Cybercrime stats show who’s most at risk in Georgia, South Carolina
AUGUSTA, Ga. - The Federal Bureau of Investigation has released its annual Internet Crime Complaint Center Report, bringing to light new trends in crimes against Georgians and South Carolinians.
Georgia was 11th out of 50 states for the number of reported internet crimes, while South Carolina was 22nd.
South Carolina residents reported losses of $146 million for 2024, a $27 million increase from 2023. Georgians reported more than double that, at $420 million for 2024, a $119 million increase from 2023.
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Federal officials say the top three cybercrimes reported in both states were extortion, phishing and spoofing and personal data breaches.
Federal officials say the top three cybercrimes reported in South Carolina were extortion, with 1,384 victims; phishing and spoofing, 1,259; and personal data breaches, 924.
Phishing and spoofing making its way to the top three is particularly noteworthy, as, in 2023, there were zero reports of phishing and just 84 reports of spoofing.
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The top three cybercrimes in of financial loss in South Carolina did not match the top three most common. Rather, business email compromises, investment fraud and romance scams resulted in the largest losses. Business email compromises resulted in losses of $40.8 million, compared to $30.6 million in 2023. Investment fraud losses were down in 2024, with losses amounting to $38.4 million from $42.5 million in 2023. Romance scams resulted in losses of $15.1 million, up from $11.3 million in 2023.
SEE THE STATISTICS:
Romance scams were a spot of particular vulnerability for South Carolinians over 60, with 178 of the 353 victims falling into that age group alone. That s for 50.42% of all victims. Seniors were also victimized by internet crimes 54.6% more in 2024 than they were in 2023
“Cybercrime remains a serious and growing threat to South Carolinians, with victims losing millions of dollars annually,” Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Columbia field office Reid Davis said. “The FBI is fully committed to identifying and bringing cybercriminals to justice and empowering the public with the critical tools and awareness. One effort is our outreach to South Carolina seniors where we engage with groups about current online threats and provide them with security measures they can take to stay ahead of the evolving cyber landscape.”
Several other internet crimes increased from 2023, including government impersonation nearly doubling and losses because of those scams rising to nearly 10 times the amount seen in 2023′s victims, as well as employment scams, identity theft and cryptocurrency crimes, which more than doubled.
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