2024 FBI Internet Crime Report

Dear Reader:
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, or IC3. Originally intended to serve the law enforcement community, IC3 has evolved to become the primary destination for the public to report cyber-enabled crime and fraud as well as a key source for information on scams and cyber threats. Since its founding, IC3 has received over 9 million complaints of malicious activity. During its infancy, IC3 received roughly 2,000 complaints every month. For the past five years, IC3 has averaged more than 2,000 complaints every day.

As nearly all aspects of our lives have become digitally connected, the attack surface for cyber actors has grown exponentially. Scammers are increasingly using the Internet to steal Americans’ hard-earned savings. And with today’s technology, it can take mere taps on a keyboard to hijack networks, cripple water systems, or even rob virtual exchanges. Cryptocurrency has become an enticing means to cheat investors, launder proceeds, and engage in other illicit schemes.

Last year saw a new record for losses reported to IC3, totaling a staggering $16.6 billion. Fraud represented the bulk of reported losses in 2024, and ransomware was again the most pervasive threat to critical infrastructure, with complaints rising 9% from 2023. As a group, those over the age of 60 suffered the most losses and submitted the most complaints.

These rising losses are even more concerning because last year, the FBI took significant actions to make it harder, and more costly, for malicious actors to succeed. We dealt a serious blow to LockBit, one of the world’s most active ransomware groups. Since 2022, we have offered up thousands of decryption keys to victims of ransomware, avoiding over $800 million in payments.

Also in 2024, we worked proactively to prevent losses and minimize victim harm through private sector collaboration and initiatives like Operation Level Up. We disbanded fraud and laundering syndicates, shut down scam call centers, shuttered illicit marketplaces, dissolved nefarious “botnets,” and put hundreds of other actors behind bars. Our partnerships across the intelligence, law enforcement, and private sector communities have never been stronger.

The criminals Americans face today may look different than in years past, but they still want the same thing: to harm Americans for their own benefit. This brings me back to IC3’s quarter-century milestone. While the top threats facing our country have certainly shifted over the decades, protecting American citizens—whether that means your safety, your money, or your data—remains a cornerstone of the FBI’s mission.

And in the fight against increasingly savvy criminals, the FBI also relies on you. Without the information you report to us through IC3 or your local FBI Field Office, we simply cannot piece together the puzzle of this ever-shifting threat landscape. If ever you suspect you’re a victim of cyber-enabled crime, do not hesitate to let us know. We want to be there for you, and what you report will help us help others.

/s/

B. Chad Yarbrough
Operations Director for Criminal and Cyber
Federal Bureau of Investigation

View the detailed report below.