Lone Star, High Risk: Texas Second in U.S. for Internet Crime Complaints

A new annual report from the FBI ranks Texas #2 nationally for internet crime complaints.

Not good.

The 2024 Internet Crime Report shows that nearly 900,000 complaints were filed nationwide, with losses exceeding $16 billion — a sharp 33% increase over the losses reported in 2023.

According to the report, $1.6 billion of those losses came from Texas, an astounding $328 million increase from 2023.

The second highest number of complaints came from people 60 and older, but they suffered far more financial loss than younger generations. The older crowd lost out on $489.7 million. The highest number of complaints came from those 40 to 49, who were weaseled out of a whopping $155 million.

So, how did internet crooks con us into giving up so much cash in Texas in 2024?

It's pretty icky.

Extortion was the number one complaint (7,854), followed by personal breach of data (5,424), with phishing/spoofing coming in third (3,987).

The top three cybercrimes in Texas that reported financial losses were investment fraud at $636 million, business email compromises at $293.5 million, and tech support scams at $86.7 million.

These scammers are only going to get better and better at their craft with new technology, so please give a special warning to the older generations who may not be as tech-savvy.

I worry the most for our parents and grandparents right now, but it's important to remember that ANYONE can be scammed. If you are dealing with an online scammer, report it to the police immediately. It's not like back in the 90s when they didn't do much to help you. You've got options now.

Click here for advice on what to do if you've been scammed. 

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