IMGCAP(1)]
Dollar losses from reported Internet-based crimes reported to iC3, the U.S. Internet Crime Complaint Center, reached a record $265 million in 2008, up nearly 11% from $239 million the previous year, according to a report the center released last week. The number of complaints of online crime reached 275,284 last year, up 33.1% from 206,884 in 2007. Indeed, the number and cost of reported online crime complaints has climbed steadily since 2004, when the center reported a loss of $68.14 million from 207,449 crime complaints. Credit and debit card fraud comprised 9% of online crime complaints last year, far below non-delivery of purchased goods and services, which accounted for 32.9% of online fraud, and fraudulent auctions, which accounted for 25.5% of complaints. The good news for credit card issuers is that the Internet Crime Complaint Center says in the report "The safest way to purchase items via the Internet is by credit card because you can often dispute the charges if something is wrong." The center is a partnership between the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National White Collar Crime Center.
