2023 ELDER FRAUD REPORT

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................. 3
THE IC3 .......................................................................................................................................................... 4
BY THE NUMBERS......................................................................................................................................... 5
2023 COMPLAINTS BY AGE GROUP .............................................................................................................. 6
COMPLAINTS FILED BY INDIVIDUALS OVER 60 TRENDS ............................................................................... 6
2023 CRIME TYPES ........................................................................................................................................ 7
2023 CRIME TYPES ........................................................................................................................................ 8
LAST 3 YEARS COMPARISON ......................................................................................................................... 9
LAST 3 YEARS COMPARISON, CONTINUED ...................................................................................... 10
2023 OVERALL STATE STATISTICS ............................................................................................................... 11
2023 OVERALL STATE STATISTICS, CONTINUED.......................................................................................... 12
THE IC3 RECOVERY ASSET TEAM (RAT) ....................................................................................................... 13
COMMON FRAUDS COMMONLY AFFECTING OVER 60 INDIVIDUALS ........................................................ 14
CALL CENTER FRAUD: TECH AND CUSTOMER SUPPORT / GOVERNMENT IMPERSONATION ........... 14
INVESTMENT ...................................................................................................................................... 15
CONFIDENCE/ROMANCE SCAMS ....................................................................................................... 15
CRYPTOCURRENCY ............................................................................................................................. 16
APPENDIX A: DEFINITIONS .......................................................................................................................... 18
APPENDIX B: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT IC3 DATA ..................................................................... 20
APPENDIX C: PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS PUBLISHED IN 2023 ..................................................... 21
INTRODUCTION

Dear Reader,

Every day, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) receives
thousands of complaints reporting a wide array of scams, many of them targeting the elderly. In 2023,
total losses reported to the IC3 by those over the age of 60 topped $3.4 billion, an almost 11% increase in
reported losses from 2022. There was also a 14% increase in complaints filed with IC3 by elderly victims.
However, these numbers do not fully capture the frauds and scams targeting this vulnerable cross-section
of our population, as only about half of the more than 880,000 complaints received by IC3 in 2023 included
age data. The FBI is publishing the 2023 IC3 Elder Fraud Annual Report in hopes of shining a spotlight on
the frauds and scams impacting those over 60 and preventing not only future victimization but also
revictimization.

Combatting the financial exploitation of those over 60 years of age continues to be a priority of the FBI.
Along with our partners, we continually work to aid victims and to identify and investigate the individuals
and criminal organizations that perpetrate these schemes and target the elderly. The IC3 serves as the
FBI's central intake point for reports of frauds and scams. Compilation of statistics based on these reports
helps law enforcement develop strategies to combat these schemes and protect victims from loss. This
year, as in 2022, tech support fraud was the number one crime type impacting complainants over 60,
while investment scams continued to be the costliest to the elderly in terms of financial losses suffered.

Frauds and scams will continue to evolve, but many characteristics of these schemes remain the same
even as new trends develop. I encourage the public to review previous IC3 Annual Reports and Public
Service Announcements (PSAs) to further educate and protect yourself, as well as your family, friends,
and community.

I also want to thank all those who have reported these schemes and encourage the public to report any
kind of fraud or scam, even attempted fraud, to the IC3 as soon as possible. Reporting fraud helps the
FBI identify trends and typologies, open new investigations, enhance ongoing investigations, and
produce public awareness messaging. Do not be afraid or embarrassed to report. The FBI stands ready to
assist and is here to help combat these threats.

Michael D. Nordwall
Assistant Director
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Criminal Investigative Division
THE IC3

Today’s FBI is an intelligence-driven and threat focused national security organization with both
intelligence and law enforcement responsibilities. We are focused on protecting the American people
from terrorism, espionage, cyber-attacks, and major criminal threats which are increasingly emanating
from our digitally connected world. To do that, the FBI leverages the IC3 as a mechanism to gather
intelligence on internet crime so that we can provide the public and our many partners with information,
services, support, training, and leadership to stay ahead of the threat.

The IC3 was established in May 2000 to receive complaints crossing the spectrum of cyber matters, to
include online fraud in its many forms including Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) matters, Computer
Intrusions (Hacking), Economic Espionage (Theft of Trade Secrets), Online Extortion, International Money
Laundering, Identity Theft, and a growing list of Internet-facilitated crimes. As of December 31, 2023, the
IC3 has received over eight million complaints. The IC3’s mission is to provide the public and our partners
with a reliable and convenient reporting mechanism to submit information concerning suspected cyber-
enabled criminal activity and to develop effective alliances with law enforcement and industry partners
to help those who report. Information is analyzed and disseminated for investigative and intelligence
purposes for law enforcement and public awareness.

The information submitted to the IC3 can be impactful in the individual complaints, but it is most impactful
in the aggregate. That is, when the individual complaints are combined with other data, it allows the FBI
to connect complaints, investigate reported crimes, track trends and threats, and, in some cases, even
freeze stolen funds. Just as importantly, the IC3 shares reports of crime throughout its vast network of FBI
field offices and law enforcement partners, strengthening our nation’s collective response both locally
and nationally.

To promote public awareness and as part of its prevention mission, the IC3 aggregates the submitted data
and produces an annual report on the trends impacting the public as well as routinely providing
intelligence reports about trends. The success of these efforts is directly related to the quality of the data
submitted by the public through the www.ic3.gov interface. Their efforts help the IC3, and the FBI better
protect their fellow citizens.
 BY THE NUMBERS

IC3 Over 60 Complaints by the Numbers

1

1
Accessibility description: Image depicts key statistics regarding Over 60 complaints. The total number of complaints
received in 2023 was 101,068. Total losses of $3.4 billion were reported. Over 60 complainants experienced 11
percent increase in losses from 2022. 5,920 individuals lost more than $100,000. The average loss per complaint was
$33,915.
2023 COMPLAINTS BY AGE GROUP
COMPLAINTS
Age Range2 Total Count Total Loss
Under 20 18,174 $40,703,428
20 - 29 6,2410 $360,743,568
30 - 39 88,138 $1,167,165,071
40 - 49 84,052 $1,501,216,581
50 - 59 65,924 $1,681,873,944
Over 60 101,068 $3,427,717,654

COMPLAINTS FILED BY INDIVIDUALS OVER 60 TRENDS3

Over 60 Reporting to IC3

Losses Victims

120,000 $3,500,000,000

$3,000,000,000
100,000

$2,500,000,000
80,000

$2,000,000,000
60,000
$1,500,000,000

40,000
$1,000,000,000

20,000
$500,000,000

0 $0
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023

2
Not all complaints include an associated age range—those without this information are excluded from this table.
Please see Appendix B for more information regarding IC3 data.

3
Charts describe Count and Loss Trends for those Over 60 from 2018 – 2023.
2023 CRIME TYPES
COMPLAINANTS OVER 60
Crime Type Count Crime Type Count
Tech Support 17,696 Other 1,447
Personal Data Breach 7,333 Spoofing 1,171
Confidence/Romance 6,740 Employment 1,079
Non-payment/Non-Delivery 6,693 Overpayment 698
Investment 6,443 Harassment/Stalking 568
Extortion 5,396 Data Breach 336
Government Impersonation 3,517 Ransomware 175
Credit Card/Check Fraud 3,182 SIM Swap 174
BEC 3,080 IPR/Copyright and Counterfeit 152
Identity Theft 3,010 Threats of Violence 115
Advanced Fee 1,951 Malware 67
Lottery/Sweepstakes/Inheritance 1,771 Crimes Against Children 26
Real Estate 1,498 Botnet 17

Descriptors*
Cryptocurrency 12,284 These descriptors relate to the medium or tool used to
facilitate the crime and are used by the IC3 for tracking
Cryptocurrency Wallet 4,684 purposes only. They are available only after another crime
type has been selected. Please see Appendix B for more
information regarding IC3 data.

* Regarding BEC counts: A whole number is given to depict the overall complaint count and includes when a
Complainant Over 60 may be reporting on behalf of a business or personally.
2023 CRIME TYPES Continued
COMPLAINANTS OVER 60 LOSS
Crime Type Loss Crime Type Loss
Investment $1,243,010,600 Data Breach $23,913,130
Tech Support $589,759,770 Extortion $23,093,451
BEC $382,372,731 SIM Swap $15,148,072
Confidence/Romance $356,888,968 Overpayment $7,496,049
Government Impersonation $179,646,103 Employment $6,835,684
Personal Data Breach $109,724,027 Threats of Violence $5,128,768
Other $72,707,042 Spoofing $2,623,837
Advanced Fee $67,923,263 Harassment/Stalking $1,930,347
Lottery/Sweepstakes/Inheritance $67,396,206 Crimes Against Children $1,159,939
Real Estate $65,634,851 Ransomware $635,548
Non-payment/Non-Delivery $59,018,965 Malware $261,144
Credit Card/Check Fraud $37,862,023 IPR/Copyright and Counterfeit $183,169
Identity Theft $34,551,900 Botnet $23,142

Descriptors*
Cryptocurrency $1,336,565,297 These descriptors relate to the medium or tool used to
facilitate the crime and are used by the IC3 for tracking
Cryptocurrency Wallet $316,919,147 purposes only. They are available only after another
crime type has been selected. Please see Appendix B for
more information regarding IC3 data.

* * Regarding BEC counts: A whole number is given to depict the overall complaint count and includes when a
Complainant Over 60 may be reporting on behalf of a business or personally.

** Regarding Ransomware adjusted losses, this number does not include estimates of lost business, time, wages,
files, equipment, or any third-party remediation services acquired by a complainant. In some cases, complainants
do not report any loss amount to the FBI, thereby creating an artificially low overall ransomware loss rate. Lastly,
the number only represents what complainants report to the FBI via the IC3 and does not account for
complainants directly reporting to FBI field offices/agents.
LAST 3 YEARS COMPARISON
OVER 60 COMPLAINT COUNT
Crime Type 2023 2022 2021
Advanced Fee 1,951 3,153 3,029
BEC 3,080 3,938 3,755
Botnet 17 33 --
Civil Matter -- -- 184
Computer Intrusion -- -- 176
Confidence Fraud/Romance 6,740 7,166 7,658
Credit Card/Check Fraud 3,182 4,956 3,164
Crimes Against Children 26 84 42
Data Breach 336 333 158
Denial of Service/TDos -- -- 61
Employment 1,079 1,286 1,408
Extortion 5,396 4,285 5,987
Gambling -- -- 19
Government Impersonation 3,517 3,425 3,319
Harassment/Stalking 568 754 --
Health Care Related -- -- 74
IPR/Copyright and Counterfeit 152 235 686
Identity Theft 3,010 4,825 8,902
Investment 6,443 4,661 2,104
Lottery/Sweepstakes/Inheritance 1,771 2,388 2,607
Malware 67 125 134
Non-payment/Non-Delivery 6,693 7,985 13,220
Other 1,447 2,016 2,933
Overpayment 698 1,183 1,448
Personal Data Breach 7,333 7,849 6,189
Phishing/Spoofing 2,856 8,369 9,767
Ransomware 175 215 365
Real Estate 1,498 1,862 1,764
SIM Swap 174 301 --
Tech Support 17,696 17,810 13,900
Threats of Violence 115 166 719

Cryptocurrency/Cryptocurrency Wallet 16,968 9,991 5,109

LAST 3 YEARS COMPARISON, CONTINUED
OVER 60 COMPLAINT LOSSES
Crime Type 2023 2022 2021
Advanced Fee $67,923,263 $49,322,099 $36,464,491
BEC $382,372,731 $477,342,728 $355,805,098
Botnet $23,142 $120,621 --
Civil Matter -- -- $6,530,661
Computer Intrusion -- -- $4,575,956
Confidence Fraud/Romance $356,888,968 $419,768,142 $432,081,901
Credit Card/Check Fraud $37,862,023 $61,649,198 $39,019,072
Crimes Against Children $1,159,939 $48,373 $550
Data Breach $23,913,130 $17,681,749 $7,095,746
Employment $6,835,684 $6,403,021 $9,610,615
Extortion $23,093,451 $15,555,047 $19,533,187
Gambling -- -- $20,116
Government Impersonation $179,646,103 $136,500,338 $69,186,858
Harassment/Stalking $1,930,347 $254,659 --
Health Care Related -- -- $1,233,632
IPR/Copyright and Counterfeit $183,169 $203,140 $4,954,221
Identity Theft $34,551,900 $42,653,578 $59,022,153
Investment $1,243,010,600 $990,235,119 $239,474,635
Lottery/Sweepstakes/Inheritance $67,396,206 $69,845,106 $53,557,330
Malware $261,144 $1,851,421 $1,177,864
Non-payment/Non-Delivery $59,018,965 $51,531,615 $52,023,580
Other $72,707,042 $31,410,237 $22,196,542
Overpayment $7,496,049 $10,977,231 $9,214,129
Personal Data Breach $109,724,027 $127,736,607 $103,688,489
Phishing/Spoofing $3,355,436 $36,715,205 $28,639,277
Ransomware $635,548 $210,052 $424,852
Re-shipping -- -- $360,455
Real Estate $65,634,851 $135,239,020 $102,071,631
SIM Swap $15,148,072 $19,515,629 --
Tech Support $589,759,770 $587,831,698 $237,931,278
Threats of Violence $5,128,768 $376,458 $361,549

Cryptocurrency/Cryptocurrency Wallet $1,653,484,444 $1,088,330,051 $241,143,166

2023 OVERALL STATE STATISTICS
COMPLAINTS FILED BY INDIVIDUALS OVER 60 BY STATE*
Rank State Count Rank State Count

1 California 11,622 30 Kentucky 908

2 Florida 8,138 31 New Mexico 759
3 Texas 7,035 32 Louisiana 736
4 Arizona 5,003 33 Iowa 674
5 New York 4,328 34 Arkansas 665
6 Ohio 3,299 35 Kansas 579
7 Pennsylvania 3,020 36 Idaho 514
8 Colorado 2,905 37 Hawaii 453
9 Illinois 2,887 38 Mississippi 434
10 Washington 2,873 39 New Hampshire 408
11 Virginia 2,475 40 Maine 397
12 North Carolina 2,423 41 West Virginia 386
13 Georgia 2,114 42 Nebraska 381
14 Michigan 2,109 43 South Dakota 369
15 New Jersey 2,049 44 Montana 359
16 Maryland 1,985 45 Delaware 314
17 Nevada 1,824 46 Alaska 297
18 Massachusetts 1,611 47 Rhode Island 274
19 Oregon 1,606 48 Puerto Rico 215
20 Tennessee 1,577 49 Wyoming 190
21 Missouri 1,502 50 District of Columbia 185
22 South Carolina 1,485 51 Vermont 163
23 Indiana 1,255 52 North Dakota 127
24 Minnesota 1,230 53 Virgin Islands, U.S. 21
25 Wisconsin 1,119 54 United States Minor Outlying 17
26 Alabama 976 55 Islands
Guam 15
27 Oklahoma 955 56 American Samoa 3
28 Connecticut 949 57 Northern Mariana Islands 2
29 Utah 945

*Note: This information is based on the total number of complaints from each state, American Territory, and the
District of Columbia when the complainant provided state information. Please see Appendix B for more information
regarding IC3 data.
2023 OVERALL STATE STATISTICS, CONTINUED
COMPLAINTS FILED BY INDIVIDUALS OVER 60 LOSSES BY STATE*
Rank State Loss Rank State Loss
1 California $643,230,534 30 Wisconsin $26,069,500
2 Florida $293,817,911 31 Oklahoma $22,430,973
3 Texas $278,320,107 32 Idaho $20,844,974
4 New York $203,437,635 33 New Mexico $17,784,632
5 Illinois $137,940,620 34 Iowa $16,434,421
6 Arizona $127,977,700 35 Delaware $15,363,401
7 Pennsylvania $117,427,238 36 Arkansas $14,696,548
8 New Jersey $104,087,085 37 Kansas $13,900,498
9 Virginia $94,037,054 38 Kentucky $12,769,949
10 Georgia $92,422,609 39 West Virginia $11,829,064
11 Washington $88,958,679 40 New Hampshire $11,339,097
12 North Carolina $77,364,165 41 District of Columbia $10,645,609
13 Maryland $72,384,277 42 Nebraska $9,642,093
14 Ohio $64,434,384 43 Mississippi $9,328,015
15 Massachusetts $63,771,718 44 Alaska $8,732,051
16 Michigan $58,552,106 45 Montana $7,917,918
17 Minnesota $54,886,221 46 Rhode Island $7,377,668
18 Colorado $54,454,519 47 Maine $7,162,225
19 Missouri $52,775,722 48 Wyoming $5,689,358
20 Nevada $45,239,607 49 Vermont $4,880,944
21 Oregon $44,271,609 50 North Dakota $4,405,702
22 South Carolina $43,758,611 51 South Dakota $3,804,551
23 Tennessee $43,753,076 52 Puerto Rico $2,845,110
24 Connecticut $38,693,615 53 Guam $597,922
25 Indiana $37,812,966 54 United States Minor Outlying $335,268
26 Alabama $33,942,649 55 Islands
American Samoa $297,660
27 Louisiana $31,037,438 56 Virgin Islands, U.S. $88,477
28 Hawaii $27,965,497 57 Northern Mariana Islands $9,489
29 Utah $26,101,164

*Note: This information is based on the total number of complaints from each state, American Territory, and the
District of Columbia when the complainant provided state information. Please see Appendix B for more information
regarding IC3 data.
THE IC3 RECOVERY ASSET TEAM (RAT)

The FBI IC3 Recovery Asset Team (RAT) was established in February 2018 to streamline communication
with financial institutions and assist FBI field offices with the freezing of funds for individuals who made
transfers to domestic accounts under fraudulent pretenses.

RAT Process4

* If criteria are met, transaction details are forwarded to the identified point of contact at the recipient
bank to notify of fraudulent activity and request freezing of the account. Once response is received
from the recipient bank, RAT contacts the appropriate FBI field office(s).

The RAT functions as a liaison between law enforcement and financial institutions supporting statistical
and investigative analysis.

In 2023, the IC3 RAT initiated the Financial Fraud Kill Chain (FFKC) for 626 incidents involving complaints
filed by individuals over 60, with a combined total reported loss of $58,176,605. The RAT was able to
freeze $32,079,603 of the funds with the support of domestic banking partners. The top reported crime
types for these specific FFKC incidents were Tech Support scams, BEC scams and BEC scams with a Real
Estate nexus, and Investments scams.

Guidance for Individuals who send Wire Transfers

• Contact the originating financial institution as soon as fraud is recognized to request a recall or
reversal and a Hold Harmless Letter or Letter of Indemnity.

• File a detailed complaint with www.ic3.gov. It is vital the complaint contain all required data in
provided fields, including banking information.
• Never make any payment changes without verifying the change with the intended recipient; verify
email addresses are accurate when checking email on a cell phone or other mobile device.

4
Accessibility description: Image shows the different stages of a complaint in the RAT process.
14

COMMON FRAUDS COMMONLY AFFECTING OVER 60 INDIVIDUALS

Call Center Fraud: Tech and Customer Support / Government Impersonation

Illegal call centers defraud thousands of people each year. Two categories of fraud
reported to IC3, Tech/Customer Support and Government Impersonation, are
responsible for over $1.3 billion in losses among all complaints reported to IC3.
Call centers overwhelmingly target older adults, to devastating effect. Almost half
the complainants reported to be over 60 (40%), and experienced 58% of the losses
(almost $770 million). Complainants over the age of 60 lost more to these scams
than all other age groups combined, and reportedly remortgaged/foreclosed homes, emptied
retirement accounts, and borrowed from family and friends to cover losses in these scams. Some
incidents have resulted in suicide because of shame or loss of sustainable income.

Complaints Losses Trend

Government Impersonation 3,517 $179,646,103 32%
Tech and Customer Support 17,696 $589,759,770 3%
TOTAL 21,213 $769,405,872

In 2023, newer trends identified include the “Phantom Hacker” scam and the use of couriers to retrieve
cash and precious metals from individuals in call center-related scams. Additional information
regarding “Phantom Hacker” is available in the published I-091223-PSA .
The use of cash, gold, and other precious metals by criminals are increasing. Criminals instruct
individuals, many of whom are senior citizens, to protect their funds by liquidating their assets into
cash and/or buy gold, silver, or other precious metals. Criminals then arrange for couriers to meet in-
person to pick up the cash or precious metals. From May to December 2023, the IC3 saw an uptick in
this activity with aggregated losses over $55 million.

IC3 2023 PSAs Related to Tech/Customer Support and Government Impersonation

• "Phantom Hacker" Scams Target Senior Citizens and Result in Victims Losing their Life Savings
• Increase in Tech Support Scams Targeting Older Adults and Directing Victims to Send Cash
through Shipping Companies
• Criminals Pose as Chinese Authorities to Target US-based Chinese Community (简体中文版) (繁
體中文版)
 15

Investment
Investment fraud involves complex financial crimes often characterized as low-risk
investments with guaranteed returns. They comprise of advanced fee frauds, Ponzi
schemes, pyramid schemes, market manipulation fraud, real estate investing, and
trust-based investing such as cryptocurrency investment scams. More than 6,400
complaints from individuals over the age of 60 reported losses over $1.2 billion to
these schemes.

Most cryptocurrency investment scams are socially engineered and trust-enabled, usually initiating
through a romance or confidence scam, and evolving into cryptocurrency investment scam. Criminals
often target individuals using dating applications, social media platforms, professional networking
sites, or encrypted messaging applications. Criminals use fictitious identities to develop relationships
and establish rapport with targeted individuals.

IC3 publications in 2023 Related to Investment Fraud

• The FBI Warns of a Spike in Cryptocurrency Investment Schemes

• FBI Guidance for Cryptocurrency Scam Victims
• Increase in Companies Falsely Claiming an Ability to Recover Funds Lost in Cryptocurrency
Investment Scams
• Criminals Pose as Non-Fungible Token (NFT) Developers to Target Internet Users with an Interest
in NFT Acquisition (ic3.gov)

Confidence/Romance Scams
Confidence/Romance scams encompass those designed to pull on an individual’s
“heartstrings”. In 2023, the IC3 received reports from 6,740 individuals over the age
of 60 who experienced almost $357 million in losses to Confidence/Romance scams.
Romance scams occur when a criminal adopts a fake online identity to gain an
individual’s affection or confidence. The scammer uses the illusion of a romantic or
close relationship to manipulate and/or steal from an individual. The criminals will seem genuine,
caring, and believable, with the intent to quickly establish a relationship and endear themselves to
someone. They gain trust and eventually will ask for money. Scam artists often claim to be serving in
the military or employed in a trade-based industry engaged in projects outside the U.S. This makes it
easier to avoid meeting in person, and more plausible when they request money be sent overseas for
a medical emergency or unexpected legal fee.

Also contained within this category are Grandparent Scams, which occur when a criminal impersonates
a panicked loved one, usually a grandchild, nephew, or niece of an older person, and claims to be in
trouble and needs money immediately. In 2023, the IC3 received over 200 complaints from people
over the age of 60 reporting Grandparent Scams, with approximate losses of $2.3 million.
Sometimes, confidence/romance scams can evolve into sextortion if the individual has provided illicit
pictures to the scammer. In 2023, complainants over the age of 60 reported 3,318 sextortion
complaints with reported losses over $6 million.
16

IC3 2023 PSA Related to Confidence/Romance Fraud

• FBI Warns of Scammers Targeting Senior Citizens in Grandparent Scams and Demanding Funds
by Wire, Mail, or Couriers

Cryptocurrency
In 2023, the IC3 received over 15,000 complaints from individuals over the age of
60 involving the use of cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, or
Ripple. Losses to these complaints totaled over $1.1 billion.

The largest losses among complainants over the age of 60 are from cryptocurrency
investment scams, which account for approximately 64% of all losses related to
cryptocurrency for this age group. Call center fraud, such as Tech and Customer
Support scams and Government Impersonation, are second with approximately 16% of losses
associated with cryptocurrency.
The use of cryptocurrency ATMs and kiosks has continued to increase as a payment mechanism,
especially among Tech and Customer Support, Government Impersonation, and Confidence/Romance
scams. Scammers convince targeted individuals to withdraw large sums of cash and deposit into
cryptocurrency ATMs or kiosks at locations provided by the scammers. Once cash is deposited and
converted into cryptocurrency, the scammer transfers it to other cryptocurrency accounts. Over 2,000
complaints were filed by individuals over the age of 60 regarding the use of cryptocurrency ATMs and
kiosks.
 17

COMPLAINTS FILE BY INDIVIDUALS OVER 60 WITH A CRYPTOCURRENCY NEXUS

Crime Type Count Crime Type Count
Investment 3,292 Lottery/Sweepstakes/Inheritance 57
Tech Support 2,076 Employment 50
Extortion 1,963 Ransomware 36
Confidence/Romance 810 Overpayment 30
Personal Data Breach 792 BEC 16
Government Impersonation 223 Real Estate 15
Spoofing 178 Data Breach 9
Advanced Fee 175 Malware 9
Credit Card/Check Fraud 144 Harassment/Stalking 6
Phishing 140 IPR/Copyright and Counterfeit 5
Non-payment/Non-Delivery 134 Threats of Violence 3
SIM Swap 98 Botnet 2
Identity Theft 97 Crimes Against Children 1
Other 71

COMPLAINTS FILED BY INDIVIDUALS OVER 60 LOSSES WITH A CRYPTOCURRENCY NEXUS

Crime Type Loss Crime Type Loss
Investment $716,466,087 Lottery/Sweepstakes/Inheritance $3,517,513
Tech Support $166,138,710 Other $3,479,107
Confidence/Romance $93,483,020 Extortion $3,461,352
Personal Data Breach $58,734,792 Employment $956,324
Government Impersonation $19,955,542 Overpayment $499,037
SIM Swap $11,211,168 BEC $465,534
Phishing $5,603,806 Malware $69,963
Spoofing $5,315,101 Harassment/Stalking $51,240
Advanced Fee $4,902,036 Ransomware $37,500
Real Estate $4,590,165 Threats of Violence $21,769
Credit Card/Check Fraud $4,560,408 IPR/Copyright and Counterfeit $3,135
Non-payment/Non-Delivery $4,526,507 Crimes Against Children $1,300
Identity Theft $3,816,394 Botnet 0
Data Breach $3,622,102
18

APPENDIX A: DEFINITIONS

Advanced Fee: An individual pays money to someone in anticipation of receiving something of greater
value in return, but instead, receives significantly less than expected or nothing.

Business Email Compromise (BEC): BEC is a scam targeting businesses or individuals working with
suppliers and/or businesses regularly performing wire transfer payments. These sophisticated scams
are carried out by fraudsters by compromising email accounts and other forms of communication such
as phone numbers and virtual meeting applications, through social engineering or computer intrusion
techniques to conduct unauthorized transfer of funds.

Botnet: A botnet is a group of two or more computers controlled and updated remotely for an illegal
purchase such as a Distributed Denial of Service or Telephony Denial of Service attack or other
nefarious activity.

Confidence/Romance: An individual believes they are in a relationship (family, friendly, or romantic)

and are tricked into sending money, personal and financial information, or items of value to the
perpetrator or to launder money or items to assist the perpetrator. This includes the Grandparent’s
Scheme and any scheme in which the perpetrator preys on the complainant’s “heartstrings.”

Credit Card Fraud/Check Fraud: Credit card fraud is a wide-ranging term for theft and fraud committed
using a credit card or any similar payment mechanism (ACH. EFT, recurring charge, etc.) as a fraudulent
source of funds in a transaction.

Crimes Against Children: Anything related to the exploitation of children, including child abuse.

Data Breach: A data breach in the cyber context is the use of a computer intrusion to acquire
confidential or secured information. This does not include computer intrusions targeting personally
owned computers, systems, devices, or personal accounts such as social media or financial accounts.

Employment: An individual believes they are legitimately employed and loses money, or launders
money/items during the course of their employment.

Extortion: Unlawful extraction of money or property through intimidation or undue exercise of

authority. It may include threats of physical harm, criminal prosecution, or public exposure.

Government Impersonation: A government official is impersonated in an attempt to collect money.

Harassment/Stalking: Repeated words, conduct, or action that serve no legitimate purpose and are
directed at a specific person to annoy, alarm, or distress that person. Engaging in a course of conduct
directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear for his/her safety or the
safety of others or suffer substantial emotional distress.
 19

Identity Theft: Someone steals and uses personal identifying information, like a name or Social
Security number, without permission to commit fraud or other crimes and/or (account takeover) a
fraudster obtains account information to perpetrate fraud on existing accounts.

Investment: Deceptive practice that induces investors to make purchases based on false information.
These scams usually offer large returns with minimal risk. (Retirement, 401K, Ponzi, Pyramid, etc.).

IPR/Copyright and Counterfeit: The illegal theft and use of others’ ideas, inventions, and creative
expressions – what’s called intellectual property – everything from trade secrets and proprietary
products and parts to movies, music, and software.

Lottery/Sweepstakes/Inheritance: An Individual is contacted about winning a lottery or sweepstakes

they never entered, or to collect on an inheritance from an unknown relative.

Malware: Software or code intended to damage, disable, or capable of copying itself onto a computer
and/or computer systems to have a detrimental effect or destroy data.

Non-Payment/Non-Delivery: Goods or services are shipped, and payment is never rendered (non-
payment). Payment is sent, and goods or services are never received, or are of lesser quality (non-
delivery).

Overpayment: An individual is sent a payment/commission and is instructed to keep a portion of the

payment and send the remainder to another individual or business.

Personal Data Breach: A leak/spill of personal data which is released from a secure location to an
untrusted environment. Also, a security incident in which an individual’s sensitive, protected, or
confidential data is copied, transmitted, viewed, stolen, or used by an unauthorized individual.

Phishing/Spoofing: The use of unsolicited email, text messages, and telephone calls purportedly from
a legitimate company requesting personal, financial, and/or login credentials.

Ransomware: A type of malicious software designed to block access to a computer system until money
is paid.

Real Estate: Loss of funds from a real estate investment or fraud involving rental or timeshare property.

SIM Swap: The use of unsophisticated social engineering techniques against mobile service providers
to transfer a person’s phone service to a mobile device in the criminal’s possession.

Tech Support: Subject posing as technical or customer support/service.

Threats of Violence: An expression of an intention to inflict pain, injury, self-harm, or death not in the
context of extortion.
20

APPENDIX B: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT IC3 DATA

• As appropriate, complaints are reviewed by IC3 analysts, who apply descriptive data, such as crime
type and adjusted loss.

• Descriptive data for complaints, such as crime type or loss, is variable and can evolve based upon
investigative or analytical proceedings. Statistics are an assessment taken at a point in time, which
may change.

• Each complaint will only have one crime type.

• Complainant is identified as the individual filing a complaint.

• Some complainants may have filed more than once, creating a possible duplicate complaint.

• All location-based reports are generated from information entered when known/provided by the
complainant.

• Losses reported in foreign currencies are converted to U.S. dollars when possible.

• Complaint counts represent the number of individual complaints received from each state and do
not represent the number of individuals filing a complaint.
 21

APPENDIX C: PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS PUBLISHED IN 2023

TITLE PUBLISHED
Scammers Targeting Owners of Timeshares in Mexico 3/3/2023
Criminals Steal Cryptocurrency through Play-to-Earn Games 3/9/2023
The FBI Warns of a Spike in Cryptocurrency Investment Schemes 3/14/2023
Business Email Compromise Tactics Used to Facilitate the Acquisition of Commodities and
3/24/2023
Defrauding Vendors
For-Profit Companies Charging Sextortion Victims for Assistance and Using Deceptive Tactics
4/7/2023
to Elicit Payments
Criminals Pose as Chinese Authorities to Target US-based Chinese Community 4/10/2023
Multinational Non-Governmental Organizations Potentially Exploited in Aftermath of
4/28/2023
Earthquakes Affecting Turkey and Syria
The FBI Warns of False Job Advertisements Linked to Labor Trafficking at Scam Compounds 5/22/2023
Business Email Compromise: The $50 Billion Scam 6/9/2023
Malicious Actors Manipulating Photos and Videos to Create Explicit Content and Sextortion
7/5/2023
Schemes (ic3.gov)
Increase in Tech Support Scams Targeting Older Adults and Directing Victims to Send Cash
7/18/2023
through Shipping Companies
Criminals Pose as Non-Fungible Token (NFT) Developers to Target Internet Users with an
8/4/2023
Interest in NFT Acquisition
Increase in Companies Falsely Claiming an Ability to Recover Funds Lost in Cryptocurrency
8/11/2023
Investment Scams
Cyber Criminals Targeting Victims through Mobile Beta-Testing Applications (ic3.gov) 8/14/2023
FBI Guidance for Cryptocurrency Scam Victims 8/24/2023
Violent Online Groups Extort Minors to Self-Harm and Produce Child Sexual Abuse Material 9/12/2023
"Phantom Hacker" Scams Target Senior Citizens and Result in Victims Losing their Life Savings 9/29/2023
Situation in Israel 10/10/2023
Cybercriminals are Targeting Plastic Surgery Offices and Patients 10/17/2023
Additional Guidance on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea Information Technology
10/18/2023
Workers
Scammers Solicit Fake Humanitarian Donations 10/24/2023
Threats Associated with the Israel-HAMAS Conflict 10/26/2023
2023 Holiday Shopping Scams 11/15/2023
FBI Warns of Scammers Targeting Senior Citizens in Grandparent Scams and Demanding Funds
11/17/2023
by Wire, Mail, or Couriers
Threat of Violence Likely Heightened Throughout Winter 12/12/2023