SMBs 60% of global ransomware victims.
23
Coveware: Education sector 15% victims, low pay rate.
24
Emsisoft: Schools/colleges 23% US public victims.
25
Proofpoint: Remote workers 2x more likely extortion targets.
26
Darktrace: 50% victims hybrid cloud environments.
Interpretation
Victim Demographics Interpretation
Across victim demographics, sextortion is especially concentrated among young adults and women, with 23% of Americans aged 18 to 29 reporting attempts in 2023 and women making up 60% of traditional sextortion victims in the EU.
report visual · Breakdown
How extortion shows up in ransomware attacks
Most ransomware extortion is paired with data exfiltration, and phishing is a leading entry point.
40%
Phishing leads to 40% of cyber extortion entry points.
60%
Women comprised 60% of traditional sextortion victims in EU.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Priyanka Sharma. (2026, February 13). Extortion Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/extortion-statistics
MLA
Priyanka Sharma. "Extortion Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/extortion-statistics.
Chicago
Priyanka Sharma. 2026. "Extortion Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/extortion-statistics.
Sources & references
61 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level