Slashdot Mirror
FBI Reports All-Time High In Internet Fraud Losses
eldavojohn writes "While the number of cases dropped, the amount of money lost to internet fraud reached an all-time high in 2007, a new government report states. 'According to the 2007 Internet Crime Report, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received 206,884 complaints of crimes perpetrated over the Internet during 2007. Of the complaints received, more than 90,000 were referred to law enforcement around the nation, amounting to nearly $240 million in reported losses. This represents a $40 million increase in reported losses from complaints referred to law enforcement in 2006.' The top ruses used by the fraudsters involved pets, romance and secret shoppers. The original report[Large PDF] is available online, and it contains some interesting graphs. One indicates that the two largest types of fraud are Auction Fraud and Non-delivery, which combine for over 60% of all cases. As Computerworld notes, men are more likely to fall for scams than women, and over 30% of losses are between $1,000 and $5,000. The report also contains data about the location of the perpetrators (Nigeria only accounts for 5.7%), age demographics, and contact methods."
Paypal is one of the least secure financial sites on the internet. Not only are email addresses used as user names, there are no secondary passwords or pins for transactions, no confirmation emails, not even IP tracking or blocking. Then there is the issue of accounts being linked with eBay with passwords often matching. So a hijacked ebay account can easily lead to a hijacked paypal account, and often times the hijacked accounts come with great feedback.
But when paypal or ebay get's compramised, they don't go to the police. They take absolutely no responsibility for their lack of security, and they don't even try to prevent future crimes. 120% of their work goes towards dodging blame and making the victim pay for their losses and do any paper work.
These sites are the perfect accomplices for online criminals. And they profit from it. All those fake handbags and sneakers on ebay still account for millions in listing fees and work towards their usage statistics.
The police need to investigate these crimes and send the bill to the sites where the crime occured. They should also automatically fine the criminals 20x what they stole and charge them for rent for the time they lock them up (which can be as little as 3 days, I don't think this matters).
Credit card companies are also to blame. Now it is easier than ever for buyers to file false claims and get merchandise for free. If any credit card fraud occurs, even in the smallest amounts, these cases need to be processed by law enforcement and fines need to be handed out. Too many people know they can get away with it, and keep repeating the same crime.