Imagine a digital landscape so treacherous that in 2023 alone, over 880,000 people filed complaints with the FBI, signaling not just a record number of victims but the dawn of an era where internet fraud has become one of the world's most costly and pervasive crimes.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received 880,418 complaints of internet crime, marking the highest number ever recorded.
- Globally, cybercrime costs are projected to reach $10.5 trillion annually by 2025, with internet fraud comprising a significant portion.
- In 2022, the FTC received 2.4 million reports of fraud, with online-initiated scams leading to $8.8 billion in losses.
- In 2023, total IC3-reported losses from internet crime exceeded $12.5 billion.
- FTC reported $10 billion in fraud losses in 2023, with $2.7 billion from imposter scams.
- Globally, cyber fraud losses hit $6 trillion in 2023 per Cybersecurity Ventures.
- Phishing/phishing variants were the top IC3 complaint type with 298,878 cases in 2023.
- Business Email Compromise (BEC) ranked second with 21,442 complaints in 2023 IC3.
- Investment fraud complaints hit 145,632 in 2023 per IC3, causing massive losses.
- In 2023, adults aged 60+ filed 101,066 IC3 elder fraud complaints.
- Men lost more to tech support scams than women, $1.2 billion vs $302 million in 2023 FTC.
- 40% of romance scam victims were women aged 30-49 per IC3 2023 data.
- IC3 complaints increased 10% from 2022 to 2023, reaching 880,418.
- FTC fraud reports rose 12% in 2023 over 2022, totaling 2.6 million.
- Crypto-related complaints to IC3 quadrupled from 2021 to 2023.
Internet fraud is surging worldwide with staggering financial losses every year.
Demographic Impacts
- In 2023, adults aged 60+ filed 101,066 IC3 elder fraud complaints.
- Men lost more to tech support scams than women, $1.2 billion vs $302 million in 2023 FTC.
- 40% of romance scam victims were women aged 30-49 per IC3 2023 data.
- Seniors over 70 accounted for 35% of investment scam losses in 2023.
- In 2023, 25-34 year olds were most targeted by job scams per FTC.
- Urban residents reported 60% more fraud than rural per 2023 IC3 demographics.
- College-educated victims lost 20% more on average in investment fraud per 2023 studies.
- 18-24 year olds faced highest crypto scam rates, 1 in 10 per Norton 2023.
- Women comprised 57% of romance scam reporters to FTC in 2023.
- High-income households ($100k+) lost $5.7 billion in 2023 investment fraud.
- Veterans reported 15% higher fraud victimization rates in 2023 AARP.
- Immigrants faced 2x phishing attempts per 2023 global surveys.
- 70+ age group 43% of IC3 complaint filers 2023.
- California topped IC3 complaints with 80,000+ in 2023.
- 35-49 age bracket 28% investment scam victims 2023.
- Low-income (<$50k) 40% more likely to report job scams FTC 2023.
- Males 60% of crypto fraud losses IC3 2023.
- Retirees lost average $33,000 to fraud vs $12,000 others 2023.
- African Americans 2x victimization rate per 2023 studies.
- Gen Z (18-24) 50% reported phishing attempts Norton 2023.
- Florida second highest IC3 state with 50,000 complaints 2023.
- Females 65% prize scam victims FTC 2023.
- BEC targets SMEs 70% businesses under 100 employees 2023.
Demographic Impacts Interpretation
These statistics paint a grim, panoramic portrait of a digital Wild West where scammers, with disturbing precision, target the trusting hearts of seniors, the ambitious drive of young adults, the isolated hope of romantics, and the universal human desire for a better deal, proving that no demographic—whether defined by age, wealth, education, or location—is safe from the modern con artist’s meticulously researched cruelty.
Fraud Types
- Phishing/phishing variants were the top IC3 complaint type with 298,878 cases in 2023.
- Business Email Compromise (BEC) ranked second with 21,442 complaints in 2023 IC3.
- Investment fraud complaints hit 145,632 in 2023 per IC3, causing massive losses.
- Tech support scams saw 15,392 complaints to IC3 in 2023.
- Romance scams reported 19,103 times to IC3 in 2023.
- FTC imposter scams topped with 1.1 million reports in 2023.
- Online shopping fraud had 426,000 FTC reports in 2023.
- Cryptocurrency investment scams surged with 69,000 IC3 complaints in 2023.
- Job scams reported 78,000 times to FTC in 2023.
- Government imposter scams led to 500,000+ FTC complaints in 2023.
- Sextortion complaints reached 13,000 to IC3 in 2023.
- Prize scams noted in 70,000 FTC reports in 2023.
- Email account compromise had 10,859 IC3 complaints in 2023.
- Confidence/romance fraud prevalent in 40% of Australian scam reports per ACCC 2023.
- Smishing/phishing via SMS grew 58% in 2023 per IC3.
- Personal info fraud complaints 290,000 to IC3 2023.
- Extortion 36,000+ IC3 complaints 2023.
- Online dating scams variant of romance, 8,900 IC3 2023.
- Ransomware 66 complaints daily average IC3 2023.
- Spoofing complaints 18,000 to IC3 2023.
- ACCC investment scams 24% of reports 2023.
- Government impersonation 22% of FTC top scams 2023.
- Gift card drain scams tied to 70% imposter cases FTC 2023.
- Deepfake fraud emerging with voice cloning in 20% BEC 2023.
- Malware facilitating fraud in 25% Verizon DBIR 2023 breaches.
- Wire transfer fraud in 15% non-delivery IC3 2023.
- Social media marketplace scams 40% online shopping FTC 2023.
Fraud Types Interpretation
Our collective digital gullibility has spawned a vibrant, innovative, and devastatingly effective shadow industry that exploits every human vulnerability, from loneliness to greed, with phishing as its relentless workhorse and deepfakes as its terrifying new apprentice.
Incidence Rates
- In 2023, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received 880,418 complaints of internet crime, marking the highest number ever recorded.
- Globally, cybercrime costs are projected to reach $10.5 trillion annually by 2025, with internet fraud comprising a significant portion.
- In 2022, the FTC received 2.4 million reports of fraud, with online-initiated scams leading to $8.8 billion in losses.
- Europol reported over 1,000 cybercrime operations dismantled in 2023, but internet fraud complaints rose 15% year-over-year.
- Statista indicates that 22% of internet users worldwide encountered attempted online scams in 2023.
- In the UK, Action Fraud recorded 641,000 cybercrime incidents in 2023, up 6% from 2022.
- Norton Cyber Safety Insights reported that 1 in 3 consumers faced an online fraud attempt in 2023.
- The 2023 Verizon DBIR noted that 74% of breaches involved a human element, often enabling internet fraud.
- In Australia, the ACCC received 394,580 scam reports in 2023, totaling $2.98 billion in losses.
- PwC's Global Economic Crime Survey 2024 found 47% of organizations experienced fraud, with cyber-fraud at 32%.
- In 2023, IC3 complaints from phishing/phishing variants reached 298,878, the most common crime type.
- Interpol's 2023 report highlighted a 20% increase in online fraud schemes across Southeast Asia.
- In Canada, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre logged 23,995 fraud reports in 2023, up 35%.
- Kaspersky detected 510 million phishing attacks in 2023, a key vector for internet fraud.
- The 2023 IBM Cost of a Data Breach report tied 16% of breaches to phishing enabling fraud.
- In 2023, global BEC scams reported to IC3 caused $2.9 billion in losses from 21,442 complaints.
- EU's Eurostat recorded 1.2 million cybercrime victims in 2022, predominantly internet fraud.
- In India, the NCRB reported 65,893 cybercrime cases in 2022, with fraud at 53%.
- Aura's 2024 Identity Theft Report noted 1.1 million US fraud victims in 2023.
- In 2023, IC3 elder fraud complaints totaled 101,066 with $3.4 billion losses.
- In 2023, IC3 recovered $716 million from internet crimes, up from prior years.
- FTC scam reports hit 2.61 million in 2023, highest on record.
- 300,000+ ransomware complaints worldwide in 2023 per Chainalysis.
- UK cyber fraud incidents up 6% to 641,000 in year to March 2023.
- 1 in 5 US adults victimized by online fraud in 2023 per Aura.
- Brazil reported 4 million cybercrimes in 2023, fraud dominant.
- Southeast Asia pig butchering scams affected 100,000+ victims in 2023.
- Verizon DBIR 2023: 83% of breaches involved external actors in fraud.
- Norton: 24% global encounter rate for fraud attempts in 2023.
- IC3 non-payment/non-delivery complaints: 85,689 in 2023.
Incidence Rates Interpretation
The digital con-artists' convention is now in permanent session, drawing record crowds and trillions in revenue, proving that while law enforcement is busy shutting down the carnival, we're all still buying far too many tickets to the crooked sideshows.
Monetary Losses
- In 2023, total IC3-reported losses from internet crime exceeded $12.5 billion.
- FTC reported $10 billion in fraud losses in 2023, with $2.7 billion from imposter scams.
- Globally, cyber fraud losses hit $6 trillion in 2023 per Cybersecurity Ventures.
- In 2023, BEC scams alone cost US victims $2.9 billion via IC3 reports.
- Australian scams led to $2.98 billion losses in 2023 per ACCC.
- UK fraud losses reached £2.3 billion from 3.5 million incidents in 2023.
- Investment scams caused $4.5 billion in US losses in 2023 per IC3.
- Globally, ransomware payments totaled $1.1 billion in 2023, often linked to fraud.
- FTC online shopping fraud losses were $392 million in 2023.
- Cryptocurrency fraud via IC3 complaints led to $5.6 billion losses in 2023.
- Elder fraud losses reported to IC3 were $3.4 billion in 2023.
- Romance scams cost victims $1.3 billion globally in 2023 per FTC.
- Phishing losses in the US exceeded $52 million median per incident in 2023 per IBM.
- Business email compromise averaged $4.9 million loss per incident in 2023.
- Prize/lottery scams led to $438 million losses in 2023 per FTC.
- In 2023, Canadian fraud losses totaled $638 million from 23,995 reports.
- EU online fraud losses estimated at €15 billion annually in 2023.
- Total 2023 cybercrime losses projected at $8 trillion globally.
- US investment scam losses $4.57 billion in 2023 IC3.
- FTC prize scams: $438 million losses from 70,000 reports 2023.
- Global BEC losses exceed $43 billion since 2016, 2023 peak.
- Romance scams global losses $1.3 billion in 2023 FTC.
- Tech support scams $1.2 billion US losses 2023 IC3/FTC.
- Crypto ATM fraud losses $200 million+ in 2023 Chainalysis.
- Job scams median loss $1,300 per victim FTC 2023.
- Online rental scams $346 million losses 2023 FTC.
- Personal data breach fraud costs average $4.88 million IBM 2023.
- Elder investment fraud median $9,000 loss per IC3 2023.
- Smishing losses over $50 million reported to IC3 2023.
- Sextortion average demand $20,000 per case IC3 2023.
- Confidence fraud 43% of Australian losses $1.28 billion 2023 ACCC.
Monetary Losses Interpretation
If you added up all these figures, the world's most profitable "business model" in 2023 wasn't tech or energy, but a vast, global empathy vacuum powered by keyboards and clicks.
Trends Over Time
- IC3 complaints increased 10% from 2022 to 2023, reaching 880,418.
- FTC fraud reports rose 12% in 2023 over 2022, totaling 2.6 million.
- Crypto-related complaints to IC3 quadrupled from 2021 to 2023.
- BEC losses grew 7% year-over-year to $2.9 billion in 2023 IC3.
- AI-driven deepfake scams emerged with 3,000+ reports in late 2023.
- Smishing complaints surged 58% in 2023 per IC3 recovery data.
- Global phishing detections rose 61% from 2022 to 2023 per Kaspersky.
- Investment fraud complaints doubled since 2021 per IC3 trends.
- Elder fraud losses up 11% from 2022 to $3.4 billion in 2023.
- Romance scam median loss increased 20% to $2,000 in 2023 FTC.
- Online auction fraud reports declined 5% but losses rose 15% in 2023.
- Mobile banking fraud attempts up 32% globally in 2023 per PwC.
- Phishing complaints up 33% from 2022 IC3 2023.
- Crypto fraud complaints +69% 2022-2023 IC3.
- Imposter scams FTC reports +15% in 2023.
- Elder fraud +14% complaints 2022-2023 IC3.
- Global cyber fraud growth 15% annually projected to 2025.
- AI scam tools detected in 25% new phishing 2023 Kaspersky.
- Non-delivery fraud steady but median loss +10% 2023.
- Sextortion reports tripled since 2021 IC3 2023.
- Recovery rate improved to 5.7% of losses IC3 2023.
Trends Over Time Interpretation
Despite these increasingly creative and prolific efforts by scoundrels, our collective response remains as feeble as a screen door on a submarine, recovering barely six cents on the dollar while they help themselves to the whole vault.
Sources & References
- Reference 1IC3ic3.govVisit source
- Reference 2CYBERSECURITYVENTUREScybersecurityventures.comVisit source
- Reference 3FTCftc.govVisit source
- Reference 4EUROPOLeuropol.europa.euVisit source
- Reference 5STATISTAstatista.comVisit source
- Reference 6ACTIONFRAUDactionfraud.police.ukVisit source
- Reference 7USus.norton.comVisit source
- Reference 8VERIZONverizon.comVisit source
- Reference 9ACCCaccc.gov.auVisit source
- Reference 10PWCpwc.comVisit source
- Reference 11INTERPOLinterpol.intVisit source
- Reference 12ANTIFRAUDCENTRE-CENTREANTIFRAUDEantifraudcentre-centreantifraude.caVisit source
- Reference 13SECURELISTsecurelist.comVisit source
- Reference 14IBMibm.comVisit source
- Reference 15ECec.europa.euVisit source
- Reference 16NCRBncrb.gov.inVisit source
- Reference 17AURAaura.comVisit source
- Reference 18CONSUMERconsumer.ftc.govVisit source
- Reference 19CHAINALYSISchainalysis.comVisit source
- Reference 20AARPaarp.orgVisit source
- Reference 21FINRAfinra.orgVisit source
- Reference 22REPORTFRAUDreportfraud.ftc.govVisit source
- Reference 23NATIONALCRIMEAGENCYnationalcrimeagency.gov.ukVisit source
- Reference 24GOVgov.brVisit source