Cybercrime is on the rise. When I ask my clients what scams, hacks, phishing emails and malware they have experienced, almost all tell me their stories.
The statistics are that 61% don’t report their cyber security incidents to anyone, except perhaps to call me to clean up their computer. 37% do not report identity theft.
Why the low incidence of reporting?
- People are embarrassed to admit they’ve been scammed and the victim of fraud.
- People think it won’t make any difference to report the cybercrime.
- People do not know to whom to report the cybercrime.
Do not be embarrassed. You are not alone. You are not a fool. Reporting matters. Many victims of the same scam reinforce each other.
Report you cybercrime incident to law enforcement, especially if you gave the scammer money or personal identification information. This helps law enforcement know what trending issue to address.
How to report cycbercrime incidents:
- Call your local police or sheriff department’s fraud division and ask to make a report.
- Call your local FBI office to report the cybercrime. They can work with federal resources to track down international cyber criminals.
- If you were scammed of money, create a report with the FBI cyber crime complaint department at www.ic3.gov
- Report to the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov
- Report to your bank or credit card company if you were scammed of money. Their fraud department may refund the fraudulent charge and reissue a new credit card or open a new checking account to prevent the scammer from using your account to steal more of your money.
- Call Linda to clean up your computer, if you let a scammer into your computer.
I hope that you are not the victim of a cyber crime. In the coming months, I will provide simple information to make you more aware of how to avoid becoming a victim of cyber crime.
I am committed to protect your computers at an affordable price. Thank you for trusting me to keep your computers healthy. Contact us at 239-567-0104 when it is time to renew your protection software, or if you need computer and internet help. Be well.
By Linda Lindquist, February 7, 2022
