PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Internet scams across the U.S. grew by a third last year compared to 2023, according to new data from the FBI. New Jersey and Pennsylvania ranked among the top 10 states with the biggest financial losses.
In 2024, more than 859,000 complaints were filed within the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. As a result, it has cost Americans $16.6 billion.
According to the bureau, the top crimes are phishing and spoofing — when an individual pretends to be someone they’re not to get personal information — as well as extortion and personal data breaches. Cryptocurrency fraud was also among the top complaints.
Pennsylvania had the fifth most complaints, with more than 27,000 complaints. The FBI said residents lost about $400 million. New Jersey had about 15,000 complaints and ranked 6th in the overall reported losses, with nearly $435 million.
The agency wants people to use its online complaint center — ic3.gov — which helps track trends and identify offenders and hopefully prevent fraud.